How to Make a Cross From Wooden Clothespins

Wooden clothespins may not seem a likely material for making beautiful crafts, but with little more than some wood glue, you can transform a few clothespins into a beautiful wall-hanging cross. This project makes a great gift or is a great way to display a symbol of your own faith that has an elegant, yet homey, look to it.

Cut out a small cross shape from your cardboard to serve as a backing for the clothespin cross. Make the cutout cross about 6 inches tall and 4 inches from the tip of each arm to the other tip. Make the arms and center portion about an inch wide.

Remove the metal spring hinges from all six clothespins. Gently pull the backs of the clothespins apart and slide the wooden portions sideways to detach them from the gripping arms of the springs. Discard the springs or use them for another project.

Arrange the center rectangle of the cross. Lay out six clothespin halves flat on your work surface, facing so that the inside portions (the parts of the wood with the grooves and grips) are facing up. Arrange the wood pieces in a long rectangle that's three clothespins wide and two pins tall. Alternate the way the pins are positioned so that the two center pins are facing in the opposite direction from the four pins on the outside.

Glue the pins together in the central formation using wood glue. Apply a generous amount of glue to the edges of the pins and press them firmly together. Wipe away any excess glue that seeps out with a moist rag.

Make the cross's arms. Arrange each arm using three pins laid side to side. Again, alternate the direction that the inside pin is facing. Glue the arm pins together.

Let all three sections of the cross dry for several hours.

Attach the cross sections to the paper board backing. Coat the entire cutout with wood glue and lay the cross portions over it. Make sure that the arms of the cross are lined up and straight. Let glue dry.

Decorate the finished cross with a layer of varnish or paint.