How to Make an Oversized Rainbow Wall Hanging

Thank you to High & Mighty for sponsoring this post

A few months ago, I made a rainbow wall hanging and I LOVE it! But it’s pretty small and I’ve been wanting something MUCH bigger for the guest bedroom above the dresser. So I decided to make a large version and I can’t wait to show how I sized it up! Here’s how to make an oversized rainbow wall hanging and hang it on the wall.

how to make an oversized rainbow wall hanging

Let’s start with the video tutorial so you get an overview on what I did. Then, I’ll dive in with more details below:

If the video doesn’t work here, you can watch it on YouTube here. P.s. I’m trying to build that page up, so if you’d subscribe, I’d really appreciate that!

SUPPLIES

5- 1/2 in. x 6 ft. Foam Self Seal Pipe Insulation
12′- Nylon/Poly Rope. This kind on Amazon also works
25′- 14/2 Solid Romex Wire
Floral Wire
Alpaca Yarn. I got it in Rose, Pale Pink, Gray, Sage, and Aged Brass. One full skein (ball) of yarn for each arch of the rainbow is more than enough.
Hot Glue and Hot Glue Gun
Scissors
Wire Cutters
High and Mighty Hanger

step 1

Start by cutting a piece of wire to size. I began with my biggest piece first- I kept the foam tube 6′ and cut a piece of wire to be about 3″ shorter than the tube (I didn’t want to see it stick out the bottom). Then, I pulled off the plastic covering the adhesive so the foam was closed.

step 2

Next, it’s time to start wrapping the foam in yarn! This means that it’ll start to get pretty! To begin, just hot glue the yarn into the end of the pipe and glue it to one end of the foam. Then wrap the yarn around the foam tube. Make sure to twist it tightly so that the black foam is covered.

To be honest, this step is a little slow going. Turn on a good show and cover the foam in the thick yarn! I estimate that it took me 4 hours to wrap all the arches.

Next, I cut down a second piece of foam insulation so it fits snug below the first piece. I then cut another piece of wire to size (making sure it was 3″ shorter than the second piece of foam) and put it inside the second tube and closed it up. I repeated with cutting the foam and wire and wrapping each one in yarn until all 5 were complete.

Note, the wire is inside the tube to keep the rainbow shape. Without wire, the foam tube with be straight. Second note, above is how much yarn I had after wrapping the first 6′ section

step 3

Once all of the foam is covered, do a test fit with the other arches to make sure you don’t have to trim the foam before ending the yarn. If needed, cut the foam down (sometimes adding the yarn can make the tube longer so it might need trimmed). Once ready to cut the yarn, cut the end leaving a tail. Use hot glue to adhere it to the inside of the tube. That way you don’t see where the yarn is and you avoid the rainbow unraveling!

The trickiest part of covering the tubing in yarn is wrapping the middle. For this, bend the tube, put the yarn on the floor, and quickly wrap the yarn around the tube 10 times. Tighten those strands and then repeat.

Continue to wrap the foam in yarn for each of the arches. Just repeat the steps above. This is an easy process, but it does take some time.

Note, I bought 25 feet of wire for this project and I had a little over a foot left over at the end.

And now, take a second to tie two pieces of yarn around the third layer. Use the same color as the third layer (I did the yellow). Then, connect the two pieces of yarn with a piece of wire to make a hanger for the rainbow.

step 4

Once the hanger is complete, glue the arches together with hot glue to create the rainbow. Make sure to use a bunch of glue so that each layer stays together. Start with the biggest tube and move on to the smallest finishing a layer before starting with the next one.

Finally, take the white rope and cut it into 12 pieces of 1′ sections. Before cutting, wrap wire around the middle so your rope doesn’t end up in a bunch of pieces on the floor. Once it’s cut, unravel the rope so it is fuller and softer. Attach the rope to the bottom of the tubes with hot glue. Now the rainbow is all ready to hang!

hanging

A few months ago, I discovered a super cool product for hanging items in drywall! It’s High & Mighty decorative hooks. The thing that makes them so cool is that they are SUPER easy to install! The reason why, is because you don’t need any tools- you can just push the hooks into the drywall!

High & Mighty hooks come in a bunch of sizes. I ended up using the hook that can hold up to 20 pounds for my rainbow wall hanging because it’s BIG!

High & Mighty also has floating shelves, hook rails, key rails, and decorative hooks too. I tried out the floating shelves in Don’s room and it was SO easy to use! The shelf comes with a template and level that you stick up. I’ve never hung a shelf so quickly!