Crafty friends,
Have practically worn calluses on my finger tips this week in a hurry to finish this twinkling Christmas fabric garland project BEFORE Christmas. Imagine!? I bought the fabric at Hobby Lobby early in the fall. Yeah, really, like September? And then kept saying to myself (between trips out of town) that it was too early to start working on a Christmas garland. And then it was December 15th all of a sudden and I hadn’t started on it. While this is an easy project, it is a bit time-consuming and shouldn’t be left for the last minute! Lesson learned.
So, let’s get down to the nitty gritty in case you want to embark on making one of these garlands now in the 11th hour like I did!
Christmas Fabric Garland
You might remember my summer fabric garland from this post. It was my first stab at these knotted cloth-strip garlands. I loved the finished product. And when my windows were open in my den, the little fabric ribbons would dance and sway in the breeze. When I saw a similar version for a Christmas garland on Pinterest, I knew that would be my autumn bucket list craft project. Little did I know it would be practically winter before I got it made.
The Supplies
Wound up combining a couple of versions of a Christmas fabric garland, here and here, for my project. Here are the supplies you will need:
- Christmas fabric (bought 3 patterns, 1 1/2 yards each for an approximately 15′ garland)
- Tulle
- Twinkling Christmas lights, a strand or multiple strands long enough for the area where you will hang the garland
- Pinking shears (optional)
- Poinsettia (or other design) clip-on Christmas tree ornaments
I considered using pinking shears but the idea of trying to cut my fabric straight…at this late date…was just added stress! Using the pinking shears prevents raveling and does make the garland look more finished.
Step One
Tear or cut the fabric into strips, 1 1/2″ wide by about 7″ in length. I didn’t measure each strip. Who has time for that when you’ve waited til the last minute to make your Christmas fabric garland? For the width, I cut notches into one end of each piece of fabric, about two fingers wide, and then tore the strips. I found the length of my hand from finger tip to wrist to be about 7 1/2″ and used that as my ruler for cutting the strips by length.
Step Two
Begin attaching the strips to the strand of Christmas lights. I found that my ironing board made the perfect craft table for this project. I put my fabric strips in three piles on one end. And stretched out the strand of lights across the length of the ironing board. Because its height is adjustable, I was able to sit on the couch to work on this time-consuming step.
Really awful photo but you get the idea. I tied the strips on in a pattern, with about 6 of them between lights.
Step Three
Once I had all of the strips tied onto the lights, I wrapped the strand around the length of my wrought iron banister. I was in love! Kind of fluffed some of the strips that were smushed against the banister but otherwise it looked fab. If I do say so myself!
I cut the tulle into ribbons approximately the same width and length as I had torn the fabric. Then tied the tulle onto the light strand, about one tulle strip at each light.
Step Four
Used clip-on Christmas tree ornaments for the final touch. Found these glittery gold poinsettias at Dollar Tree. Clipped them onto the light cord about 10″ apart. Probably could have used one more package of these but at this point, at this late date, I wanted to be finished with my garland without making another run to the store.
Oooo, gives me goosebumps. Proud of myself. And best of all, PC really likes it, too. He is not keen on Christmas at all. At. All. So when he complimented me on my garland, my heart grew 3 sizes.
Even the kitties like it! They helped me all morning and then sat back and admired our handiwork.
Wondering if I should make one of these using snowflake-patterned fabric and leave it up through January and February? I use a lot of snowmen and snowflakes in my Christmas decorating for that reason! Should have thought about that when I was picking out the fabric for this project. Wouldn’t this be pretty in shades of blue with white and silver?
Your Turn
Did you whip up a holiday craft this season? If so, please tell me a little about it in a comment below. I am always looking for new ideas to try. Last year about this time, I was working on guardian angel cards. You can check out that project, here. They are a sweet way to send out a good thought for the new year.
Hope you will run by on Thursday for an update on the progress I’ve made on my mini Christmas bucket list activities. Will also be sharing my winter bucket list with all of the bucket list bloggers. If you have a bucket list post, come link up with us! Your list can be as simple or involved as you like.
Hugs and kisses,
Well done! This looks great! I made a similar one for thanksgiving but didn’t use a string of lights. This is perfect for Xmas!
Thank you, Sheila. Best thing about this silly garland is how much my PC likes it. He told me again last night how cute it is. Music to my ears!
It looks awesome!
Thank you! It is PC approved, which says a lot! He really dislikes Christmas.
I have never seen anything like this!! WONDERFUL! Love the idea of incorporating Christmas lights into the garland…I’m sure it looks even more beautiful in person! Yay that Monsieur Charming appreciated your hard work. That was a biggie!
You are so fun! Chuckling at your Monsieur Charming reference. I might have to borrow that. Thank you for the sweet words about the garland. I wouldn’t have thought of incorporating lights either. The credit for that goes to Pinterest and some clever pinners. I was prepared to use heavy twine! Thank you, Pinterest.
All of the applause. You did a great job on your new garland – the colors are so festive.
Awww, thanks so much. Had tucked away your sweet compliment on my summer garland in a corner of my heart. Thank you for returning to check out my newest project.
So, so pretty, Leslie! It looks like your kitty loves it, too! I spotted her in one of the photos. I love anything that lights up. I just got some of those mini twinkle lights from the Dollar Spot at Target and I love them on my console table. I’m going to go show Autumn a photo of you, she’s resting next to me… so she can see who sent her that lovely Christmas book! I’m going to need to send you a sweet surprise in the mail in the near future!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Thank you, Carrie. I hope Autumn will enjoy The True Gift as much as I have – both times that I’ve read it. Just a simple, sweet story.
I love twinkle and sparkle and glitter everywhere. My daughter was telling me that they even have lights that don’t have to be plugged in. Are those LED? Whatever, my mind is blown!! How do those work???
Wishing you and yours the merriest of Christmases. Snuggle close and enjoy every precious moment. Thanks for being my blogging muse and sweet, sweet friend.
Looks fabulous! And one of those jobs you can do while sitting with a Christmas film on tv in the background and a glass of wine by your side (because it does look like a thirsty job!). I definitely need to bookmark this idea for next year, in the interests of my sanity I think I should avoid adding more to my ‘to do’ list for this Christmas.
You silly!! Your comments always prompt a giggle. This was indeed thirsty work. But I plowed through. And you are right, I was able to almost – almost – mindlessly tie those fabric strips to the lights so I was able to enjoy TV at the same time. Thinking I should buy a second ironing board just to use as a portable craft table! I do, occasionally, use this one to iron!
What a cute and easy DIY! I love the clips you added too! Thanks for sharing and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!!
Thank you for the sweet comment on my garland. My youngest daughter fell in love with it, too, and is thinking of making one for her house. Our Christmas was wonderful…so nice having a little one in the house.