Pom-Pom Crafts for Back-to-School
Pom-pom mania has hit it big time at our house.
These pom-poms are so easy to make and really fun to play with too. In fact, whenever I kicked my kids off their electronic devices this summer, pom-pom making was their next favorite activity.
Fine with me! I stocked up on yarn and let them go to town.
They made so many pom-poms we started incorporating them into back-to-school fashion! Backpack zipper pull, check! Dangly earrings (that they probably can’t wear in school but were fun to make anyway) check! Pompom headbands, check! Pom-pom apples, check!
There are a lot of different ways to make pom-poms but our favorite by far is with a pom-pom maker. We bought ours here but you can find them in pretty much any craft store or fabric store that sells yarn. It takes a while to figure out at first but once you get the hang of it, it’s hard to stop! We made a video if you are having trouble figuring it out too:
How to Make Pom-Poms
1) Basically, you fill up your pom-pom maker with yarn by wrapping it around and around on both sides. The more yarn you wrap around it, the fluffier and fuller your pom-pom will be.
2) Then you slice through the yarn in the middle of your pom-pom maker like in the picture above and the little pieces of yarn start to explode out of it.
3) But before you release the yarn from the pom-pom maker, you tie a piece of yarn through the middle of it and knot it twice to hold all the pieces of yarn together in the middle.
4) Then you release your pom-pom from the maker! Give your pom-pom a quick trim and voila… cute puffy pom-pom!
How to Make your Own Pom-Pom Maker
If you don’t want to spend the money on a pom-pom maker, you can make one out of cardboard.
Personally, I found making a cardboard pom-pom maker was a lot of work and I’d rather buy one for six bucks but maybe you don’t have time to wait for one to come in the mail and a trip to the craft store gives you hives.
Just cut two c-shapes out of cardboard just like we did in the picture above.
Put the two c’s together and wrap your yarn around and around until it’s nice and full. Snip the strings by sliding your scissors between the two cardboard discs. Tie a piece of yarn through the discs just like the pom-pom maker and knot it twice. Release your pom-pom and there you go!
The easiest way to make a pom-pom is to just use a small piece of cardboard (or even your hand, just don’t wrap it too tight and cut off your circulation). Wrap the cardboard (or your hand) around and around about 100 times or more. Then gently pull the yarn off the cardboard (or your hand) and tie it in the middle with a piece of yarn. Snip the loops and you have a pom-pom. The pom-poms created by this method do not come out as uniform as the other ones so you’ll have to be a little more aggressive with your trimming but giving pom-poms a haircut could be a whole other level of fun!
Fun Crafts with Pom Poms
Now what to do with all these fun pom-poms? Juggle them? Make a game of toss? All good ideas. You could string them together and make a garland or a backpack zipper pull. Glue them onto a pillow and decorate your room.
To string them you’ll need yarn and a yarn needle. Make sure you stick the need through the very middle and pull gently. Then attach a key chain toggle or just tie the yarn to zipper pull with a few knots to keep it secure. Easy!
Whatever you do with pom-poms we’re sure you’ll have fun!
Find More Back-to-School Crafts Here:
- Custome DIY Chalkboard Door Hanger Tutorial
- DIY Tiny Apple Magnets for the Refrigerator Art Gallery
- Magnetic Pencil Holder for Back-to-School
