gum/ starburst wrapper chains?

[The Panophobic]

I was at some little store a while ago and I saw these cute handbags that were made of sheets of linked starburst/ gum wrappers. I know how to make chains of them, but does anyone know how to connect them to make wide sheets of them? I've tried, and I just can't figure it out!

[meanderingartist]

Thats interesting. I have miles of links( I hate to say it, but the first half is made of  vintage wrappers.-I started it in 1975 and just keep adding) ..never thought of linking them side by side  I will have to pull out my chain and study that. If I figure  anything out I'll post it- otherwise I just watch to see if someone else knows.

[sassoet]

Page 7 of this post has some information

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=66125.60

and then there is the ecoist site so that you can look at a finished one

http://www.ecoist.com/index.asp

[meanderingartist]

Cool. Still, I think I may just keep growing my chain. It is really interesting to see how gum wrappers have changed over the years.

[WIPs]

Does anyone know any tutorials for a basic chain? Thanks in advance.

[meanderingartist]

Wow. I feel smart tonight. Another way I can help. I hope. They are real easy,, I just never tried to describe it before, withour using a  visual demo. Well, here goes- if it doesn't make sense I could scan some in progress, but I will try this first
1- open wrapper so it is flat (back in the 70's I had to cut it in two because wrappers were bigger, but it doesn't matter now)
2- fold it in half lengthwise to find center- reopen the wrapper and fold both long ends in so they meet at the center fold and press them flat with your finger
3-fold the long edges once more, so these edges also meet in the  center
4-fold this in half- you now have a long skinny strip. Fold this in half then fold both ends so they meet at that center fold. creating a little 'v' shape.
5-repeat 1-4 and make another
6-Holding the two 'v' shapes, slip the ends of one into the ends of the other (into the slot created by the folding)
This is the first link.
7- continue folding and simply slipping the ends of the new ones into the slots of the previous links - you begin to get a zigzag pattern.

Wow. Much easier to do than to describe.