Create a seed pod

Create a soft sculpture out of everyday household materials to resemble some of Boroondara’s most significant trees’ seed pods.

Using everyday materials such as empty toilet rolls, wool and old clothes, create your very own soft sculpture seed pod by weaving, and using other craft materials to embellish it.

Don’t forget to upload your artwork to Facebook and Instagram, using the hashtag #BoroondaraArtsWithYou

Materials

• toilet rolls
• scissors
• wool, old clothes or old toys for yarn
• sticky tape
• paddle-pop stick
• craft supplies
• craft glue (or hot glue gun)

Instructions

1. To create your weaving tool, grab a toilet roll and cut five 5cm slits on one end of a toilet roll, evenly spaced. This is known as your ‘warp’ (you can download the template for ease).
2. Tie a loop of your chosen yarn at the base of one of the cardboard warp tabs.
3. With the yarn, weave it under and over your warp, following in a circular motion until you’re 1cm from the end of the toilet roll.
4. Once completed, measure out the rest of the yarn at two arms’ length, and cut the yarn. 
5. Take your sticky tape and tape the end of the yarn to a paddle-pop stick.
6. Thread the paddle-pop stick through the inside of one of the warp tabs (i.e. the space between the yarn and cardboard).
7. Cut it at the point it exits the bottom end of the toilet roll.
8. Thread down another warp tab from the bottom of the toilet roll and back up the next warp tab. Repeat until every warp tab has a piece of wool threaded down it, roughly the same length. 
9. Tear the warp tabs off and carefully slide them out one at a time. Make sure you hold the five pieces of thread hanging out the end.
10. Tighten up and tie the five pieces of yarn together to create your gum nut.
11. With the remainder of the toilet roll, cut out leaf-like shapes and decorate.
12. Glue your gum nuts to the shapes to create a base.
13.  Add further decorations with craft supplies to your gumnuts.

Watch activity 4 and join in