Cardboard Violin Tutorial

As promised, here is how to make a cardboard violin. I didn't find such a tutorial online, so I decided to make one. If you're little one is even half as interested in instruments as mine, it will be a hit! Baby E loved watching me make this, but you know your kids better, maybe you want to do this alone. Also, note that it is quite fragile, so if you have boys, just skip the strings. If you have a dainty little girl, I think she would love it with strings!

Supplies:

• Sturdy cardboard (ideally 3 layers big enough for the size violin you need)
• Pencil
• Violin body outline (see directions)
• Xacto knife or box cutter
• Ruler or tape measure
• Hot glue gun
• Sharpie
• Home Depot paint stick
• Thread or fishing line (optional)
• Glass beads (optional, not for children under 3)

Directions:

1. Measure your child's arm and decide what size violin you need. This violin size chart should help. Note the violin body size. In our case it was 7" for the tiniest 1/32 violin (not on that chart).
2. Draw a violin body outline to the size you chose, you can use this image as a guide. I was doing it by eye, it really doesn't have to be perfect, as long as it resembles a violin.
3. Cut out 3 violin bodies out of your cardboard (I only had 2 layers, that'll do as well, but more is better). Glue them together to make one thick violin body.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Glue the straight end of the paint stick to the violin body as shown above. If you need the overall length of the violin to be longer for a bigger child, glue it further up from the bottom edge of violin.
5. Draw the squiggles and the end part for the strings with a black sharpie as shown above.
6. If you are making one without strings, just take a sharpie and a ruler and draw four strings right on the paint stick and you're done!
7. If you're making one with strings, cut out a small cardboard triangle the width of the paint stick and glue it as shown, about at the violin 'curves'.
   
   
   
   
   
8. Cut four little notches in the cardboard rectangle and string through 4 equal size strings. I just used red thread. I found it easier to string them all through and then glue them with a hot glue gun one by one. You may want to do it one thread at a time if you're not good with detailed crafts.
   
   
   
   
9. Glue each string at one end first, then pull it tight and glue the other end. Adorn with glass beads if you choose to on top of the hot glue.
   
   
   
   
10. Take photos and present to your baby!
    
    

Thanks for stopping by Eco-Babyz for the violin tutorial!