We make pom-poms all the time in art class, and at home. It seems like whenever we have a little time left over, the kids gravitate towards the basket of yarn and ask to make pom-poms. I thought I would show you my best attempt at a perfect rainbow pom-pom, using our favorite pom-pom makers.
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Supplies
~ Yarn (I buy mine at Michael’s, but you can find cheap yarn on Amazon)
~ Pom-pom makers (we used the largest size)
~ Good scissors (I use my Gingher scissors only when cutting textiles or yarn – never paper, that dulls the blades)
Step one
Choose about twelve colors, six for each side of the pom-pom maker. Wrap each color around the half-circle (there are instructions that come with the makers). Make sure not to wrap too tightly, or too loosely. Also make sure it’s nice and thick, so you can hardly close it. The yarn needs to stay in the middle of the half-circle, not over the ends. (This will all make more sense as you experiment.)
Step two
Close the half-circles towards the middle. Stick the end of your scissors into the groove between the two circle halves, and start snipping. Snip all the way around.
Step three
Cut a piece of yarn and tie it very tightly around the middle of the pom-pom maker. Make it a double knot.
Step four
Open up the blue half-circles, and pull apart the two pieces of the pom-pom maker (this part is easier to see on the video).
Step five
Snip and snip some more. Give the pom-pom a serious hair cut. The reason I chose the largest pom-pom maker was because I trim a lot in order to get it looking plump and full (not stringy).
Watching the video will give you a better idea of how the pom-pom maker works.
That’s it. Easy-peasy lemon-squeezy. I think I will make about 30 and then make some sort of mobile for our new home (which I haven’t found yet, but I have hope!).
xo, Bar
This post has taken me back to my childhood. We used carefully cut out cardboard for our pom poms, I used to love making Easter chicks, with one large and one small pompom
pom-poms are childhood for me too! now it’s so much easier, though, with the pom-pom makers. i do sometimes feel nostalgic for the cardboard circle way. thanks for leaving a comment, Anna! xx Bar
I’ve never seen pom pom makers,I’m really wanting to get one now and try this out.:)
Hi Bar! I’ve been wanting to ask this for a while now, and stumbled upon this post again, so I thought I’d ask here. What ages have you had success with making pompoms? I do a summer craft camp that runs about ages 7-11 (grades 2-6ish). I’ve experimented with making pompoms and tassels with them a few times, but for some reason, it’s never really been successful. (For pompoms, the failure mainly lies in the “haircut” part.) But I’m determined to make it work this summer. It seems like girls this age (most of whom have been crafting with me for a long time) should be able to do this easily. I’m thinking we’ll just devote an hour to perfecting it with my cheapest yarn — if we have some false starts, so be it. Any tips?
xoxo,
Becky
Are Pom Pom makers pretty similar or is this particular brand of higher quality? What should I pay attention to when purchasing Pom Pom makers?
hi mindy – I think that they are all mostly the same. just cheap, plastic thingys – I can’t imagine one is better than the other. hope this helps! xx Bar
This is brilliant! I know exactly who I can make one for!