This delightful and very clever straw art depicts a tweeting bird in a cage. You can make it in any color, and if you make it in blue, you could even use it for a Twitter icon!
The tweeting bird and the cage are both made from straws and they make ideal decorative items for cakes, drinks, a flowerpot gift, or as a child's plaything. Get your straws ready, get set, get creative!
Steps
Part 1: Making the tweeting bird
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Follow the cutting lines shown on the figure below for this step. Cut a wing-part from the straw. Note that it's divided into two sections by the concertina part of the straw. The wing section is shorter than the backbone.
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Use the short wing piece for this step.
Use the short wing piece for this step.-
Cut open the short wing piece as shown.
Cut open the short wing piece as shown.
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Using your fingers, press out the cut wing piece.
Using your fingers, press out the cut wing piece.-
Then, fold the wing piece in half, as shown.
Then, fold the wing piece in half, as shown.
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Cut out symmetrical wings on both sides of the fold. Make sure to keep the wings connected at the middle.
Cut out symmetrical wings on both sides of the fold. -
Cut small slits around the bottom edge to make the feathery tips. It is helpful to enlarge this picture to see the extent of the feathering required.
Cut small slits around the bottom edge to make the feathery tips. -
Take the other half of the straw. In this part, you will be shaping the tail and the backbone. Refer back to the diagram in step 1 for the correct cutting points.
Take the other half of the straw.- Press down on the straw on either side of the concertina part of the straw. Don't flatten the concertina part itself, however.
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Leaving a little even space on each side of the folded line, start cutting down the backbone piece of the straw following alongside the folded edge, as shown.
Leaving a little even space on each side of the folded line, start cutting down the backbone piece of the straw following alongside the folded edge, as shown. -
Continue cutting this piece until you reach the concertina portion of the straw.
Continue cutting this piece until you reach the concertina portion of the straw.
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Take hold of the remaining uncut portion and cut it in half by cutting down the other folded line. This will divide the remaining piece exactly in half.
Take hold of the remaining uncut portion and cut it in half by cutting down the other folded line.-
As before, continue cutting down the folded line until you reach the concertina part of the straw.
As before, continue cutting down the folded line until you reach the concertina part of the straw.
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Arrange the pieces. The piece that is still folded is the backbone and tail. See the image, the fatter piece is still folded and is the piece that was cut alongside the folded line, not on it.
Arrange the pieces. -
Form the bird's neck. Take the concertina part of the straw and bend it into what looks like a bird'sneck shape.
Aerial view-
Try to approximate how it appears here.
Sideways view
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Form the bird's beak. Turn the straw around to the shorter end above the concertina part. Return to the figure set out in step 1 and follow the exact cutting points outlined there.
Form the bird's beak.-
Pull the cut piece away to reveal the beak shape.
Pull the cut piece away to reveal the beak shape.
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Return to the longer side of the straw below the concertina portion. Take each of the wide pieces and bend them, then wrap them around the backbone piece, as shown. You're about to create a knot at this point. Refer back to previous steps to help you keep track of each piece.
Return to the longer side of the straw below the concertina portion. -
Ensure that a loophole has been created and hold the two fat pieces between your fingers, just prior to pulling into a knot.
Ensure that a loophole has been created and hold the two fat pieces between your fingers, just prior to pulling into a knot.-
Pull into shape to create a neat and symmetrical knot. Don't make it too tight as you'll need to loosen it shortly for adding the wings.
Pull into shape to create a neat and symmetrical knot. -
The two fat pieces (the legs that will slide into the cage piece) should be facing forward when you are finished, in front of the neck and below the beak.
The two fat pieces (the legs that will slide into the cage piece) should be facing forward when you are finished, in front of the neck and below the beak.
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Loosen the knot to create a small space. Slide the wings through this space and ensure that they're sitting evenly. Retighten the knot.
Loosen the knot to create a small space. -
Finish up by tidying the short tail. Cut off the long piece so that a short tail remains, as shown by the image.
Finish up by tidying the short tail.-
Feather the tail. As with the wings, make small evenly spaced slits to create a feathered tail look. You can stop here if you want just a bird, or you can proceed to making a cage for it as well, as outlined in Part 2.
Feather the tail.
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Part 2: Making the cage
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View the figure provided here to help you understand which parts are created to form the cage.
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Cut the straw. Following the image provided in step 1 of Part 2, cut the straw into eight equal parts, lengthwise. The cuts should only come as far as the valley fold line indicated on the figure.
Cut the straw. -
Fold each of the eight parts. Following the figure, you will need to make both mountain and valley folds, as outlined on the figure.
This is how it will look after you have made the valley and mountain folds- Valley folds: Pull each of the eight pieces out from the straw (toward you if you're rotating the straw) and bend into position. The valley fold extends from the point where you ended cutting the eight pieces.
- Mountain folds: Looking at the diagram in Step 1, Part 2, fold each of the eight pieces that have been folded outward up toward you so that stick up like a mountain.
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Cut off a small portion of the uncut end of the straw. You are going to be using this piece as a ring to thread over the other part of the straw.
Cut about this much-
The resulting ring seen apart from the rest of the straw.
The resulting ring seen apart from the rest of the straw.
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Place the ring at the top of the eight thin mountain pieces. Make sure each piece is included; this may take some steady handwork.
Place the ring at the top of the eight thin mountain pieces.-
Thread it to about three quarters of the way down the cut straw pieces, as shown here.
Thread it to about three quarters of the way down the cut straw pieces, as shown here.
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Create curls. The curls are designed to prevent the ring piece from slipping off the cage when you push it back up toward the top. Take the ends of each cut piece of straw and roll it over firmly to create a curl shape.
Create curls.-
Repeat for each piece until all are curled.
Repeat for each piece until all are curled.
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Push the ring back up toward the top, sitting just under the curled parts of the cage.
Push the ring back up toward the top, sitting just under the curled parts of the cage.-
Pull out the valley/mountain folds evenly to form the sides of the cage. Adjust until the entire structure sits together properly and looks like a cage.
Pull out the valley/mountain folds evenly to form the sides of the cage.
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Part 3: Combining the two pieces
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Gently slide your bird made in Part 1 into the cage. The legs should slide straight into the hollow at the base of the cage.
Gently slide your bird made in Part 1 into the cage. -
Adjust so that the bird appears to be singing from through the bars of the cage. Enjoy your tweeting bird, or if you made it in blue, your "Twitter bird", in its cage!
Adjust so that the bird appears to be singing from through the bars of the cage.
Tips
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If you'd like to make your bird appear more realistic, stick on some googly eyes with a tiny drop of glue.
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Here is how he'll look with eyes.
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Things you'll Need
- 2 plastic straws of different colours (the straw used in the pictures measured 6mm, 21cm (0.23", 8.2") Frex style straw
- Scissors
- Googly eyes and glue (optional but very effective)
- Sturdy workspace
