Do you make DIY reflctors by yourself? Did you know that DIY reflectors aren't really proper refletors?

Do you make DIY reflctors by yourself? Did you know that DIY reflectors aren't really proper refletors? 

DIY Reflective Dragonfly Instructions

Well, I wrote this post end of October last year but somehow this ended to my drafts file instead of publishing. Hmm. Here it is, finally published! Normally we should have had some snow already here in Finland. (apparently north has had some snow...) But noup, none of this wonderful thing is coming here Southern Finland, at least not right now, cause it's pourring! It's raining. For me, it's really really ”scary” to go walking, jogging or cycling after 4 p.m. because it's so dark outside. Of course we have these streetlamps/citylights almost everywhere but STILL …. it's like pitch-black...

When I'm going out, I mean to taking a walk or going to cycling, I'm dressed up all black, head to toes and I'm wearing the black clothes almost every day. :) So do I need to say more? Well I'm totally generalizing and exaggerating: this is a very common way to dress up here in Finland. We apparently just like the dark clothes. Almost all of my friends says that too. So we Finns like to wear dark clothes and often our favorite colour is black or navy blue ;) Maybe that's why we do blend so well to the backgrounds/scenery on the ”dark seasons” of the year, the blending might create a quite horrorific situations out there. The drivers won't see the pedestrians, the pedestrians won't see cyclers etc. But we can do something – and it'll make us more visible. Just wear some reflectors! I certainly wear several reflectors, of course! But I wanted to do some DIY crafts. So I thought it would be double win-win situation, if I make some cutie reflective stuff. 

 

These cuties, dragonflies/butterflies, are really easy to make. You'll need fisheye pins, pearls at least two different sizes, reflective fabrik (with CE-mark of course!) cut it as a wide string, crafting pliers, scissors plus some sort of a buckle or other hanger items for to attach/to hang the dragonfly to your zipper, overcoat, bag, etc.

Instructions:

1. Cut the reflective fabric to the suitable pieces. It's all about what kind of wings do you want (how wide you like your dragonflie's wings to be. You need two pair of wings for one dragonflie. I cutted about 5 cm length pieces from the wide reflective ribbon (it is 2 cm wide)

2. Fold the cutted piece lengthwide right side up and then fold it again half from the center. Now you have one pair of wings.

Cut the out small triangle from end of the wings. You'll get same shape of the both sides of the wings if you cut them folded and cut the both ends at the same time. (You should have 4 layers of the fabrik which you are going to cut. Open sides facing away from you.) The triangle style could be straightforward or you could sligthy cut it rounder. It depends purely on what kind of wings you want to make.

3.Take a Fisheye pin (I used longer ones) and string large pearl for a head, then add one or two smaller pearls. 4. After that make a hole on the center of the wings. One pair at time, still folded, be very carefully when using crafting spike. Spike carefully a hole for the fisheye pin go through. The hole should be near the footer of the wings but not too close :)  When you have finished the first pair of the wings, string/place it to the fisheye pin, then do the second pair of the wings and string it also to the fisheye pin. 

If you are making "freely hanging" dragonflie. You should make the wings two-sided. That's how you'll get the reflecting effect coming regardless which way the dragonflie is ponting. Cutting two-sided pair of wings: Place two pieces of the reflective fabrik together (overlapping) right sides out. Then fold the wings as mentioned above. This is rather tricky, because the ribbon which is now folded inside will not stay on its own place very well. But it will work out just fine. Be patient. Check the spot 2 and continue.....

5. Continue stringing the small pearls, when have as many as you wanted and you think your dragonflie is finished just lock the end of the fisheye pin turning it to small loop with the crafting pliers.

The rest is up to you what do you want to do with the dragonflie you just made.

6. I cut small strings of metallic wire and crafting felt, attached the dragonflie to the brooch pin with the wire and I used hot glue gun to attach each part together (brooch pin and metallic wire +  I wanted nice finished look, so I glued small piece of felt to the back of the brooch pin. It also protect the garments, fingers etc because now the wire is hidden under the felt.

I really cant't say that these dragonflies are reflectors, you know, we have really strict edicts also for reflectors here in Finland, and that's why you can't wear these as a refletor.

Surerly I woudn't wear these as the only ”refletors” of course not. I'll have a bunch of those real reflectors attached to me but these are so cute and they actually do reflec quite nicely.

In Finland, if you would want to sell any kind of reflector, you'll need apply this CE-marking plus because reflectors are ”protective device for person” you'll need to have qualification approval from for example Työterveyslaitos = TTL/Finnish Institute of Occupational Health = FIOH) for them.

A product qualification approval law (75/2004) says: enterpriser, manufacturer, importer, purching agent or seller has the responsibility/liability of the products you market and sell that they are safe and they fill/pass all the requirements and directives that's has been set for them by any laws in Finland/EU.

So if you are making DIY ”reflectors” you'll need to tell to all whom will wear them, to your customers/friends/family that if they are wearing those ones you've made, that they really aren't reflectors and they shouldn't be using them as any kind of protection use. Which they maybe had thought earlier in their minds that those DIY ”reflectors” are ”protecting” and I'll be visible when I'm wearing them. Maybe you are maybe your not. If them = DIY ”reflectors” don't have CE-markings I woudn't buy it for as protecting device or as a reflector but I could buy it as an accessories use. You just can't tell just by looking at the reflector, is it proper one or not.

My dragonflies are reflective, yes, but the official purpose of these dragonflies I just made, is simply to make my bag/coat/hat/etc cutier and the bonus is they might give a hint of reflective glimpse. Got it? :)