‘Tis the season to decorate your home with all things spooky and scary! Today I am sharing how you can create Worbla Halloween bats to up the spooky factor in your home. Cricut Maker machines can cut some really amazing materials, like Worbla Thermoplastic. Read on to find out more about this cool material!
WORBLA HALLOWEEN BATS WITH CRICUT MAKER
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE WORBLA HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS
This project will allow you to play with a new material: Worbla! Because the final decorations are made from rigid plastic, they will stand up to the wear and tear of being hung outdoors and should last you for years.
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- Worbla thermoplastic
- Cricut Maker
- Strong Grip mat
- Knife blade
- Hairdryer or heat gun
- Lighter
- Needle
- Monofilament
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WHAT IS WORBLA THERMOPLASTIC?
If you, or someone close to you, does cosplay, you likely are already aware of Worbla. If not, this is likely a completely new crafting material to you. Time for some experimenting!
These thermoplastic sheets are rigid like regular plastic until you heat them with a hairdryer or heat gun. While the product is hot, you can mold the sheets into whatever shape you choose. When the Worbla cools, the product becomes rigid again and the new shape is locked in place! Worbla has been a staple with costumers and cosplay artists, as the product is fantastic for making custom costume pieces.
Even though Worbla is sturdy, it can still be cut with regular scissors. I cut this simple bat shape (seen above) with small craft scissors, but you can also use a utility knife or digital cutting machine. Cutting by hand is the less expensive and less time-consuming method, but your results will be less precise than those made with a cutting machine. The tool you use for your project is totally up to you.
HOW TO USE A CRICUT MAKER TO CUT WORBLA
I made two more bats using my digital cutting machine. I used a strong grip cutting mat and the Cricut knife blade. Then, I set my Cricut Maker to cut heavy chipboard and to make twenty passes over the material to cut out the shapes. Don’t expect this to be a quick cut! My machine took nearly an hour to cut the two bats!
The process was definitely time-consuming, but the results are perfect. Choose the cutting method that works best for you.
MOLDING WORBLA HALLOWEEN DECOR
After I cut out the bat shapes, it was time for the fun part! I set up a make-shift jig to add dimension to my bats. I set the Worbla bats on top of two large glasses, then heated the Worbla with a hairdryer. If I owned a heat gun, this process would have gone even faster.
CAUTION: The glasses become very hot during this process, so protect your hands!
The thermoplastic became soft and pliable, so I was able to drape it over the glasses to create the illusion that the wings are mid-flap. One of the many cool things about Worbla is that if you don’t like the way your project looks after you have molded it, just reheat it and try again!
Since this Worbla was already black, it was perfect for these spooky silhouettes. You can paint Worbla though, so if you want to add more details to your bats you can!
HANGING THE DIY HALLOWEEN BATS
In order to hang my finished bats, I needed to create a small hole in the Worbla. I heated the tip of a needle with a lighter and carefully pushed it through the Worbla. This created a perfect hole through which I could thread a line of monofilament. I recommend transparent monofilament because it really makes the bats look like they are swooping through the air.
My creepy Halloween bats were finished and ready to be hung by their invisible strings. Hang these by your front door to startle any guests this Halloween!
You might like these other Halloween decorations:
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