How to Make a Hanging Cloud

Co-authored by Claire Donovan-Blackwood and Amber Crain

Last Updated: September 11, 2024 Approved

There are few things as relaxing and inspiring as clouds, but you can't always go outside to look at them. Make a hanging cloud to enjoy the sight of the sky anytime you’re stuck indoors.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making a Basic Cotton Cloud

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1
Cut and twist four equal strands of thin wire into rings. How long the wires are will depend on how big you want your cloud to be. Make sure that all of the wires are approximately the same length.
- Take your first wire, and overlap the two ends by 1 inch (2.54 centimeters). Twist the ends to hold the ring together. Repeat this step for the other wires.
Hold one wire horizontally. Hold the other ring above it, vertically. Slight the vertical ring into the horizontal one halfway. Your two rings will make a cross.

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You can secure the crossed wires together by putting beads of hot glue on the joints between the two rings. You can also tie the joints together with some more wire. Be sure to tuck any sharp ends into the wire "orb."
Slip the third ring over your frame at a left angle. Secure it to the joints between the other rings with hot glue or more wire. Repeat this step with the fourth ring, but insert it at a right angle. These two new rings should form an X.
5
Hot glue polyester stuffing to the wire frame. Pull off a long strip of polyester stuffing. Draw a squiggle of hot glue across it, then wrap it over your frame. Make sure that it covers at least two rings.
- Work quickly. Hot glue sets fast!
Keep doing this until most of your frame is covered. Be careful not to wrap the frame too tightly, or you will distort the cloud shape.
Once you have most of your cloud covered, pull out smaller tufts of polyester. Draw a swirl of hot glue onto the tuft, then press it against the cloud.
If your cloud looks too much like a ball, gently pull here and there on the tufts to bring them out. This will make your orb look more lumpy and cloud-like. Don't pull too much, however, of the polyester stuffing won't hold together.
Cut a long piece of fishing line. Dig through your cloud until you find a joint between two wire rings. Tie the fishing line to the joint.
Get some tape and tape your hanging cloud to the ceiling. For a stronger hold, screw a ceiling hook into your ceiling. Tie a loop into the end of the fishing line. Slip the loop over the ceiling hook.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making a Lighted Cloud

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If you'd like a larger cloud, hot glue one or two smaller paper lanterns to a larger one. ^{[1]
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Pick off a large, cotton candy-sized lump of polyester stuffing. Draw a swirl of hot glue on the clump, then press the stuffing against the lantern. ^{[2]
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Alternate between large, small, and medium-sized clumps. Be sure to cover the top and bottom of the lanterns as well.
This time, apply the hot glue directly onto the lantern, then quickly press the stuffing into the glue. If you glued multiple lanterns together, be sure to fill the seams between the lanterns.
Gently pull on the polyester tufts until the cloud is fluffy. Make some of the tufts larger than others. This will make your cloud look more cloud-like. ^{[3]
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6
Add some lights. For something quick and easy, tuck a battery-operated LED light into the lantern. Alternatively, you can fill the lantern with white string lights. If you use the icicle kind, you can even pull the strands out through the bottom of the cloud to make it look like rain. ^{[4]
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- Make sure that the lights doesn't generate too much heat and never leave them unattended.
Dig through the fluff until you find the top hanging wire of your lantern. Tie some fishing line to it. If you attached multiple lanterns together, be sure to tie some fishing line to each one. Cover the gap at the top of the lantern back up when you are done. ^{[5]
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Insert some hooks into the ceiling. Tie small loops into the ends of your fishing line. Slip the loops over the hooks. You will need one hook per lantern. This means that if your cloud is made from three lanterns, you will need three hooks.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making 3D Paper Clouds

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1
Draw a basic cloud shape on thick cardboard. Use a pencil or marker to draw a simple cloud shape onto thick cardboard. This will serve as your template. Draw the cloud the same size you want the finished product to be. ^{[6]
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- If you need a little guidance for sketching the cloud, run a Google image search using the search term "cloud shape." Tons of options will come up for you to choose from!
Use sharp scissors or an X-ACTO knife to cut along the lines you drew. Cut your cloud template out completely. Discard the excess cardboard. ^{[7]
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Pick a heavy stock so your 3D clouds are fairly durable. Trace around the cloud template on two sheets of the heavy white stock. Use a pencil and sketch lightly so you won't leave any dark marks on your white paper. ^{[8]
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4
Cut out each white cloud shape carefully. Use scissors or an X-ACTO knife to cut out the cloud shapes. Cut just inside the drawn line so that your shapes won't have any visible pencil marks around the edges. ^{[9]
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- Lightly erase any pencil marks that accidentally make it onto the final shapes. Be careful not to bend the edges of the paper as you do so!
Heat up your hot glue gun. Place one cloud shape on the table in front of you. Then, draw a thin line of hot glue directly down the center of one of the cloud shapes. ^{[10]
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6
Place a length of fishing line directly into the glue. Cut a piece of fishing line at the length you want to hang your 3D cloud. It can be as long or as short as you like. Anywhere from 6 to 18 inches (15 to 45 cm) would work great. Place the line vertically, directly into the line of glue. ^{[11]
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- There should be no fishing line dangling under the cloud; it should only extend from the top. You will use this to hang the cloud.
- Make sure you're using fishing line, which is transparent. That way, when you hang the cloud, it will look like it's floating in the air. Avoid fishing wire.
Set the glued cloud aside for a moment. Take another white cloud shape and fold it in half horizontally. The crease should appear in the same place as the glue stripe on the first cloud -- right down the middle. ^{[12]
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8
Place the folded edge into the hot glue. Once folded, line up the creased edge of the second cloud with the stripe of glue on your first cloud. Press the edge into the glue, right on top of the fishing line. Hold it in place for about 30 to 60 seconds to ensure you get a solid bond. ^{[13]
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- You may need to add some fresh hot glue if yours has dried up. Simply add a very thin line of it in the same place.
You can hang you 3D cloud anywhere you like! Use the fishing line to tie it to a light fixture, ceiling hook, the cord of a ceiling fan, or anywhere else you please.
10
Make multiple clouds. You don't have to stop at one cloud! Repeat these steps to make multiple clouds of same or varying sizes. Cut the fishing line at different lengths so the clouds will hang at different levels. You can also place more than one cloud on a string for a stacked effect. ^{[14]
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- Remember, each 3D cloud is made from two white cloud shapes. If you want your mobile to have six 3D clouds, you'll need to cut out 12 cloud shapes from the white card stock.
11
Glue the strings around the inside edge of an embroidery hoop (optional). An embroidery hoop is circular, so it's perfect for a mobile. Let the clouds dangle at different lengths, but make sure all the strings extend from the top of the hoop at the same length. You'll use the strings extending from the top to hang your mobile. ^{[15]
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- Once the glue is dry, gather together the strings at the top. Create a knot to lock them altogether. Suspend the mobile by the knotted string wherever you like!
- If you've never seen an embroidery hoop before, it's a small wooden ring used for needlepoint and other sewing projects. It can be found at any craft or sewing store. It will also have a tiny metal tightening device on it, but you won't need that for this purpose.

Expert Q&A

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Question

Can I use my hanging cloud as a lantern?

Claire Donovan-Blackwood
Arts & Crafts Specialist
Claire Donovan-Blackwood is an Arts & Crafts Specialist and CEO of Heart Handmade UK, a site dedicated to helping people live a happy, creative life. With over 13 years of experience, Claire uses art as a form of therapy and focuses on mindfulness in the making of art. She makes crafting easy and accessible for those she works with. Claire received her B.A. in Photography & Visual Imagery from The University of Huddersfield.

Claire Donovan-Blackwood

Arts & Crafts Specialist

Expert Answer

Yes! If you're making a cloud of fusible wadding, pull the wadding apart gently until it's really fine and very fluffy. Then, try using hot glue to attach the wadding to paper napkins. After that, you can hang the cloud on your light as a lantern.

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How do I get the lights in there?

Community Answer

Try putting in the lights just before stuffing in the last layer, then turn them on to adjust. You could hide the wire in the wire you hang it up with, or, if it's battery operated, stuff the pack in there, too.

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Question

I made a cloud using cotton balls and hot glue. How could I hang it up?

Chantelle Hegney

Community Answer

If you are interested in hanging it, take some twine and hot glue your cloud onto it! Then hang it up in a desired spot!

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Tips

Consider painting your paper lantern with glow-in-the-dark paint first. Your cloud will have a subtle glow.

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Make a few clouds if you like the outcome; a ceiling with several clouds can look really awesome.

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Don't over-fluff your cloud. If you pull on the stuffing too much, it will lose its shape and fall apart.

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Warnings

Polyester stuffing is flammable. Do not put clouds near any heat source (lamps, ceiling lights, etc.)

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Things You'll Need

Basic Cloud

Polyester stuffing
24 gauge steel galvanized wire
Wire cutters
Thread or fishing line
Tape or wall hook

Lighted Cloud

White paper lantern
Polyester stuffing
Hot glue gun
Hot glue sticks
Fishing line
Scissors
Ceiling hooks
Battery-operated LED lights or string lights

3D Paper Clouds

Thick cardboard
Thick white card stock
Scissors or an X-ACTO knife
Hot glue gun
Hot glue sticks
Fishing line
Embroidery hoop
Ceiling hooks

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How to Make a Hanging Cloud

Steps

Making a Basic Cotton Cloud

Making a Lighted Cloud

Making 3D Paper Clouds

Expert Q&A

Video

Tips

Warnings

Things You'll Need

Basic Cloud

Lighted Cloud

3D Paper Clouds

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