Pipe cleaners (aka chenille stems) can be easily turned into complicated figures just by bending, cutting, and gluing (no special tools or pattern required).
Considered to be one of the easiest methods of crafting for kids, this guide will help you learn about pipe cleaners and crafting with pipe cleaners from scratch. It will be beneficial to use this guide as a masterclass before creating your first pipe cleaner toy or decoration.
We will learn about different types of pipe cleaners, for which crafts each type should be used, the basics of folding, and many tips.
I will also share with you the beginner test projects that you should tackle before getting inspired by something as complicated as a pipe cleaner snowflake or a flower bouquet.
What Are Pipe Cleaners, Anyway?
Pipe cleaners are also called chenille sticks, fuzzy sticks, chenille stems, or brush wires. They are flexible craft wires wrapped in soft, fuzzy fibers, now designed in a range of colors, lengths, and styles for crafting and modeling purposes.
In a nutshell, it is said that they were originally designed in the early 1900s as flexible brushes for tobacco pipes.
However, crafters, teachers, students, and professional modelers found them to be a convenient material for creating lovely crafts and models. So, we rarely see the actual purpose. By the way, they are quite durable, texturized, and come in lots of colors.
So, why are pipe cleaners great for crafting?
To explain why you will love working with pipe cleaners and why they are useful, they:
Bend easily
Hold their shape
Come in many colors, lengths, thicknesses, and textures
They are inexpensive and kid-safe (except for the wire tips)
Types of Pipe Cleaners to Consider
Pipe cleaners, now produced by most craft-supply manufacturers, are rebranded as chenille stems that better reflect their actual appearance and purpose in crafting.
Since then, numerous variations have been produced for various crafts.
Here are some types of pipe cleaners you can find in stores and recommended in the community:
Based on Look or Texture
It is the texture of pipe cleaners that usually tends crafters to choose one pipe cleaner for one craft and one for the other:
1. Standard / Classic Chenille Stems: Fuzzy fiber mostly in solid colors with an average 4mm thickness and 12-16 inch length. This is the most common type and can be used for any craft, but is favourable for toys.
2. Tinsel / Sparkle Chenille Stems: This type of chenille stem is covered with metallic fibres, so not great for toys, but for holiday crafts (Christmas, New Year, etc.). Same dimensions as in classic chenille stems.
3. Jumbo / Thick Chenille Stems: These chenille stems have an extra chunky look and higher thickness. You can craft plushies for kids and stress toys using these pipe cleaners.
4. Bump Chenille Stems: These chenille stems have alternating thick and thin “bumps” along the stem. Looks like a caterpillar body, so also called in slang the caterpillar chennile stems. Good for animal crafts.
5. Coiled Pipe Cleaners: As the name suggests, they are made by coiling two pipe cleaner stems, usually for getting muti-colored stems, also called striped chenille stems. You can use it for any project, like a candy cane or peppermint.
6. Glitter-Coated Chenille Stems: These chenille stems are great for projects like snowflakes, Disney Princess figures, snowmen, and similar projects where you need some sparkle.
Based on Length
Some pipe cleaner projects need no cuttings, some need a lot. So Chenille stem bundles come in many standard lengths:
6 inches (15 cm) – small craft projects, like making small hearts.
12 inches (30 cm) – the standard pipe cleaner length, which is reliable in mixed projects where you can also take cutouts and bend the complete one, too.
18 inches (45 cm) – for larger shapes or fewer joints
36 inches (91 cm) – extra-long versions for big figures or classroom bulk packs.
Important Tools for Pipe Cleaner Crafts
While you can make a simple pipe cleaner craft like a heart, coil, and similar shapes just by folding the pipe cleaner with your finger, here are some other supplies that many pipe cleaner projects call for:
- Hot glue (for example, for making a snowflake using pipe cleaners. You make a set of petals and join them together all along into the snowflake. So, very commonly used.
- Pliers (whenever you have to bend small cutouts of pipe cleaners, fingers are not as helpful. Also, pliers are great for cutting pipe cleaners since scissors are quite helpless.)
Other materials:
Googly eyes
Pompoms
Beads
Felt pieces
Craft wire cutters (alternative to pliers)
Floral wire
Foam balls
Markers/paint
Tip: You may damage your craft scissors, so avoid using them in pipe cleaner crafts.
Common Pipe Cleaner Techniques and Bends
Now we shall learn the basic techniques that are used in almost all pipe cleaner projects. These are the fundamental bends you must practice, though they are quite easy:
Coiling: Take one end of the pipe cleaner and keep on folding along its length. This technique, for example, is used to make the centre of flower petals.
Other usage may be half-coiling two sides to make a basic heart. There are many more uses.
Making a Loop: Take the end of the pipe cleaner, place it far away from the end, then twist the contact region together to secure the loop.
Use this, for example, to make antennae of a butterfly, a hole for snowflakes, etc.
Wrapping around objects: You can copy the structure of an object by wrapping the chenille stem around the object.
It can also be used to make loops for making the flower petals, for example.
Twisting two stems together: This means you align two chenille stems and wrap them around each other. Great for making a multi-colored stem of your own.
Internal Bend: In this, instead of bending from the ends, you use some object like a pencil to bend from the inside of the length.
Easiest Pipe Cleaner Projects
You can better learn the techniques of pipe cleaner crafting when you follow the video tutorials. Here I will share your first pipe cleaner projects:
Make a Pipe Cleaner Heart
This heart is very easy to craft. You can also craft these hearts for gifting.
Make a Pipe Cleaner Butterfly
Make a Pipe Cleaner Flower
Make a Pipe Cleaner Snake
Snake is a nice stress-releiving and jumping toy.
