How to make balloon vase

Materials: balloons, an air pump, scissors

Buy balloons on Amazon (paid link): 

https://amzn.to/3ghxhW6

 Buy an air pump on Amazon (paid link): 

https://amzn.to/3mW1DyJ

In this instruction we are going to make a balloon vase or a balloon cup that may look exactly as the pink vase that we made in previous instruction "Balloon vase. Balloon cup". It definitely will look the same if you use only one color (pink in this example) balloons. Though today we are going to use different weaving technique. I am going to use two sets of balloons to make the vase: about 6 pink balloons to make horizontal rows and we need 6 balloons to make vertical connection lines. Just to show you how this sculpture may look like if you use only one color balloons and to use full length of each pink balloon I will use only 5 gray balloons to make vertical connection bubbles. The 6th vertical line I will make using pink balloons of rows. Total it would take about dozen balloons to make the vase. You can chose different colors or even use only one color balloons to make this sculpture. Inflate all gray (connections) balloons leaving about 15 cm flat tails (Pic 1). Note: I use only 260's balloons and give approximately estimated sizes of all bubbles in this and all other instructions!!

Inflate the first pink balloon leaving about 12 cm flat tail (Pic 2).

We are going to twist all bubbles of one row of the same size. We will shape the vase by increasing or decreasing size of bubbles in rows in the same way as we did previously. Let's start from the bottom of the vase. Twist a chain of the first six about 5 cm long bubbles (Pic 3).

Lock both ends of the chain of the first 6 bubbles in one lock twist (Pic 4). We have made the first row. Note: you can change size of bubbles in rows to make different shape sculpture. Also, you can make different number of rows as you want.

Tie nozzles of gray (connection) balloons between pink bubbles of the first row (Pic 5).  As I mentioned before, I am going to use the pink row balloons to make connection bubbles of the 6th vertical line. Otherwise, you have to cut off the rest of the pink balloon. And then attach gray (connection) balloon instead of it.

We have to twist all connection bubbles of the same about 2 cm size. Twist the 7th pink connection bubble. I am going to twist pink bubbles of the 2nd row of about 8 cm size. Twist the 8th pink bubble. Twist the connection bubble of the nearest gray balloon (Pic 6).

Lock free end of the gray connection bubble with the free end of the 8th pink bubble (Pic 7). 

Work all bubbles of the row in the same direction following around the sculpture (Pic 8). 

Lock both ends of the row in one lock twist (Pic 9). We are going to work the rest of the sculpture in the same fashion, just changing size of bubbles in rows.

Note: if you run out of pink balloon at any time you have to tie a nozzle of new pink balloon to the last pink bubble. Then you may cut off the rest of the previous pink balloon. Twist the pink connection bubble (Pic 10). The rest of the pink balloon is too short to make any bubble. Therefore, I have to attach nozzle of the new pink balloon to the free end of the last pink bubble. And then I can cut off the rest of the first pink balloon or simply hide it inside of the sculpture - it's faster and safer way to go ;)

Twist bubbles of the third row of about 11 cm size (Pic 11 through 14).

This is how the sculpture looks like if you use all balloons of the same color (Pic 13).

Let's make bubbles of the fourth row of about 14 - 15 cm size (Pic 15). It is the widest part of this vase. We already can use the sculpture as a vase, a bowl, a basket, a hat or even as a skirt.

Now I am going to decrease size of bubbles in the following rows. Let's twist bubbles of the fifth row of about 11 cm size (Pic 16).

Twist the bubbles of the sixth row of about 9 cm size (Pic 17).

Twist bubbles of the seventh row of about 7 cm size (Pic 18 and 19).

Twist bubbles of the eighth row of about 5 cm size (Pic 20).

Twist bubbles of the ninth row of about 3 - 4 cm size (Pic 21).

Twist bubbles of the tenth row of about 3 cm size. It is the narrowest part of our vase (Pic 22 and 23).

I am going to increase size of bubbles in the following rows. Let's make bubbles of the eleventh row of about 6 - 7 cm size (Pic 24).

Twist  bubbles of the twelfth row of about 10 - 11 cm size (Pic 25). We have made the last row of our vase. Now we can cut off the rest of all balloons and tie off the ends. Or we can use all or some of the connection balloons to decorate the top of the vase or to make handles.

In this example I am going to use connection (gray) balloons to make the thirteenth row. Twist gray bubbles of the thirteenth row of about 13 - 14 cm size (Pic 26).

Cut off the rest of all balloons and tie off the ends. You can use scissors to trim ends of balloons or hide them between bubbles of the sculpture (Pic 27). It is the top view of the vase.

It is the bottom view of the vase (Pic 28).

If you used pink balloons to make all vertical (connection) lines then the sculpture should look about the same as the pink vase we did previously, except the top of the vase (Pic 29).

Below you will see the vase from different angles (Pic 30 through 35).

We can turn the vase upside down to make a balloon cup. Below you will find views of the cup from different angles (Pic 36 through 41).

Congratulations, you have made balloon woven vase or balloon woven cup. We can use the same balloon weaving techniques to make different balloon sculptures. You may find many examples on www.fewdoit.com 

Have fun and happy twisting :)