My First Rag Wreaths
by
Cynthia H
3 Materials
$5
2 Hours
Easy
I recently bought several wire frames on clearance and at the dollar store. I've also been going through my fabric stash. If you work with fabric at all, you end up with strips of fabric that aren't big enough for a large project. I don't quilt, although I may in the future, and have mainly made household items, crafts and dolls with my fabric. I used to do frame weaving, also, and now that I have more time, I'm also thinking about using some of the fabric for that. So anyway, once I gathered coordinating leftover fabric, I realized I had enough to make my first wreaths. I had fabric scraps from a bridesmaid dress from my oldest daughter's wedding, so I thought I would start with red, the color from her wedding. I'm going to include a pink one that I also made, at the end of the tutorial. Once I got a feel for what I was doing, I found the pink one only took a couple of hours while watching TV!
3-5" strips for the project from fabric
I played around with the length I wanted to work with and finally settled on a length that was easy to work with and approximately 4-5 inches long. I say approximately, because I cut fabric about an inch apart with a one inch cut into the fabric and then tore it in strips. Then I folded the length and cut it in half. Some pieces of fabric were longer, so I used the length I liked as a "measure" for the pieces. If I had to cut them slightly longer, that was okay, since they are easy to trim. I started with a pile of strips so I could work my way through the process. You don't have to do them all at once, as I found it gave me a break from working on the wreath itself to stop once in awhile and cut and tear the strips. Pull any loose threads off.
How to make the loop
I tried two different methods tying on the strips, and this was my favorite. It's the same method I used to make tutus in the past. You fold the strip in half, insert the loop (the top part) under the first wire ring or the second if you want to try a different method that gives you a neater back. I mainly did one ring at a time for my first one. After pulling that loop up behind the wire, I stick one of my fingers through as pictured, and then pull the tails up evenly through the loop.
the loops on the frame
Pull the knot you've made so it lays smooth. Then start adding strips. I used red satin from the bridesmaid dress, but, didn't have enough to do an entire wreath. I had found some red and white scarves at the dollar store and cut them in long strips, and then cut them into the shorter strips. The scarves were loosely woven, so I didn't try to tear them like my regular cotton fabric.
Finished wreath
Here is the finished red wreath: I used red satin, red and white fabric (see above), regular cotton fabric and even some red fleece I had. You don't need a special hanger, since the rings of metal work well for this, and I just hung it on the hook I have on my door. You could add any special items to it, or flowers.
a pink wreath I made the same way
With the pink one, I used a variety of pink fabric I had, mixing and matching until I liked the way the fabrics looked together. The difference with this one, was I used the two metal ring method, to give it a different look. You'll really see the difference with the next photo which is a picture of the back of the wreath (nice if you're going to get a good view of it from the other side). I had read several tutorials at this point, and this was one of the methods I found. The basic steps are the same, but, for the multiple rings, I used slightly longer strips.
the back of the wreath
The appearance of the pink one's back gives you more options and you can enjoy it from either side. It's also pretty, and I would be able to add flowers or other decorations I might want to add, for a totally different look. I will be posting a square framed one in my next post. Remember, you can keep playing with it, adding or subtracting strips since the loops are easy to pull out to make it as full as you want. Personally, I'm very pleased with how they came out!
Comments
Join the conversation
4 comments
-
WOW! They are beautiful.
-
Lovely!!
-
Thanks Wendy!
-
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?