How to Make Paper Lanterns

Looking for instructions on how to make paper lanterns? We've created an easy template for you to make paper lanterns in a cute round shape.

These "lanterns" are purely decorative and aren't designed to have a lamp inside them, but they do make great festive decorations. In fact, they started out as a design for Christmas baubles.

By the way, if you want to learn how to make a lantern that you can put a lamp inside of, then check out my instructions for making paper star lanterns .

They make great homemade gifts to post in the mail because they can pack flat. And they look so pretty with the light shining through them :-)

Instructions: How to Make Paper Lanterns

Before we get started, here's a little cartoon to give you the big-picture of how everything fits together. Basically there's a thread that runs through the lantern from top to bottom, with a knot at each end to hold things in place.

Equipment

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pretty paper or card-stock
printer
scissors
glue or double sided tape
needle and thread

You'll also want to download my round paper lantern template . The pdf file has templates in two different sizes, so you can choose how big you'd like your lantern to be. The bigger template makes a grapefruit-sized lantern, and the smaller template makes mandarin-sized lanterns.

Print the template onto your paper or card-stock, making sure that you print onto the blank side! All done with the printing? Now on to how to make paper lanterns...

Step 1: Cut out along the solid lines, and you should have something that looks like this. Notice the little glue-tab on the left.

Step 2: Glue the glue-tab to the spot marked "X" to create a sort of cylinder like this. (You'll see the "X" when you print the template.) Make sure the pattern is on the outside!

Step 3: Prepare a piece of thread or wool about 15 inches long. Double the thread over a couple of times near one end and then tie a simple overhand knot like this.

Step 4: Trim the knot to make a little tassel.

Step 5: Thread the cord through one of the circle-shaped bits on the lantern, from outside to in. Which ever end of the lantern you start on will be the "bottom".

Step 6: Thread the cord through all the remaining circle-shaped bits on the bottom of the lantern. Pull the cord through to the top of the lantern. The bottom of the lantern should now look like this.

Step 7: Thread the cord through each of the circle-shaped bits on the top of the lantern, from inside to out.

Step 8: Tie a knot to keep things in place. It helps to poke a pencil into the knot as you tie it. By pulling the pencil up or down the thread, you can position the knot exactly where you want it.