Preparing the Finnish Star Base

• 1). Measure and cut 12 strips of paper of identical sizes. For beginners, 12 inches by 3/4 inch each is a good size to work with, although stars can also be made larger or smaller. Whatever the size, the length of the strips should be at least 15 times the width.
  
  
• 2). Place a strip of paper on your work surface in a vertical orientation. Glue the exact center of another horizontal strip to your first strip's center.
  
  
• 3). Glue the centers of two more vertical strips to the horizontal strip, making sure the ends line up with your first vertical strip. Leave 2 to 3 mm of space between the strips.
  
  
• 4). Glue in the last two horizontal strips 2 to 3 mm above and below the first horizontal strip. They should be woven through the vertical strips so they go over the side strips and under the center one. Each intersection should be secured with glue.
  
  
• 5). Repeat the process with the other six strips of paper while the glue on the first base dries.
  
  

Making Finnish Star Points

• 1). Beginning with the first Finnish star base, twist and bring together the right end of the highest horizontal strip and the top end of the rightmost vertical strip. The tops of these strips will wrap around the outside of the loop and be on the bottom where the two strips meet.
  
  
• 2). Glue the ends of the strips together so the loop comes to a point. The end of one strip will line up exactly along the edge of the other. The loop they make should be leaf-shaped.
  
  
• 3). Put on a paperclip to hold the loop together until the glue dries.
  
  
• 4). Rotate the whole star counterclockwise and repeat the process with each of the three other corners. At the end, the four ends of the center strips will still be sticking out.
  
  
• 5). Set the first star aside to dry and repeat each step with the second star base.
  
  

Finishing the Finnish Star

• 1). Set one of the completed stars upside-down on the work surface. The center should be flat on the table, and the loops will be sticking up.
  
  
• 2). Keep the other star right side up and set it down on top of the star on the table. Line it up so that each of the loose center strips is above or below one of the loops on the other piece of the star.
  
  
• 3). Pull each of the loose strips through the matching loop on the other star.
  
  
• 4). Glue each loose strip to its loop, lining it up so the end edge of the strip is exactly at the point of the loop. The corners of the strip will still be sticking out. Secure with a paperclip if needed until the glue dries.
  
  
• 5). Trim off the corners of each center strip so they are flush with the edges of the loop.