My mother makes these woven snowflakes from thin strips of wood. I, of course, had to try a paper version.
The design is by Billie Ruth Sudduth.
A 12-strip version was featured on HGTV. You can see it here.
Mine is a 20-strip version. I also prefer a slightly different assembly method.
How to make a twenty-strip Carolina Snowflake
Cut twenty strips of paper. Mine are about 1/4" wide and 8.5" long. A little variation in width is okay. You can use quilling strips if you have them.
You will make two snowflake halves, each from ten strips. These are fastened back-to-back to form the completed snowflake.
Make the first snowflake half with ten strips.
Mark the centers of two strips. Form a cross from these two pieces and tack together at the centers with a dot of glue. Be as exact as you can with matching the centers and getting the two strips at a 90° to each other.
Lay down two strips, one on either side of the vertical center strip. Lay down two strips, one on either side of the horizontal center strip. Weave the horizontal strips under the center strip and over the side strips.
Add the last four strips in a similar manner. You will have a simple under-over weave pattern in the center.
Glue together the outermost strips where they cross at the corners.
There are now four "arms", each with five strips. You will create a loop between each of the arms.
On two adjacent arms, grasp the tips of the two outer (white) strips that cross each other. Give each a half turn, the lefthand one counter clock wise and the righthand one clockwise. Glue the tips together at a right angle to each other. Clip together with a clothes pin.
Repeat with the other arms. Let the tips dry.
Now attach the next set of strips (light blue) from each adjacent pair of arms.
Grasp the tip of one strip. Give it a half twist as you did before, and pull it under and across the (white) loop you just made. Glue to the loop at a right angle, about 1 inch down from the tip of the loop. Half twist, and pull the other outer strip under and across the loop. Glue.
Do this on all four arms. Clip, let dry.
Make another snowflake half with the other ten strips.
Lay one snowflake half on the table, face down, with the arms in a + position.
Lay the other snowflake half on top of the first one, face up, with the arms in an X position. The arms nestle together to fill in the empty spaces.
Reach through one arm of the top snowflake and grab the loose center strip from the bottom snowflake. Pull it through to the top. Glue the end of the strip to the point at the top of the snowflake. Clip.
Repeat for the remaining three center strips from this side. Flip the snowflake over. Pull through the four strips on this side and glue.
[more/]