Friday, June 13, 2014

No-Sew Fabric Strip Garland

    I plan to post about the "Sunshine" baby shower soon, but first I wanted to show you the garland that I made for the shower. I love the "shabby chic" look it has, and it was so easy to make. My mom and I first saw this type of garland at an adorable craft boutique and it was definitely one of those "I could make that!" moments. I love to work with fabric, even though I don't sew, mostly because I love to mix colors and prints. This garland combines both, and it adds a great textural element, too.
This garland isn't just easy to make, it is pretty inexpensive, too! You shouldn't need much that you don't already have. 
I used:
-6 coordinating fabrics, 1/4 yard each. They were all cut from the bolt, except one, and cost $0.66 each because calico was on sale at Joann's, yay! The yellow chevron is a "fat quarter" which you buy pre-cut in little squares for quilting, usually. It was $0.99, so still pretty cheap. 
-heavy string. You can buy this in a spool fairly inexpensively.

The total cost for this project was right around $5, and it is definitely a decoration you can store and reuse. That makes it worth a lot more in my mind!

   First, if you buy your fabric off the bolt you will want to check for "selvage"- that is the unprinted edges of the fabric. See the white line on the piece above? You will want to remove it, because it won't look nice. Cut those off before you get started, you can even tear them off so that you can start more easily.
     Decide which edge of your yardage you want to start with. I had mine cut to 1/4 yard, so I tore down the "long" side (think of it as a rectangle" so that my strips would have more length. I simply used the width of a ruler to determine the width of each strip, but this project is super forgiving, you don't need to aim for perfection!
     Start each strip by snipping an approximately half-inch cut into the fabric.
     And pull the cut portion firmly away from the fabric. It will give you the "torn" edge. Don't pull too quickly or you will end up with decidedly uneven pieces. You don't want it to measure 3/4 of an inch shorter at the top than the bottom!  Finish tearing all your pieces. It took me approximately an hour (Measured by two half-hour TV shows! Love projects I can do while catching up on my shows.) You will have a giant, messy pile of pieces. Pull off any decidedly hanging strings, and the hard part is done!

      I folded each strip in half, and stuck the bottom pieces through the loop formed by the top, catching the string in the center and pulling down on the pieces to tie it on. To achieve an intentionally mismatched but not messy look, I followed a pattern of gray, yellow and orange, but didn't pay attention what print.
     Once you have threaded all the pieces on, you are done! My finished garland is roughly six feet long- a terrific length for decorating. I was thrilled with how it turned out! My mom also loved it, she gave it a home on her entry way shelf. She has a similar one in her laundry room. And after the shower, a friend was inspired to make one for her outdoor patio area. It is great for so many spaces-I think it would be precious in a baby's room, too!

  
Linked up:
"Craft Frenzy Friday" at Craft Dictator
"Motivation Monday" at A Life in Balance

2 comments:

  1. So cute! I'm glad I saw your link at A Life in Balance this morning. I'm pretty sure this is something that my craft-challenged self can accomplish. Can't wait to try.
    Thanks for sharing! :)

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  2. Thanks, Candy! My favorite projects are the ones that give great results for minimal effort, and this is definitely one of those. I had to conquer my perfectionist urges, this is a project that is actually better if it *isn't* precise and even, so a great one to practice crafting.;)

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