Cobweb Cards

Tutorial created by Jane Nederlof, with help from Kalea Raposo, Kiarra Burd, Joe Diemer, Jacqueline Kublik, Rebekah Stretch and Anne Hung

Online tutorial created by Priscilla Adebanji

Cobweb Valentine, 1830–40. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/701087. Watercolour, cut tissue on board, Diameter: 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm)

 
 
 

Cobweb cards were a hallmark of 19th century Valentine’s practices in Europe. The cobweb technique, also known as the “beehive”, “birdcage”, or “flower cage” made for delicate, and often intricate paper-based momentos for admirers to send to their beloved. The basic design is quite simple, and can be adjusted to many types of materials, or increased complexity. This tutorial will get you started, and introduce you to the fun possibilities of this unique card-making process!

Want to learn more about this craft? Click here for a list of scholarly readings, blogs and websites, instructional videos, extant examples, and 19th-century tutorials.

To read some makers’ reflections on this craft, and to see what they made, click here.

You will need

An open book of patterned craft paper, two pieces of brown paper, a piece of cardstock, a pair of scissors, a paintbrush, a piece of string, a handful of colourful buttons, Mod Podge, and a blue mug

  • Card or cardstock (big enough to fit your cobweb)

  • Paper (tissue paper, office paper, craft paper etc.)

  • Round object to trace (whatever size you want your cobweb to be)

  • Pencil

  • Scissors

  • String or ribbon

  • Needle or tape

  • Glue

  • Decorations of your choice

For Instructors: Visit our Crafting in the Classroom page for information on embodied learning, or click here for further resources about this craft.

Step 1: The Base

Start by choosing the base of your card. This is what the cobweb will be attached to. It can be a card that opens, with the cobweb inside or on the front, or just a card with a single face. If you want to write on/in your card, you may want to do this before decorating, so the surface is still even.

 
 

A pair of scissors, a piece of card, and a piece of paper with Mod Podge applied to one side

 
 

Step 2: Decorating

Decorate your card, and take full creative licence! Victorians tended to use pictures of flowers, lace, and writing. Use your round object to trace a circle onto your card or cardstock so you’ll know what will be inside and outside of the cobweb. If you want a pattern or picture that your cobweb will reveal, proceed to decorate the inside of the circle. The card can be cut to match the circular shape of the cobweb, or it can be left with extra space for decoration.

 

Circumference of a mug being traced onto blue craft paper with a white floral design

 

Colourful buttons placed around the outside of the traced circle

 

Step 3: Preparing the Cobweb

Select the paper you want to use for your cobweb. If possible, recycle by using paper you already have! 

Trace a circle onto your paper using the round object you chose. 

Cut out the circle you drew on your cobweb paper.

 
 

A circle cut out of brown paper

 
 

Horizontal lines drawn on the brown paper circle

 

Step 4: Cutting the Cobweb

Fold the circle in half, then in half again. Folding a third time for closer slits in the cobweb is an option. Cut strips into your folded circle, alternating which side you start on, but making sure not to cut all the way through. See the following picture for an example of how these cuts should look. Tracing out the lines first with a pencil can help. The thickness of the space between your cuts will be the thickness of the “strands” of your cobweb.

 
 

Paper circle after it has been folded in half twice (cone-shaped)

 

The cone with cuts on alternating sides

 

Carefully open up your circle and flatten it out.

 
 

Unfolded paper circle

 
 

Step 5: Stringing the Cobweb

You will need a string or ribbon protruding from the top of your cobweb to lift it. This can be done either by taping it to the centre of your cobweb, or by threading it through the centre using a needle. To secure it, either tie a knot on the underside or tape the string down. 

You can choose to have something dangle in the middle of the cobweb when it is lifted. This could be a picture on a small piece of paper or anything else small enough to fit, such as the button that I use here. To add this extra detail, make your string or ribbon a little longer—about half the height of your cobweb when it is extended. 

 
 

Cobweb circle with a needle and thread being guided through the centre

 

A small button tied to the end of the string

 

Step 6: Attaching the Cobweb

Once your string is in place, glue the outermost layer of the cobweb to your card.

 
 

Blue craft paper with a circle traced onto the centre and buttons around the outside, a paintbrush with Mod Podge on it, and a cobweb with a red button attached to it with a blue string

 
 

And you’re done!

 
 

A complete cobweb card (cobweb affixed to the centre of the blue craft paper)

 
 

Put your card under some heavy books for a while to flatten it if you find that it is bending or curling.

 

The New Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language

Cobweb curling up from the base

 

Enjoy your cobweb card! Experimenting with different materials and designs offers nearly endless possibilities.

 
 

Cobweb being pulled slightly upwards via the attached string

 
 
 

Cobweb fully extended, revealing the red button inside

 

Please send us your own work-in-progress and/or finished creations! Email us at craftyvictorians@gmail.com, tweet us @craftyvictorian, or connect with us on Instagram @crafty_victorians.