How to make a balloon garland: step by step for beginners
A balloon garland looks like a lot of work. In practice, it is one action that you keep repeating. You inflate balloons in three sizes, tie them in pairs, and push those pairs into a plastic strip. The holes that remain, you fill with small balloons. That's all. How big your garland becomes is up to you. Longer and fuller means more balloons. Below is step by step described how to make such a balloon garland!
What you need
You work with three sizes. 12-inch balloons are your base, you need the most of those. The 5-inch ones are used to fill the gaps, and a few 18-inch ones are added as large accents.
Furthermore, you need:
- a sturdy rope or decorative wire, around which your garland is built
- an inflator or hand pump
- a sizer to check your sizes
- glue dots for the accents afterwards
- a pair of scissors and sturdy hooks
The strip, the sizer, the inflator, and the glue dots are available in the accessories section on sempertexeurope.com.
Always take your rope a bit longer than your garland. Leave about half a metre at each end to tie to your hooks later.
Before you buy anything, measure the place where the garland will hang, and consider whether you want it full or airy. Then take some extra balloons with you. One always pops, and it's a shame if you just come a few short for the last gaps.
Are you unsure about the length? Keep your first garland rather small. Short enough to finish in one evening, long enough to understand how it works.
Step by step
Which colours you choose is entirely up to you. Look at what fits the space, the theme, or the party. For inspiration, you can always visit our inspiration page.
What you should pay attention to: stick to three or four colours. One colour fills about half of your garland, a second colour a third, the rest is accent. This gives the whole a sense of calm.
Also play with the finish. Fashion Solid is your base with opaque colours. If you want it softer, Pastel Matte gives a chalky, cloudy look and Pastel Dusk is a pastel that is slightly duller and warmer.
For shine, add a few balloons in Silk or Reflex in between. Silk has a soft, silky shine, Reflex is reflective and chrome-like and stands out much more. A handful of those among matte balloons often does more than a garland that is completely shiny.
- Step 1: inflate and measure
Only inflate the round part and keep the neck empty. If there is air in there, it will be harder to tie and the latex will tear faster.
Then push each balloon through your sizer. You won't notice a half-centimetre difference while you're working, but you will once the garland is hanging.
Work in blocks. Inflate a series, tie that same series, and only then put it in the strip. This is faster than finishing each balloon separately, and your hands get a little rest in between.
You don't need helium. A garland hangs on the wall or on a frame and simply uses air.
- Step 2: tie in pairs
Take two balloons of the same size and tie the necks together. Such a pair is called a duet, and that's what you'll use to build your entire garland.
So don't tie loose per balloon. One knot for two balloons is half the work, and a duplet is exactly what you need on the rope.
Do your fingers feel warm and sensitive after a while? First stretch the neck with your other hand and wrap it around two fingers instead of one. The whole technique is in our guide on tying without painful fingers.
- Step 3: the pairs around the rope
Now it really starts to look like something.
Lay your rope out on the ground or on a table. Take a duplet, place the knot against the rope and twist the two balloons once around the rope, so that the knot encloses the rope. Pull until it no longer slides.
The next duplet comes right up against it, but you turn it a quarter turn relative to the previous one. This way, your garland grows around instead of flat against the wall. Push each new duplet firmly against the previous one, then everything stays in place and you won't see the rope anymore.
Distribute your 18-inch balloons along the entire length. Otherwise, they will all be at the top, and that stands out.
Also, never place two identical balloons next to each other. But don't try to find a fixed pattern. A garland looks good when the rhythm is a bit random.
Step back three steps occasionally and look. Up close, you only see balloons. Only from a distance do you see where the gaps are and where one colour clusters together.
- Step 4: filling the gaps
Between the large balloons, you now see light and strip shining through everywhere. That's how it should be. That's what the small balloons are for.
Inflate your 5-inch balloons, tie them loosely, and stick them in the openings with a glue dot. Turn the knot inwards, then you won't see it.
This is the step that is most often skipped, and also the step where the most gain lies. So don't be stingy.
Step 5: the accents
Now you can play. An accent colour always works. A nice foil balloon in theme, or some flowers or other decoration for a personal touch.
You also secure those with a glue dot between the balloons. Choose one or at most two. Too many accents at once makes your garland messy, and then the work that went into it stands out less.
Step 6: hanging
First hang up your hooks, then the garland. Never the other way around.
On a smooth wall, self-adhesive hooks work well for a light garland. If it gets bigger, use sturdy hooks or a frame. A garland full of balloons weighs more than you think, and all that weight pulls at two points.
Hang the two ends up and let the middle sag. A garland can hang like a washing line, so don't pull it straight.
Finally, take a step back one more time. If you see any light shining through the garland, stick a small balloon there.
Three things that usually go wrong the first time
Inflating by feel. Without a sizer, each balloon varies by half a centimetre, and that becomes noticeable as soon as you take a step back.
Buying too few balloons. Running out of materials halfway is the classic. Buy generously.
Not filling the gaps. Those small balloons are not just details. They make up half of the result.
How long will your garland stay beautiful?
Inside, a balloon filled with air easily retains its shape for a few days to a week. Outside, this happens faster, as sun and heat cause the latex to expand.
The biggest difference lies in the balloon itself. Sempertex latex is 100% natural rubber, without fillers or plasticisers, and holds the air well. With inferior balloons, you return the next morning to a garland that is drooping.