[Handmade] Recommended Motifs and Crafting Ideas for DIY Chopstick Rests
Do you usually use chopstick rests?
In restaurants and traditional eateries, chopstick rests are always provided, but at home, fewer people may use them.
However, having cute chopstick rests can brighten up your table and make meals even more enjoyable.
In this article, we’ll introduce handmade ideas for chopstick rests.
Rather than quick ones made from chopstick sleeves, we’ve gathered craft-style ideas using origami and oven-bake clay.
Please use them as a reference!
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Origami (1–10)
Flower
Here’s how to make a flower-shaped chopstick rest out of origami that you can use all year round for events like birthdays and anniversaries.
It’s perfect if you’re tired of store-bought items! Because it’s handmade, it turns out warm and charming.
The key is to make firm creases in the paper.
The petal section involves fine folds, so it might be a bit tricky.
Using different colors and patterns of origami completely changes the look! It also makes a great gift, so give it a try.
crane
Why not try making a chopstick rest by folding a crane—an auspicious motif—out of origami? It has a strong presence and instantly brightens up the dining table, making it perfect for the New Year or the start of any year.
It’s also great that you can use standard-size origami or chiyogami paper.
The folds are all basic—like mountain and valley folds—so even beginners should find it easy.
Using gold or silver paper, or washi, also helps create a festive atmosphere, so it’s highly recommended! Try making them with your family at the end of the year and have fun with it.
Oven-bake clay (1–10)
Next up is a chopstick rest made with oven-bake clay.
You can even find oven-bake clay at 100-yen shops, and it’s also known as resin clay.
It hardens just by baking it in a household oven, so even beginners can easily enjoy a pottery-like experience.
Here, I’ll introduce some recommended motifs for chopstick rests made with oven-bake clay.
With a bit of creativity, you can make just about anything—so give various ideas a try!
rabbit
Animal-shaped chopstick rests are small and cute—they really lift your mood! How about making a rabbit, one of the classic motifs? Long ears, a round little body, and hind legs that look ready to spring at any moment…
it’s a creature you could watch forever.
When you picture a rabbit, I bet most of you think of white.
White is said to give people a sense of cleanliness, which makes it perfect for the dining table.
That said, of course, colorful rabbits are adorable too!
Daruma
This is a chopstick rest made of resin clay, featuring a cute daruma with beady little eyes.
Mix acrylic paint into the clay to color it, knead it well, then roll it into a ball and shape it into a daruma.
Press a pen into it to create a small indentation.
Place white clay for the face on top, draw the eyes with a pen, then bake it in the oven for the specified time to finish! Since it takes time to harden, you can redo it as many times as you like until you’re satisfied with the shape.
It’s easy to try even if you’re not into crafts, so give it a go!
lotus root
Lotus root, with its many holes visible in cross-section, is said to offer a clear view of the future and is popular as a good-luck charm! It’s also widely used in New Year’s Osechi cuisine.
How about making handmade chopstick rests inspired by lotus root? They’ll add a festive accent to your New Year’s table! If you use oven-bake polymer clay that hardens with heat, even beginners in crafting can try it easily.
You can find oven-bake clay at home improvement stores or 100-yen shops.
Shape each piece by hand with care—people will surely appreciate them as gifts, too.