Star Suggestions

Send us your pictures, suggestions, and ideas. May we use your full name, your first name, or would you prefer to be anonymous? This page is just for fun and ideas and inspiration. Our instructions are at  Free Instructions and on our home page,  More free information and interesting items -  Home Page .

Thanks,   Madeleine Garner             (  e-mail madandmav@aol.com )
Rev. Bill Roberts - Children's Sermon with a puppet reindeer, including Moravian Star History - St. Gregory's Church, Deerfield, IL

Click Here for Sermon and Star History

The First Presbyterian Church on Maurice River  - Millville New Jersey  -  Diane Mikolasy

Spectacular 15 foot Christmas tree in the church sanctuary with a total of 1,509 white hand-folder paper Moravian stars! The only other decoration is tiny white lights!

Click here for pictures from their Christmas
From Baubles and Things of Sherman Connecticut - Patty DeJan loves to make the stars and she paints them and then embellishes them with all kinds of items from flowers to pearls and crystals. They are very popular at boutiques and renaissance fairs. Click here to see enlargements of these beautifully decorated Moravian Stars.   Click here for enlarged pictures.
First Baptist Church - Belleville Illinois  -  Carolyn Haege     

Four inch White Moravian Stars made from 1 inch strips, Counted Cross - Stitch, and Illuminated Moravian Stars created an inspirational theme.

  Click here for enlarged pictures.
From Liz Schmidt of Cleveland   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Click here for enlarged pictures. 
The United Methodist Church - Webster New York  -  Dorothy Humphry

Dorothy drew the 1600 strips by hand, cut them and made the 400 stars for the church tree in 2003. (Now she can buy the strips!)

She also makes stars for ear-rings from 3/16 inch wide strips, using tiny loops that fit over the ear-ring posts.

Click here for picture enlarged from their Christmas card
First United Methodist Church Festival of lights - Frankfort Kentucky  -  Carol Compton

Click here for pictures of this historical church
200th Christmas celebrated in the Bindnagle Lutheran Church with 200 stars to commemorate the event. It was a huge success!  -  Lynne Shuey

Click here for pictures and a brief history of this beautiful church

St John Lutheran Church - Phillips Wisconsin (Forest Ave.)  -  Etola Foytek

We made the stars during 4 work sessions. Three people took stars home to complete them. There were 246 stars. All were dipped in wax and sprinkled with glitter. Click for more information and a large picture.

Click here for enlarged picture of their beautiful old-fashioned tree 2005
Glitter to Glow in the Dark - Lisa

My 10 year old son, Jacob, has been making many stars, complete with thread and wire hanger, to give to teachers and friends as Christmas gifts. He has had several requests from other kids in his school. We have been using a product to 'paint' the stars. It is basically a clear glue with glitter, that comes in a small jar. We are using a sort of 'clear' color that is iridescent (gives a 'sparkle' effect), although it comes in many different colors. This also helps 'stiffen' the stars a bit, perhaps helping them to be a little more durable.

Jacob likes to decorate his room for Christmas. As part of his decorating, he has hung several of the stars from the ceiling. After he takes his Christmas decorations down, he wants to make some new stars using the 'glow in the dark' version of the glitter/glue.

Another great idea from Lisa - Only make one side of the 3-D part of the star. Then, you can tape the flat side to a gift package for a 'bow'.   (Examples of one sided stars are on the bottom of Maybaskets.)
Stars for Soldiers - Shiela  http://www.starsandstripescrochetandcrafts.com

These paper stars will be placed on trees along with many other beautiful hand-made ornaments made by members of the group StarsandStripesCrochetandCrafts. The decorated trees will be sent to soldiers to help brighten their holiday away from family and home. As soon as I get them made and mailed the red, white, and blue stars will be pictured at http://www.starsandstripescrochetandcrafts.com along with all the other ornaments. Everyone is welcome to help this wonderful group make sure our military men and women far from home in harm's way know how very much we care about each of them.
Another Great Idea from Shiela -   I have found something that I use as a great tool when the strips are stubborn and don't want to go through on that last part... a fingernail file with a cuticle remover on one end. I use the fingernail file to clear the way and if that doesn't quite do it, the cuticle remover used as a gentle pusher will get the paper through. It is really quite a nice tool for the stars.
A Great Way to Attach Threads - A Reader

I do have a different way to apply a hanging thread. Using a threaded needle, insert in a finished folded edge and feel your way to the small hole at the 90 degree corner . Pull thread through, cut off a hanging length and knot. This avoids the glue and never fails unless you need knot tying lessons!

Great Ideas - Loops & Wax- Dianne from Candler, NC

Hi! I have been making these stars for several years, and I fold white strips, dip in wax and sprinkle with white glitter.

I attach strings a little differently than your readers, and before I wax them. I cut a light cotton craft string about six inches long, fold them in half and knot both ends at once. Once I have enough loops, I take a loop, gently flex the folded side of a point open, and push the loop through the little hole between the points with a toothpick. Pull gently until the knot hangs at the hole. When the point flexes back shut, it holds the thread tight. It is fast and no threat of needle injury!

Also, if you like just a hint of color, adding crayons to the melted wax gives wonderful pastel colors.

(Additional ways for hanging are at the bottom.)

Stars - Little Red Apples - Silver Rope Garland  Rae Warburton - Poplar Point, Manitoba,Canada

Thank you for the directions for the 3D German stars. I learned how to do them in 1950 in a church girls club. About 15 years ago my mom and I rethought how to make them and since then I have made lots. I taught the first grade for 27 years and at Christmas time (Once I remembered how to make them) I would make 1/2 inch stars dipped in wax and sparkle and hang them in the windows or on a Christmas tree and on the last day of school before the holidays I would let the children choose a star. (I poked a hole right through the stars on a point and inserted fishing line as a loop to hold them when I dipped them into the wax.) We made boxes out of old Christmas cards and they would have a present to take home to their Moms. I have an artificial tree for our family room decorated in white (not waxed) 1/2 stars and little red apples and a silver rope garland. I think it looks quite nice! Bob, my husband, makes me put it away after Christmas. I think he's afraid I might leave it up all year.
Musical Stars - Cindy Mason from Raleigh

I want to make 68 stars for my piano students. I am imprinting the white paper with musical notes (using a rolling stamp with black ink) and making my students musical stars! Thanks for the web site. I made these as a child and have fond memories from the experience.
Musical Stars - Cindy from Raleigh, Another Great Idea

I just finished my first red, white and blue star. It looks great! I wanted to give my piano students a star with a new look this year and thought it fitting to be patriotic. I will punch a musical note in the point to hold the thread. I had to paint the strips.
May Baskets - Five Star Baskets

Agnes Maziarz uses 5 of the 3D stars that have 8 flat points. She glues 4 together forming the sides of the basket. Take 2 stars and glue two flat points of one star overlapping the two matching flat points of the second. Continue around with 4 stars. The bottom is another 3D star with all 8 flat points glued, overlapping, to the 4 upper stars point to point. The handle is one of the paper strips about 10 times as long as the strip widths. The handle is glued inside of opposite star points.

Agnes Maziarz is in her nineties and has trouble seeing so she folds them from memory. Every May they hang them everywhere, in the halls, dinning room and office of her nursing home. She enjoys teaching children how to make the stars and baskets.

Click here for details with pictures on how to make these May Baskets and other variations.

Wedding Favors

These could be in a basket or at place settings.  Moravian stars with a small heart hole in the edge of a point with a ribbon pulled through it. The couples name and wedding date could be printed on the ribbon, or short Bible verses. This could be printed in silver on the ribbon or hand written with special pens.
Church Decorations / Favors

Use the wedding favors idea using short Bible verses.                                                                                              
Foil Stars

     Mary Lou Reichard was commissioned in 2000 to replace some of the paper ornaments for the Henry Ford Museum Christmas Tree. These included Moravian stars, German bells, and Polish porcupine balls. She wanted them to be stronger than normal paper stars and tried double thickness paper first, then experimented with heavy foil paper. Heavy foil paper was used to make the star on the right as well as the colorful ones below. She also used holographic paper with many combinations of strips. 

Mary Lou teaches the Moravian stars the German bells, and Polish porcupine balls at the museum. She also teaches origami and makes a money tree with 300 bills in 150 designs (some original) for the Festival of Trees in Detroit. The tree brings over $3000 at raffle for the children's hospital benefit.
On the right is another example of how one hole can be used at the corner of a star using clear thread.
Boy Scouts - Newspaper Stars in Wax

Sandie has written asking how they used to make these stars with newspaper. How the strips were cut and or folded in strips. They used to make these for the boy scouts and sell them. I just remember they were made with newspaper and then dipped in paraffin wax and sprinkled with glitter. I would like to bring back this tradition in my home.

Maverick took 4 pages of newspaper and rolled them up. Then cut them like jelly rolls an inch or less. The cuts came out a little jagged, but each roll made 4 strips that were approximately equal in width. They surprisingly made a nice star. Though a little flimsy, the paraffin treatment would stiffen them. Of course, heated paraffin is combustible and one should be very careful.

Additional Hanging Information

To put strings on the stars I use a needle, but not to make holes. Put a few drops of paper glue on a piece of paper or disposable plastic. Dip the point of the needle into the glue for about 1/8 th inch. Push this small amount of glue into the crease of one of the flat points of the star at the tip of the point. Lay the end of the thread on this glue and push the thread into the crease at the tip with the needle so the string comes out of the corner. Again dip the needle in the glue and dab on the thread at the corner. Let dry. In other words, we didn’t make a hole, we just glued the end of the thread in the crease of a flat star tip.

     You could also use thin wire of the color of your choice. Bend one end for a hook and glue the straight end into the crease of the tip of a flat point.

Goldenrod Stars, 4-inches, in Antique Punch Bowl.

Click here for enlargement.

 short prayers