HOMEMADE HOMESPUN GARLAND

HOMEMADE HOMESPUN GARLAND

Garland can be made out of anything. I can remember as a child, we would take the Sunday comics and make paper garland to make a decoration for a window and/or a tree. We also took colored paper and did the same thing. Of course, mom did all the cutting when we were little and Sharron and I did the gluing, sometimes we used the stapler.

The fabric garland is basically the same thing, but these are stitched and so much fun to make. It’s always a treat to use up those scraps of fabrics we all save tons of. I have several different widths ranging from ½ inch to 1 inch wide. The smaller trees look better with smaller garland on them so use the ½ to ¾ inch size for the 3 to 4 foot trees and use ¾ to 1 inch strips for the larger trees.

Gather together the following and let’s get started:

Your favorite fabrics – mine are usually homespun’s, but have used some dark cotton fabrics as well. (I don’t use lighter cottons because they are printed on only one side and that shows up to much.

Dark thread – don’t think the color is that important, but you can use the color of each strip you will stitch into a circle. Just remember you have to change that thread each time, so I’d think about that. Dark brown/black or navy blue works just fine.

Needle

Thimble

Scissors

For smaller circles - use 2 ½ to 3 inch lengths (these for the smaller trees) I like the 3 inch length the best.

For medium sized circles use 3 ½ to 4 inch lengths

Even if you have a huge tree, I wouldn’t make them any bigger because they won’t stay round and will look flat the larger they are.

Cut several strips of each fabric you will be using…..1/2 inch to 1 inch wide.
Cut each strip into the smaller lengths.

When making the circles, over lap each end by ¼ inch. I don’t turn anything under. Make a knot in the end of your thread, make 4-6 stitches across the piece, tie another knot and you are ready to add another piece to what you just made.

The length of your garland will be based on several things…….how tall it is, how round it is, whether you want your garland to go from the top to the bottom and how close you want it to be.

Your smaller trees won’t take as long a piece, but I would have at least 12 feet for a 3-4 foot tree.

For a tree 6 foot I would start with a 25 foot garland.

You can always make 10-12 feet, put it on the tree and if it’s not long enough, it’s easy enough to make an additional length and using a piece of fabric that hasn’t been sewn into a circle to combine with already finished piece with what you just made.

They really do look great on an old fashioned tree. I’ve even wrapped them around a wreath or two over the years. I hope you have fun making this old fashioned garland. I’d love to see pictures of what you make.

Enjoy!
Lynda Hall