How to Make Straw Star Ornaments (Strohsterne)

Christmas ornaments made out of straw are very popular in Germany and Scandinavia, and their history goes back many centuries. They range from very simple to incredibly ornate, and include stars, angels, and other holiday motifs. They were traditionally made from grain stalks after harvest, since this was a material that was readily available in large quantities. Today, one can buy imported kits and tools for making straw stars.

It’s an especially great craft for people who enjoy nature, and working with natural and foraged materials.

This Instructable refers to two other Instructables, “How to Prepare Grass for Making Straw Star Ornaments (Strohsterne),” and “How to Make a Jig for Making Straw Star Ornaments (Strohsterne)."

- Flattened, split straws from grass stems (see separate Instructable, “How to Prepare Grass for Making Straw Star Ornaments (Strohsterne))

- Jig for holding straws in place (see separate Instructable, “How to Make a Jig for Making Straw Star Ornaments (Strohsterne)”

- Heavy thread for binding the straws

Upholstery thread or other heavy duty thread is good. Try to break the thread with your fingers – if it breaks, it’s not strong enough. Regular sewing thread is thin and tends to cut through the straws. Festive thread, such as silver or gold, may also work.

- Flat razor blade, preferably in a handle

We’ll be making the simple, 6-pointed star in the first photo.

Set the jig on a table. Review the layout of the prongs (nails), and those prongs that form “gates” at six equidistant positions, as they are labeled in the second photo above. To reduce confusion, you may want to remove the prongs in between that won’t be used. In the photo above, we’ll be using the six positions that are labeled 1 through 6 (see second photo).

All the straws will be placed in the jig shiny side up (concave side down).

Select 3 prepared straws. Place one straw straight across the jig from position 1 to position 4 (third photo). Now place a second straw from position 2 to position 5 (fourth photo). Now place the third straw from position 3 to position 6 (fifth photo).

You should now have three straws equally spaced around the jig.

Select 6 more straws.

Place the first straw across the jig from Position 1 to Position 3 (first photo).

Place the second straw across the jig from Position 2 to Position 4 (second photo).

Place the third straw across the jig from Position 3 to Position 5 (third photo).

Place the fourth straw across the jig from Position 4 to Position 6 (fourth photo).

Place the fifth straw across the jig from Position 5 to Position 1, laying the straw OVER the straw just laid, but UNDERNEATH the first straw in this layer, but on TOP of the straw in Layer 1. In other words, insert this straw BETWEEN the two straws at Position 1 (fifth photo).

Place the sixth straw across the jig from Position 6 to Position 2, laying the straw OVER the straw just laid, but UNDERNEATH the first and second straws in this layer, and on TOP of the straw laid in Layer 1 (sixth photo).

Place a circle of cardboard (a little smaller than the diameter inside the prongs) on top of the straws to hold everything in place (last photo).

Check all around the jig, and make sure that there are three straw ends emerging at each of positions 1 through 6.

Press down lightly on the circle of retaining cardboard holding the straw in place. You can also place a weight, such as a book, on top of the jig for this step.

Tie a double overhand knot around the straws at Position 1 (see the first photo for how to tie a double overhand knot). Leave a long enough end to make a long hanger (3” - 4”). Tie the knot so that the knot is on the underside (back) of the straws (second photo). Pull the knot snug, but not too tight, or the thread can cut through the straws. Bring both sides of the thread around to the front of the star, and tie a second double overhand knot (third photo). Pull the knot snug.

Lay the end of the thread across the center of the jig. Pick up the jig and hold it so that the cardboard circle continues to hold the straw in place.

Begin wrapping the thread around the three straws at Position 1 (photos 1 and 2). If the straws overlap each other, you will need to carefully weave the thread around the ends of the straws (third photo). Pull the thread snug as you go around the group of straws. Wrap the thread around this group of straws 2-3 times.

Now bring the thread down behind the group of straws at Position 2. Wrap the thread snugly around the straws at this group, wrapping them 4-6 times.

Now bring the thread down behind the group of straws at Position 3. Wrap the thread snugly around the straws at this group, wrapping them 4-6 times.

Repeat this process with the straws at Positions 4, 5, and 6.

Note: In these photos, I’ve brought the thread INSIDE the two unused nails between Position 1 and Position 2. I went around outside the nails at first, then I saw that this would have left the thread bowed and slack between the two positions when the star is pulled off the nails later. If I had removed these two unused nails, this wouldn’t have been a problem. In fact, in the next step, you’ll see that I removed the unused nails to make the binding easier.

Now bring the thread down behind the group of straws at Position 1. Wrap the thread snugly around the straws at this group, wrapping them 2-3 times.

Cut the thread so that it is the same length as the first end.

Set the jig on the edge of the table. Bring the two ends to the underside (back) of the star, and tie them in a double overhand knot. Tie them in a second double overhand knot at the back of the star. Now tie the two ends in an overhand knot to form the hanger.

Very carefully lift the star from the jig by lifting it off the prongs. Lift evenly all the way around, so as to avoid stressing the tied joints.

Once the star is free, it’s time to trim it.

This step will show the simplest method of trimming the star.

Set the star down on a piece of wood, such as a cutting board, or a cutting mat (first photo).

DO NOT USE SCISSORS TO TRIM THE STAR. Grass stems contain large amounts of silica, a type of glass. This will quickly dull a pair of scissors. Instead, use a disposable razor, utility knife, box cutter, or craft razor/knife. These all have replaceable blades.

At each of Positions 1 through 6, use a razorblade to cut the straws to form a point (second and third photos). Take care not to cut yourself, and don’t pull the straws through the thread bundles on the other end of the straw.

Take care that the points stay even and symmetrical. There are three straws emerging at each position, so the middle straw gets cut to a point, and the two outer straws are cut to slant inwards to the middle straw, forming a point at each position.

You will have to press down tightly on the straws to hold them in place as you cut them. Take care not to pull on the straws, and make sure you are not pulling the straws out of alignment at the position on the opposite side of the star.

Your star is now done!

NOTE: An even simpler star could have been made by leaving out Layer 1, but the resulting star would have been very unstable, with the joints shifting easily, moving the star out of shape. The extra straws help stabilize and stiffen the entire structure.

NOTE: When laying the straws, it can be difficult to insert the “later” straws underneath the “earlier” straws, but it really provides a much prettier, woven look.

NOTE: An 8-pointed star can be made in the same way, just use the markings on the jig for 8-pointed stars. You’ll need 4 straws for layer 1, and 8 straws for layer 2. Most of the stars in this Instructable are 6-pointed stars (or 12, or 24), but that’s because I prefer the 6-pointed stars. Make your stars the way you want!

NOTE: If you have some dyed straws, you can use those for layer 1.

NOTE: This star has each bundle trimmed to a point, but they could also be trimmed in a “fishtail” style.

NOTE: When making a star with multiple layers, it looks prettier if the upper layers have more open space in the middle so that the lower layers are visible.

The 6-pointed star that you made can also be turned into a 12-pointed star. Simply add a third layer of 6 straws, where they are laid out in the same way as for layer 2, but they use the “gates” between each of Positions 1 through 6.

Number the Positions 1 through 12, as in the photo above.

Layer 1 (3 straws):

- Straw 1: Position 1 to Position 7

- Straw 2: Position 3 to Position 9

- Straw 3: Position 5 to Position 11

Layer 2 (6 straws):

- Straw 1: Position 1 to Position 5

- Straw 2: Position 3 to Position 7

- Straw 3: Position 5 to Position 9

- Straw 4: Position 7 to Position 11

- Straw 5: Position 9 to Position 1

- Straw 6: Position 11 to Position 3

Layer 3 (6 straws):

- Straw 1: Position 2 to Position 6

- Straw 2: Position 4 to Position 8

- Straw 3: Position 6 to Position 10

- Straw 4: Position 8 to Position 11

- Straw 5: Position 10 to Position 2

- Straw 6: Position 12 to Position 4

Remember to “weave” the “later” straws underneath the “earlier” straws within a given layer!

This step gives directions for a 12-pointed star with only 1 layer of straws. You will need 12 straws total.

Layout:

- Straw 1: Position 1 to Position 6

- Straw 2: Position 2 to Position 7

- Straw 3: Position 3 to Position 8

- Straw 4: Position 4 to Position 9

- Straw 5: Position 5 to Position 10

- Straw 6: Position 6 to Position 11

- Straw 7: Position 7 to Position 12

- Straw 8: Position 8 to Position 1

- Straw 9: Position 9 to Position 2

- Straw 10: Position 10 to Position 3

- Straw 11: Position 11 to Position 4

- Straw 12: Position 12 to Position 5

The two stars in the photo above are different sizes because they were made on different-sized jigs. But they are nearly identical in construction. Each has two layers, and each needs 24 straws.

Layer 1 for both is exactly the same as for the star in Step 10. They two stars differ only a little in Layer 2.

Layer 1 (for both stars):

- Straw 1: Position 1 to Position 6

- Straw 2: Position 2 to Position 7

- Straw 3: Position 3 to Position 8

- Straw 4: Position 4 to Position 9

- Straw 5: Position 5 to Position 10

- Straw 6: Position 6 to Position 11

- Straw 7: Position 7 to Position 12

- Straw 8: Position 8 to Position 1

- Straw 9: Position 9 to Position 2

- Straw 10: Position 10 to Position 3

- Straw 11: Position 11 to Position 4

- Straw 12: Position 12 to Position 5

Layer 2 for the star on the left:

- Straw 1: Position 1 to Position 5

- Straw 2: Position 2 to Position 6

- Straw 3: Position 3 to Position 7

- Straw 4: Position 4 to Position 8

- Straw 5: Position 5 to Position 9

- Straw 6: Position 6 to Position 10

- Straw 7: Position 7 to Position 11

- Straw 8: Position 8 to Position 12

- Straw 9: Position 9 to Position 1

- Straw 10: Position 10 to Position 2

- Straw 11: Position 11 to Position 3

- Straw 12: Position 12 to Position 4

Layer 2 for the star on the right:

- Straw 1: Position 1 to Position 4

- Straw 2: Position 2 to Position 5

- Straw 3: Position 3 to Position 6

- Straw 4: Position 4 to Position 7

- Straw 5: Position 5 to Position 8

- Straw 6: Position 6 to Position 9

- Straw 7: Position 7 to Position 10

- Straw 8: Position 8 to Position 11

- Straw 9: Position 9 to Position 12

- Straw 10: Position 10 to Position 1

- Straw 11: Position 11 to Position 2

- Straw 12: Position 12 to Position 3

Trim the bundles to a point at each position.

You can see that different stars can be constructed by simply differing the “destination position” of the straws in each layer. For instance, you could make a 3-layer star that essentially combines these two stars. The first layer starts with a straw connecting Position 1 to Position 6 (as in Layer 1 in this Step), the second layer's first straw would connect Position 1 to Position 5 (as in Layer 2 in the left-hand star in this step), and the third layer's first straw would connect Position 1 to Position 4 (as in Layer 2 in the right-hand star in this Step).

One thing to keep in mind is that each layer of straws covers up what’s underneath, so later layers should open up in the center, relative to the earlier layers. Otherwise you’ll have lots of layers, but the only thing visible will be the last layer.

Even if you use a small jig, you can use long straws to make large stars. Long straws will overlap each other, and you can then trim them where they cross, rather than trimming them close to the edge of the jig. The first photo above provides one example.

To make a large star through trimming, let’s remake the small star on the right from Step 11, but using much longer straws. Exactly how long will depend on the size of the jig you’re using. Experiment.

Layer 1 (12 straws):

- Straw 1: Position 1 to Position 6

- Straw 2: Position 2 to Position 7

- Straw 3: Position 3 to Position 8

- Straw 4: Position 4 to Position 9

- Straw 5: Position 5 to Position 10

- Straw 6: Position 6 to Position 11

- Straw 7: Position 7 to Position 12

- Straw 8: Position 8 to Position 1

- Straw 9: Position 9 to Position 2

- Straw 10: Position 10 to Position 3

- Straw 11: Position 11 to Position 4

- Straw 12: Position 12 to Position 5

Layer 2 (12 straws):

- Straw 1: Position 1 to Position 4

- Straw 2: Position 2 to Position 5

- Straw 3: Position 3 to Position 6

- Straw 4: Position 4 to Position 7

- Straw 5: Position 5 to Position 8

- Straw 6: Position 6 to Position 9

- Straw 7: Position 7 to Position 10

- Straw 8: Position 8 to Position 11

- Straw 9: Position 9 to Position 12

- Straw 10: Position 10 to Position 1

- Straw 11: Position 11 to Position 2

- Straw 12: Position 12 to Position 3

You should end up with an untrimmed star as in the second photo.

Now place the star on your cutting board. Pick two bundles that have a bundle in between them (circled in red in the third photo above). Trace a straw from each bundle up to where they converge and cross. Trim this intersection, where the cuts are shown in red in the photo. Do this all the way around.

Now trim the remaining straws. These cuts are shown in blue in the photo.

The first photo shows the two stars, where the one on the right is made from short straws, while the one on the left was made from long straws. It’s hard to believe, but their construction is identical. They differ only in how they were trimmed. They were even made on the same jig, but the small star on the right is 4” across, while the large star on the right is 8” across.

Stars can become big FAST by using this technique.

To make the star shown in this photo, you’ll need 24 straws, and you’ll use all 24 positions around the jig.

Layout:

- Straw 1: Position 1 to Position 8

- Straw 2: Position 2 to Position 9

- Straw 3: Position 3 to Position 10

- Straw 4: Position 4 to Position 11

- Straw 5: Position 5 to Position 12

- Straw 6: Position 6 to Position 13

- Straw 7: Position 7 to Position 14

- Straw 8: Position 8 to Position 15

- Straw 9: Position 9 to Position 16

- Straw 10: Position 10 to Position 17

- Straw 11: Position 11 to Position 18

- Straw 12: Position 12 to Position 19

- Straw 13: Position 13 to Position 20

- Straw 14: Position 14 to Position 21

- Straw 15: Position 15 to Position 22

- Straw 16: Position 16 to Position 23

- Straw 17: Position 17 to Position 24

- Straw 18: Position 18 to Position 1

- Straw 19: Position 19 to Position 2

- Straw 20: Position 20 to Position 3

- Straw 21: Position 21 to Position 4

- Straw 22: Position 22 to Position 5

- Straw 23: Position 23 to Position 6

- Straw 24: Position 24 to Position 7

Creativity in trimming can also be used to convert the star in Step 13 (24 points, single layer) to a comet!

Layout:

- Straw 1: Position 1 to Position 8 – Normal length straw

- Straw 2: Position 2 to Position 9 – Normal length straw

- Straw 3: Position 3 to Position 10 – Normal length straw

- Straw 4: Position 4 to Position 11 – Longer straw

- Straw 5: Position 5 to Position 12 – Longer straw

- Straw 6: Position 6 to Position 13 – Very long straw

- Straw 7: Position 7 to Position 14 – Very long straw

- Straw 8: Position 8 to Position 15 – Normal length straw

- Straw 9: Position 9 to Position 16 – Normal length straw

- Straw 10: Position 10 to Position 17 – Normal length straw

- Straw 11: Position 11 to Position 18 – Normal length straw

- Straw 12: Position 12 to Position 19 – Normal length straw

- Straw 13: Position 13 to Position 20 – Normal length straw

- Straw 14: Position 14 to Position 21 – Normal length straw

- Straw 15: Position 15 to Position 22 – Normal length straw

- Straw 16: Position 16 to Position 23 – Normal length straw

- Straw 17: Position 17 to Position 24 – Normal length straw

- Straw 18: Position 18 to Position 1 – Very long straw

- Straw 19: Position 19 to Position 2 – Very long straw

- Straw 20: Position 20 to Position 3 – Longer straw

- Straw 21: Position 21 to Position 4 – Longer straw

- Straw 22: Position 22 to Position 5 – Normal length straw

- Straw 23: Position 23 to Position 6 – Normal length straw

- Straw 24: Position 24 to Position 7 – Normal length straw

Then trim it as shown in the photo. You may need to tie a new hanger around a different bundle of straws if it doesn’t fly straight.

I hope that explaining the layout of some stars gives you a better understanding of how to make your own stars. There are many examples of straw stars (strohsterne) on the internet. Hopefully you can now find ones that you like, and look at them and figure out how they are made.

By varying the layout of the straws, adding multiple layers, using colored straws, different styles of trimming, and use of long and short straws, the possibilities really are endless!