One string of lights running right round the page, hung in swags rather than drawn as a straight line. Three bulbs sit on each swag, the flex dips between the pins and the four corners are pinned with a small dot. Three swags a side as it opens, which comes to thirty six bulbs.
Swags, bulbs and the arithmetic
The Swags control sets how many dips there are along each side: two, three or four. Each swag carries three bulbs, and there are four sides, so the bulb count is the swag count times twelve. Two swags gives twenty four bulbs, three gives thirty six and four gives forty eight.
More swags means a shallower dip and a tighter, busier string. Two swags gives a long lazy curve that leaves the most room in the middle of the page. Four is the one to use if you want the border to read as the decoration rather than as a frame.
Round, teardrop or both
Mixed is the setting it opens on and alternates the two shapes all the way round, which is what a real string of old fashioned lights looks like. Round gives every bulb as a circle, which is cleaner and a slightly easier shape for a young child to colour. Teardrop gives every bulb as the pointed shape and is the most ornate of the three.
Every bulb hangs off the flex on a short lead with a small square cap between the lead and the glass, so the shape reads as a bulb rather than as a dot on a wire. On the two side runs the bulbs point inwards across the page rather than down, which is what keeps the middle of the sheet clear.
What to put in the middle
Blank is the default and leaves the whole centre clear, which is the setting for a letter, a drawing or a notice. Lined gives twelve widely spaced writing rules. Dotted gives a 12mm dot grid.
The sheet is identical every time you load it, so a set printed in two sittings still matches. There is no Regenerate button because there is nothing random in the drawing.
Questions
- How many bulbs are on the lights border?
- Thirty six as it opens. The count is the number of swags a side multiplied by twelve, so two swags gives twenty four bulbs, three gives thirty six and four gives forty eight.
- Can children colour the bulbs in?
- Yes, and it is the obvious use for the sheet. Each bulb is a separate closed shape with a lead and a cap, so there are two to four dozen small areas to fill and a blank middle for a drawing.
- What is the difference between the bulb settings?
- Round draws every bulb as a circle, Teardrop draws every one as a pointed shape, and Mixed alternates the two all the way round the page, which is how an old string of lights actually looks.
- Is there a version with writing lines?
- Yes. The Inside control offers Blank, Lined or Dotted. Lined puts twelve widely spaced rules in the middle, which is room for a short letter without crowding the border.