Christmas Garland

I inherited my Gramma’s sewing skills.  In other words, I can sew straight lines and that’s about it.  I look up the directions for threading my little, purple sewing machine every time I sew something.

I saw some adorable fabric scrap bunting on Pinterest a couple months ago and immediately saw visions of this Christmas garland in my head.  Even my basic sewing skills wouldn’t keep me from making this vision a reality.  Heck, even hand-stitching would be an acceptable, albeit slower, option for those who are completely allergic to sewing machines.

Twine seemed like a sturdy stringing option and I always have a spool on hand.  My mom, creator of my beautiful wedding ornaments, brought her stash of Christmas fabric when she visited last month.  We ended up making three garlands.

The process is simple.

• Create a template with the size flag (for lack of a better descriptor) you’d like.  Mine are 4″ wide and 6″ tall (with the triangle point coming up about 1 1/2″ from the bottom).
• Cut, cut, cut! Fold your fabric to cut out more than one at a time. Vary the fabric to your taste.
• Fold down the top edge to create a 1/4″ opening.  Iron the flags and the fold.

Now, the sewing part.  I’ll admit it.  My mom did all the sewing, which turned out great because my sewing machine had some needle issue that would have made me throw it all out the window before I got even one hem sewn on these cute flags.

• Sew along the raw edge of your fold.
• Keep feeding your flags through the sewing machine, until all of the hems are closed. You’ll end up with a string of flags connected by thread.
• Cut each flag from the thread string.
• Arrange the flags in a fabric pattern you find aesthetically pleasing.
• Use a paper clip or safety pin  to pull twine through each flag.

Spread the flags out along the twine and hang the garland.  Stand back and admire your handiwork!

I draped mine behind the couch to give our normal display some Christmas cheer.  I sent one to my sis and bro (in-law) and they hung it on a mirror in their dining room.

I love the folky aspects of this garland – no need to have clean edges or cookie-cutter flags.  The imperfections add to it’s primitive charm.