Paisley Paper Chains

These paisley paper chains come as a pack of fifty handmade paper strips, twenty-five in red and twenty-five in green, each printed with a paisley pattern and ready to loop together into a Christmas garland. Making paper chains is one of the oldest home-made Christmas traditions, and the paisley print gives a familiar job a more decorative finish.

Each strip measures about 23cm long by 3.5cm wide, and folds to around 11.5cm once it is looped into a link. Alternating the red and green links gives the traditional look, though the strips can be arranged any way you like, and the finished chain can be hung along a mantelpiece, wound round a tree or strung across a window.

Because the chains are handmade, the print may sit a little differently from one strip to the next, and the paper can vary slightly in tone between batches.

We source these from a supplier who develops its Christmas range alongside recognised fair trade producers.

Putting Up and Storing Your Paper Chains

Close each loop neatly, with a little glue or a small piece of tape if needed, so the chain holds together without tearing the paper when it comes down. Hang the finished chain away from candles, radiators and steamy windows, as paper curls and fades with heat and damp. If you open the links carefully in January, many of them can be flattened and kept for another year.

• Contents: 50 paper strips, 25 red and 25 green
• Size: each strip approx. 23 x 3.5cm flat
• Pattern: paisley