How to go
What: Craftin’ With Duct Tape class
When: 3:45 p.m. Jan. 16 (a Thursday)
Where: Bellbrook Sugarcreek Community Center, Washington Mill Road
Cost: $5 for Bellbrook and Sugarcreek residents; $10 for nonresidents
Information or sign-ups: bellbrooksugarcreekparks.org
See the video
Watch how to create a craft using a variety of colorful duct tape. Go online to MyDaytonDailyNews.com and click on Life.
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In case you hadn’t already noticed, duct tape doesn’t just come in gray anymore.
It’s sold in many bright colors, plus patterns like polka dots, stripes, zigzags, peace signs and even flying pigs.
A recent fad among kids is to use duct tape to make all sorts of crafts. Before Christmas, stores were even selling duct tape crafting kits — boxes with varied colors of duct tape and directions to make basic items with it.
But you don’t necessarily need a kit. You can just buy a couple rolls of your favorite duct tape and follow the lead of Trisha Hannah, Bellbrook Sugarcreek Park District program manager, who with program coordinator Alison Jenks teaches an occasional Craftin’ With Duct Tape youth class.
We sat down with Hannah for a little demonstration.
At past classes, students have made such items as wallets, pencil pouches, bracelets and flower toppers for pens or pencils.
We asked her to explain and demonstrate how to make a duct tape pencil pouch, and here are the basic steps she described:
• First, always rip duct tape instead of cutting it so as not to ruin your scissors.
• Make four strips that are 8 to 8-1/2 inches long. Fold each strip in half, making sure the folded edge is completely straight.
• Then make eight strips that are 4 to 5 inches long, and fold those in half as well. Feel free to use different colors to vary your pattern.
• Set your four long strips out on the table, parallel to each other, and weave the short strips over-and-under through the long strips to create a basic weave pattern. Be sure to weave tightly, not leaving any gaps between strips.
• When you finish weaving all the strips, seal all four edges of the resulting rectangle with strips of duct tape.
• Repeat all of the above steps to create a second woven rectangle.
• Once both rectangles are complete, cover the entire back of each rectangle with more duct tape to reinforce.
• Next, use more strips of duct tape to seal the two rectangles together along the long bottom side and the two short sides. (Use strips of duct tape along both the outsides and the insides of the pouch where the sides meet.) If desired, add a strip of Velcro along the opening if you want your pouch to seal shut.
You can see a video demonstration of Hannah’s duct taping online at mydaytondailynews.com.
For the bracelet project, Hannah instructs her students to cover a drinking straw with duct tape, cut the straw into short sections resembling beads, and then thread the beads alternately with paperclips to form a circle.
When students sign up to repeat the class, Hannah and Jenks come up with new projects. And students are welcome to bring their own tape or use the Community Center’s selection.
“You can be as creative as you can think of” with duct tape, Hannah said, noting she’s seen people make dresses, bags and belts with duct tape as well as cover existing items like mugs and pens.
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