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Woven QR code

QR code woven birthday card

QR (quick response) codes are readable by smart phones or other bar code readers. (You've probably seen them in advertisements.) The encoded information can by almost any kind of data like text or a URL.

Some fun QR codes I've seen were made from food,yarn, fabric, and sand.

So, why not paper?

I decided to make a simple woven design with 1/4" strips. I chose light blue instead of white, just to see if it would have enough contrast to work.

First, I generated the QR code for a simple text message (Happy Birthday!), with QR Code Platform.

A QR code can be anywhere from 21 rows and columns up to 177. Simpler messages generate smaller codes than complex messages. Mine is 25 rows and columns.

QR code Happy Birthday

I printed out the resulting image. If I had been smarter, I would have sized the printout to make the blocks 1/4". It would have so much simpler to check each row but just lining it up against the printed version. Alas!

Cut slits across the black paper, every 1/4", but do not cut through the edges. It helps keep the weaving tight if the black parts aren't flapping around untethered.

QR code birthday card

Cut 1/4" strips from a light colored paper. Then, weave away!

QR code paper birthday card

When it's done, push all the weavers together, nice an tight.

QR code weaving birthday card

Test it to see if it reads. If you don't have a smart phone you can download a code reader from QuickMark.

Mine didn't work the first time because I had made a mistake in weaving. Good to check before you glue! (You can either unweave and re-weave a mistake, or correct it by gluing a square or bar of the correct color on top of the mistake).

Glue to a backing card and trim the edges.

QR code woven birthday card

Extreme Cards and Papercrafting: pop up cards, movable and mechanical cards, digital crafts and unusual papercrafts.