Image by Eric Ronald via Rin and Joe’s Handmade Melbourne Wedding

Pom poms are a popular decoration choice at weddings, although they are usually of the paper variety. Have you ever considered including the classic woollen pom pom at your nuptials? Rin and Joe did and so am I! After having a life long obsession with the woolly balls of fluff, I’m in the middle of crafting 500, yes, 500 of them for my wedding next year. Here’s a wool pom pom tutorial that shows how I’m making mine.

You’ll need:

  • Wool
  • Scissors
  • Craft knife
  • Pom pom makers

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Tip: If you’re planning on making a good few pom poms, invest in pom pom makers. They save so much time and energy and are inexpensive to buy (around $5 for a set of four sizes), which you can get from Etsy, eBay or Amazon. You can of course do it the old-fashioned way by cutting out rings of cardboard, but my advice is don’t even bother!

Step 1: Arrange the pom pom makers into two semicircles with their backs facing each other so the grooves fit together.

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Step 2: Concentrating on one half of the semi-circles, start winding your wool around until it’s completely level. You can use two balls of wool at a time to be extra quick!

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Step 3:  Repeat on the same side – you don’t even have to cut the wool, it’s that easy!

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Step 4: Bring the two sides together, clip them in place and cut off the wool. Using your craft knife (believe me, much easier than using scissors) start cutting through the wool around the edge of the makers.

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Step 5: Cut a length of wool and wrap it around the circumference of the maker. Double knot the wool and be sure the pull it around a couple of times to make sure to get rid of any snags.

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Step 5: Now you simply unclip and remove the makers. Ruffle the wool up and using your scissors give your pom pom a haircut until it’s in a nice round, full shape.

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The great thing about pom poms is that you can play around with colour combinations and sizes and they are also inexpensive and easy to make. They’re a fun way to brighten up any wedding ceremony or reception. Failing that, they make excellent decorations at any party or around the home. I’ve even taken to using them instead of ribbon when wrapping gifts.

Tutorial images by Jaime Macmillan