Halloween Bat String Craft DIY Tutorial

Now you can repurpose pallet wood or scrap wood that you have around your house. Then use inexpensive wire nails and embroider floss to create this unique and hand made decor. You can also paint or stain your wood to your liking and then you have this adorable Halloween decoration.

MATERIALS NEEDED

• Pallet Board (mine measures 14 x  5.5)
• 2 Black Embroidery Floss (DMC Black #310)
• Wire Nails (2 oz pkg is fine. Mine were 7/8 x 17 gauge)
• Pattern – printed on PAPER
• Tack Hammer
• Sanding Block (optional)
• Tweezers (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Sand your pallet board (if necessary) with a sanding block to remove the sharp and jagged edges.
2. On a flat surface covered with an old towel, decide how you want your bat to lay on the board. Do you want it straight? Angled? more to the left than the right? Position and fold under your board or tape gently onto the wood.
3. Begin to pound the nails. Start at one corner and follow the outline (loosely is okay) around the bat. You'll want to space your nails about 1/2″ apart, for me it's about a finger width. Closer together on curvy areas may be necessary.
4. Once complete, pull the pattern UP away from the board. Then tear it off. Use tweezers if some of the paper sticks to the nails.

TO STRING

1. Unwind about 3 feet of embroidery floss – do not unwind the individual strands. You use all six at once. Tie it around the nail, preferably on one side. Double the knot. Begin to string. Go with a zig zag motion – there's no wrong or right way. And when you're happy with your look, finish where you began.
2. Once you have returned to the starting nail, you'll begin your outline. Wrap your floss around one nail head and carry it to the next. Continue that process (wrap and carry) until you've outlined the bat. When you return where you've started, outline inside the same nails by reversing direction – then wrap and carry to the next nail, etc.
3. When complete you'll end where you started. Simply tie your string together, double knot, trim and enjoy!

SPECIAL NOTES

1. You need to hold your string tight. One way to do this is to keep your grip close to the board.
2. Your floss will probably knot and that will frustrate you. Just hang tight.
3. Your floss will come off the nails and unravel or separate and one strand will be hanging out on it's own. Try to fix or unwind and re-do.
4. About every fifth nail you'll want to wrap all the way around a nail head and pull tight to keep the string tight.
5. I ended up running out of floss just before doing the second outline. You may or may not have that happen, it really depends on what your end bat looks like!