How to Make Victorian Tinsel Christmas Ornaments

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version
 

Victorian tinsel is one of the most classic Victorian Christmas decorations.  These Victorian Christmas ornaments have the same look and all the charm of the original Cornish tin tinsel, but are incredibly easy to make with materials you can easily find at a craft store. 

DIY tinsel Victorian Christmas decorations hung on a Christmas tree.

Looking for an easy, homemade decoration for the Christmas tree--or perhaps a handcrafted gift?  Whip up a collection of these Victorian tinsel ornaments.

I learned about Victorian tinsel (which was, at least some of the time, made with actual Cornish tin!) when I was doing research for our annual gingerbread house decorating party (Dickens' A Christmas Carol themed!) and as soon as I saw it, I knew instantly that I wanted to make some.

Victorian Christmas Decorations

Did you know that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert popularized having a decorated Christmas tree in the home? Victorian Christmas trees were decorated with many handmade items such as:

Coils of gold and silver flat craft wire on a white background.

Have you ever seen something in a craft store and thought, "Wow, I have NO idea what to do with that, but it's cool, and I'm absolutely sure there's something I could come up with?"  That's what happened to me when I saw this flat wire in the floral section months ago.  

Coil of flat, silver craft wire on a white background.

I didn't buy any at that time, but I kept  it in the back of my mind, and when I read about Victorian tinsel, I knew it was the perfect material.

Materials to Make Victorian Tinsel (Victorian Christmas Ornaments)

Drill with a hook screw instead of a drill bit, with flat wire wrapped around the hook.

Cut a length of wire about one yard long.  You want to be able to hold both ends.  Put a screw hook in your power drill (where the bit would usually go) and wrap one end of the flat wire around the hook.

Clamp holding end of twisted flat metal wire.

Hold the opposite end of the wire, either with your hands, or a clamp or a pair of pliers.  I got much better results when I used a clamp or pliers to help hold the wire while I was twisting, but it's not strictly necessary.

Makita drill with mounted hook screw and twisted flat metal wire for Victorian tinsel ornaments.

Hold on to the loose end of the wire, and power up that drill.  The drill and hook do all the hard work for you, creating perfect, even, beautiful twists in the flat wire.

Three Victorian Tinsel Christmas ornaments on a white background.

Cut off a few inches of the twisted wire.  You can either just bend a hook at the top (the traditional Victorian style of ornament), or add a loop of string (hangs a little straighter and is fun to spin).

DIY Victorian Tinsel icicle Ornaments in red and white.

To add a loop for hanging the tinsel ornament, just tie a circle of string, and fold the end of the tinsel over the loop.  Clamp into place with a pair of pliers.

Flat silver wire colored on one side with a red Sharpie marker.

To get that adorable candy-cane twist effect, I simply used a Sharpie to color one side of the silver wire.  The Sharpie colored the wire perfectly, creating good color but allowing the luster of the metal to shine through.

Red and silver Victorian tinsel icicle ornaments.

Victorian Tinsel Ornament on a Christmas tree.

And of course, I had to try gold, too.

Gold colored Victorian Tinsel Ornaments on a white surface.

These Victorian tinsel ornaments really look spectacular on the tree.  They sparkle and shine fabulously.  And they're re-usable each year, unlike the tinsel of my youth.

Victorian Christmas Ornaments hanging on a Christmas tree

 I kind of miss tinsel, but don't miss the mess.  This Victorian tinsel is the perfect solution!

DIY Victorian Tinsel Ornaments hanging on a Christmas tree.

The perfect bit of classic sparkle for any Christmas tree.  They shine and catch the light better than the glitter covered ornaments!  In fact, I tried covering these in glitter, and it just made the tinsel kind of dull and uninteresting.  The classic style is the best.

Collage of Victorian Tinsel Ornament images optimized for Pinterest.

Other DIY Christmas Ornament Tutorials You Might Like:

Navigational image leading to tutorial for tulle and lace covered Christmas ornament made from scraps of a wedding veil.

Navigational image leading to tutorial for faux quilted Christmas ornament tutorial.

Navigational image leading to tutorial for mini pinecone wreath gift topper and Christmas ornament.

Nicole Wills, creator of Tikkido

Links on this page may be affiliate links. We may receive a small commission for something you buy through those links, at no additional cost to you.