Page 18 - The Lotus (Nov-Dec 2020)

Bored in the House

Written and Illustrated by Aashna Chhhabra

DIY PEN WIND CHIME

Have you used up all those pens writing projects for school and
don’t want to throw them away? Can you see the pen grave

beckoning to you asking you to change their verdict and bring them
back to life? No? Well too bad then you won’t be trying to make

this quick easy and sonorous wind chime, right? lots of pens
preferably light in weight and ones which you can open up. A piece

of circular cardboard. A roll of thread and wool. Ribbon of your
choice. A number of beads. Glue or glue gun. A thumb pin and other

decorative accessories as you see fit. Ruler and pencil.

• First take the circular piece of cardboard and divide it into
four parts using a ruler and pencil. Where the lines meet the

circumference make a hole with the thumb pin a little away from
the border like so.

• Cut four pieces of wool of same length. Insert each piece
into the holes we made earlier and secure the piece with a knot.

Take the opposite sides of the wool and using the ribbon, tie them
together. Secure with glue or glue gun.

• Now take the roll of thread and cut pieces increasing in size.
For example, if you cut 1 piece, 20cm long, the next will be 21cm

then 22cm and so on. The number of thread pieces depends on the

number of pens.

• Take every pen and open its end and top. Pass the thread

through its insides and then taking a bead to pass through it too.
Glue the bead to the end of the pen and knot the thread coming

out on this side.

• Now take each pen replace its top nozzle (the thread comes

out of the tip) and using the rest of the length of thread tie it to

additional holes made in the cardboard (make as many holes as you
have pens).

• Make sure to tie the pens in an order from those with the
shortest thread to those with the longest thread.

• You may paint the pen or accessorize the wind chime it is up
to you! Your wind chime is complete! Feathers and strings of beads

brighten it up!