Double Bubble Balloons - or a balloon in a balloon!

We often get asked how to make a balloon in a balloon. Well it takes a little practice but once you get the hang of it then it's quite easy.

You need a clear balloon, or a clear balloon with a pattern on, a solid colour balloon to go inside, helium, a balloon stick (a straw, piece of wooden dowel, a pen or pencil also works!) and a length of ribbon.

The clear balloon on the outside can be 11", or you can go for a 14" or 16" balloon. The bigger the balloon the more helium you will use but it will also float longer. The image shows a 16" balloon with an 11" inside.


Slip the 11" plain balloon over the balloon stick or straw and then insert this into the neck of the clear balloon. If you are using an 11" clear balloon you may need to wrap the balloon slightly around the straw so it fits easily through the neck. Adjust the balloons so that the necks line up.

Put the helium nozzle between the necks of the 2 balloons so that you are inflating the clear balloon and inflate it to between a half and two thirds of its capacity. Remove the nozzle, readjust the necks if necessary and then insert the nozzle into the plain balloon. As you inflate the balloon the outside balloon will also get larger. Remove the nozzle from the plain balloon, making sure to keep hold of the necks to stop the helium escaping, if necessary you can add a bit more helium to the outside balloon to size it correctly.

There are 2 ways of tying off the balloon. You can either stretch the neck of the outside balloon and tie it around the neck of the 11" balloon or pull the 11" balloon down so that the body of the balloon acts as a plug in the neck of the outside balloon then tie the neck around the neck of the outside balloon. I personally prefer the second method as the inside balloon always sits nicely and it is easier to tie the balloon and can even tie it directly onto the ribbon or tulle, the downside is that the neck is more unsightly but if you are using tulle this will hide that.

Either tie a ribbon to the neck of the balloon or use a length of tulle. The 6" tulle is best but if you can also cut the normal 12" tulle in half lengthways. I wouldn't recommend using tulle with an 11" clear balloon as it will add too much weight and considerably reduce the length of time that your design will float but it is ideal with either the 14" or 16" balloons.


NB. When fully inflated a 14" balloon holds twice the helium of an 11" balloon and a 16" balloon uses three times the amount of helium, so if using a 14" balloon then inflate the clear balloon to 11" before  inflating the 11" balloon, if using a 16" balloon you can inflate to 14" before inflating the 11" balloon.