Chenille Stem Easter Baskets
You can use colored pipe cleaners, otherwise known as chenille stems, to make fuzzy spring nests or Easter baskets. If you don't have hay or Easter grass, you can make your own by cutting narrow strips of colored construction paper.
Safety Tip
Before you begin weaving the pipe cleaners together, turn each wire end in onto itself and clamp down with pliers. That way the wire ends won't scratch your hands as you work.
Spring Nest
Put four chenille stems and twist them together at the middle.
Fan the stems out equally to make a spider shape.
Take a chenille stem and put it on top of one leg, under the next, and on top of the next.
Keep weaving over and under the legs as you go around the center until you.ve reached the end of the chenille stem. Bend the tip up slightly so that the end will be in the inside of the nest.
You may need to bend the spider legs back into position so that they are evenly spaced. Begin weaving another chenille stem around the base of the nest. Leave the beginning and the end of the chenille stem on the inside of the nest.
Continue weaving until you have three or four stems in place as the base of the nest. You can see how the pipe cleaners are forming "ribs" along the inside of the nest. Now gently position the spider legs into a bowl shape.
Continue weaving chenille stems up along the sides of the nest.
When the nest is as high as you want it to be, fold the spider legs down to form a rim at the top. Secure them into position by wrapping a chenille stem around the spider leg and the last chenille stem you've woven into position. You will need four or five chenille stems to make it all the way around the nest.
Tall Chenille Stem Nest with Stripes
Follow the directions above for twisting the stems together, fanning out the spider legs, and weaving the base of the nest. When your nest is an inch or two tall, choose another color chenille stem to make a stripe. Pinch the new colored stem into position so that the end is on the inside and start weaving in and out as you have before.
Weave several of the new colored chenille stems into position to make a stripe about an inch wide. Then go back to weaving in the same color chenille stems that you used for the bottom of the nest.
When the nest is as high as you want it to be, fold the spider legs down to form a rim at the top. Secure them into position by wrapping a chenille stem around the spider leg and the last chenille stem you've woven into position. You will need four or five chenille stems to make it all the way around the nest.
Chenille Stem Easter Basket
You can use a lot of fun colors for this project. Follow the directions above for twisting the stems together, fanning out the spider legs, and weaving the base of the basket. Bend the spider legs up from the base that you.ve woven.
To make the handle, take four chenille stems and twist them together in the middle for about a third of the length.
Starting with one side of the handle, wrap a spider leg around one of the ends. Wrap the spider leg next to it around the other handle end. Wrap the spider legs opposite around the other side of the handle's ends.
Weave several chenille stems in and out between the spider legs. Add another stripe or two in different colors.
Fold down the spider legs to form the rim along the top.
Wrap a different colored chenille stem around the spider legs and the last chenille stem you've woven into position. You will need four or five chenille stems to make it all the way around the nest.
