DIY Chindi Reindeer

The moment I spotted these colorfully wrapped reindeer and moose at Anthropologie last December, I knew I had to DIY it for HonestlyWTF this holiday season. Created in the style of vibrant Chindi rugs from Jaipur, India, these wrapped reindeer are incredibly fun to make, are a clever way to repurpose old t-shirts, and make fabulous gifts!

You’ll need:

Start by cutting the fabric, along the width, into 1″ strips. For a medium sized paper mache object, 26-30 strips should suffice. Pull at both ends of each strip of jersey. The ends will curl under, making the fabric easy to twist. Take two strips of contrasting colors and tie the tops together into a tight knot.

Beginning in the middle of the torso will serve as the guideline. Glue the knot to the bottom of the reindeer. Let the glue dry completely. Then twist the fabric by rolling it between the forefinger and thumb, creating a two-toned rope. Glue the rope down, with drops of hot glue, while wrapping it around the body of the reindeer.

Continue twisting, glueing, and wrapping. Be sure place drops of glue into all the curves, spending a few extra seconds to press the rope down into the crevices until the glue sets.

As the rope begins to runs out, tie a knot at the end. Twist, glue the knot down, and trim away any excess fabric. Take another set of colors, tie into a knot, trim the ends, and glue the knot to where the previous color left off.

Keep wrapping and again, follow the contours of the reindeer. The face will be the most difficult so the best method is to first glue two small pom poms to the eye area. Then start wrapping at the tip of the nose, spiraling outwards.

There will be areas where wrapping all the way around won’t be an option. Instead, try coiling or zigzagging the fabric. Remember to reinforce with glue!

Tie on a few jingle bells around the neck and/or feet . . .

And your Chindi reindeer is finished!!

(Chindi Reindeer $198; rest of images by HonestlyWTF)

Leave a Comment cancel comment

62 Comments

  1. Such an awesome DIY, love the result!

    xoxo
    http://fashionagony.blogspot.com/

    12.13.11
    Reply
  2. Chelsea wrote:

    Love this! I have the Anthro one after it got marked down, but I would still make more animals to add to the menagerie. xo

    12.13.11
    Reply
  3. Ellie wrote:

    Love this for a DIY, cute and festive!

    http://edited-by.blogspot.com

    xx

    12.13.11
    Reply
  4. Rachel wrote:

    You’re a little bit of a mad genius aren’t you? Very clever with some amazing results.

    12.13.11
    Reply
  5. Such a nice idea!! Super cute

    XO Charlotte
    http://www.thefashionguitar.com

    12.13.11
    Reply
  6. This is adorable. What a great idea.

    Fashionable Collections

    12.13.11
    Reply
  7. Nikki wrote:

    I also saw those reindeer last year and begged my husband to let me get one. I love how colourful and bright they are. I will most certainly be trying this tutorial in my own home, hopefully with as amazing results as you’ve achieved here. Great tutorial, lady!

    http://www.cositabella.com

    12.13.11
    Reply
  8. lagreta wrote:

    I love this idea
    http://www.la-greta.com

    12.13.11
    Reply
  9. super cute!

    12.13.11
    Reply
  10. welovefur wrote:

    Nice, nice , nice!
    kisses from your follower! ♡
    http://www.welovefur.com

    12.13.11
    Reply
  11. J Umm wrote:

    this is awesomeeeeee
    STYLE DECORUM

    12.13.11
    Reply
  12. Sara wrote:

    LOVE this. Definitely my next project!!

    12.13.11
    Reply
  13. lo wrote:

    They also sell that same string at anthro for $8– you get a pretty good sized spool too!

    12.13.11
    Reply
  14. DC2NY wrote:

    What a lovely DIY!
    I want that deer to pose underneath my Christmas TreE!! So making it!!!!
    <3
    http://dc2nyconfessions.com

    12.13.11
    Reply
  15. Aisha wrote:

    Oh; I love this. So many Project to do. This is definitely top 5. Love

    12.13.11
    Reply
  16. Weyni wrote:

    How sweet this is for a DIY.
    Good idea

    12.13.11
    Reply
  17. :O wow, you’re good.

    12.13.11
    Reply
  18. Lucía wrote:

    This is such a cute Christmas DIY!

    12.13.11
    Reply
  19. Wow, thanks so much for the amazing DIY.
    I’m definitely going to try it, and I don’t think I’ll be able to put it away when the holidays are over.
    Xo

    http://wildthingsrunfaster.blogspot.com/

    12.13.11
    Reply
  20. christi wrote:

    that looks like so much fun! It’d be cool to do that on a bangle bracelet, too.

    http://sleepydarlings.blogspot.com

    12.13.11
    Reply
  21. I love anthropologie, and that is a great DIY!!

    12.13.11
    Reply
  22. Oh my god – I love this!!! Nice job.

    12.13.11
    Reply
  23. Amy wrote:

    What a unique Christmas decoration!

    12.13.11
    Reply
  24. ascensión wrote:

    Preciosos…muy buena idea…gracias!!!

    12.13.11
    Reply
  25. Absurdly cool – LOVE LOVE LOVE
    axox

    12.13.11
    Reply
  26. Katya wrote:

    What an awesome idea! I’ll definitely have to give it a try – too cute!

    xx
    thistimeisacharm.blogspot.com

    12.13.11
    Reply
  27. Ambyr wrote:

    Aww I love it. Super cute and simple.

    xoxo
    http://www.thewrittenrunway.com

    12.13.11
    Reply
  28. Grace wrote:

    Aww, so cute!

    12.13.11
    Reply
  29. Deana wrote:

    You’ve done it again! I love it!

    12.13.11
    Reply
  30. Jessica wrote:

    Nail color, pretty please?

    12.13.11
    Reply
  31. DLace wrote:

    Love this !!! this is too cute
    I did a holiday themed DIY as well : a clutch refashioned with gold spray painted pine cones !
    http://www.dirtylace.com

    Heart you girls keep up the great DIYs

    12.13.11
    Reply
  32. Awesome DIY, I love it & shared 🙂

    12.13.11
    Reply
  33. Ría wrote:

    So cute. It makes a really good perfect, but not only for x-mas, in the rest of the year with diferent animals.

    http://www.atitelavoyacontar.blogspot.com

    12.14.11
    Reply
  34. Chloe wrote:

    This is such a fun DIY! I might have to do this before Christmas!

    12.14.11
    Reply
  35. Zane wrote:

    oh, so cute

    12.14.11
    Reply
  36. This is amazing! visit my blog if u want 🙂 http://fashiongland.blogspot.com/ xoxo

    12.14.11
    Reply
  37. Svenja wrote:

    it’s simple and simply great!

    http://svenjataviundco.blogspot.com/

    12.14.11
    Reply
  38. lucy wrote:

    woah that turned out really nice!

    12.15.11
    Reply
  39. andrea wrote:

    HAHA Goes well with my missoni shoes I picked for my post today. We should put them together. Love this!
    -Art A La Rue

    12.16.11
    Reply
  40. lea dixon wrote:

    Wow! Yours actually looks better than the original!! Great job!

    12.16.11
    Reply
  41. cheryl wrote:

    WOW!!!!! This is sooo unique!!!!!!! COULD YOU ADAPT THIS TO CLUTCHES OR T SHIRTS OR OTHER CLOTHES???????

    12.16.11
    Reply
  42. Melissa wrote:

    Here I am looking through the Serena and Lily website and what catches my eye….the Rajasthani Moose, also known as the Chindi Moose. Honestly, WTF. How much do they want for paper mache wrapped in rags? Your knock off is far superior! Great work!

    12.16.11
    Reply
  43. Nadia wrote:

    I found these a couple months ago at Homesense for $8!!! Soo cute!

    12.22.11
    Reply
  44. Nathalie wrote:

    Im gonna share this is AMAZING!!

    1.11.12
    Reply
  45. jesica wrote:

    hola venden las figuras de papel en latinoamerica??

    8.3.12
    Reply
  46. n wrote:

    I usually neer comment on blogs but honestly, I like your version better than Anthropologie’s!

    8.22.12
    Reply
  47. Alexandra wrote:

    I L-O-V-E it just soooooo much!!!!!!!!!!!

    11.18.12
    Reply
  48. EUGE wrote:

    HERMOSO!!!

    4.9.13
    Reply
  49. Es wrote:
    2.9.14
    Reply