Pipe cleaner crafts are like a beginner course in Wire Sculpture 101. They are lightweight and easy to shape into whatever you dream up. This craft is a super-fun way for kids to explore facial features…making round eyes, short noses, long ears—all at the bend of a pipe cleaner! And because this craft does not require glue, there are no mess-ups. Just give it a facelift and start again!
What you’ll need:
- Thin wire hanger
- Pipe cleaners (edit note: or would you rather say chenille stems?)
- Large beads
- Scissors
- Thick yarn
Make it:
- Stretch out your wire hanger until it forms a head shape. An adult might need to help a child with this step!
- Use pipe cleaners to make the facial features.
- Nose: For a long nose, you’ll need two pipe cleaners. Twist one to either side of the base of the hanger’s hook. Twist them together about halfway down and then form the pipe cleaner into a nose shape at the bottom; twist to close.
- Eyes: Slip a bead over the end of a pipe cleaner and wrap the pipe cleaner around the bead and into the other hole. Cut another pipe cleaner in half and form a circle. Twist each end onto the eyeball pipe cleaner to form an eye shape. (Eyebrows and eyelashes are optional!)
- Mouth: Form a pipe cleaner into a mouth shape. Twist a straight pipe cleaner to the bottom lip and twist around the hanger. Trim off excess.
- Ears: Cut a pipe cleaner in half. Bend each end over the wire hanger on the sides of the head.
- Nose: For a long nose, you’ll need two pipe cleaners. Twist one to either side of the base of the hanger’s hook. Twist them together about halfway down and then form the pipe cleaner into a nose shape at the bottom; twist to close.
- To make the hair, cut 4-inch strands and knot them onto the top edge of the hanger head. Experiment and play with bangs, ponytails, and various fun hairdos!
These are so lightweight that you can hang with a dash of washi tape!
