April Showers

Start with 5 260 balloons and inflate them all leaving about 3 inches uninflated. It is important to make them as close to the same size as possible, about 45 inches long.

Twist a 1 inch bubble in the knot end of each of them and twist all 5 together at this point.

Twist a 4 inch bubble in two of the adjacent arms. In one of them (blue in the drawing) twist a second bubble, 5 inches long.

Lock Twist this second bubble to the first one on the adjacent (purple) arm.

Twist a 5 inch bubble in the second arm and lock twist it to a 4 inch bubble in the third (green) arm. Continue around the structure in the same manner, ending by twisting the fifth arm to the first twist in the first arm.

Once that you have completed the inner ring you are ready to begin the second ring.

Again twist a 4 inch bubble in two adjacent arms. But this time the second bubble needs to be about 10 inches instead of 5. If you want 5 sections, each a solid color, as in the drawing, you will need to go around the structure in the opposite direction with each successive ring. If you go the same direction each time, the colors will spiral around the structure.

For the third (outer) ring, the long bubbles will need to increase to about 14 inches. It will take some practice to get the proportions just right. When you finish you should have just enough of a small bubble left to hold the last twist in place. Giving this last bubble a Pinch Twist gives it a more finished look.

For the handle, inflate a balloon leaving 4 inches uninflated. Fold the uninflated end back and then squeeze the air around the fold to make the curved end of the handle. From the curved end, measure back about 20 inches for the handle length. Twist off a 3 inch bubble and give it a pinch twist. Deflate the rest of the balloon (the knot end) and tie it off. Lock the pinch twist in the handle to the center of the umbrella.

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