Making a repurposed Christmas felt garland is such an addictive festive craft. The other week when making Christmas felt letters I suggested that you might want to keep the scraps to make a felt decoration (felt tinsel).
These felt garlands are fantastically colourful and can be used in loads of ways. You can wrap the felt garlands around your tree, use them to hang things from, treat them like a ribbon. Or just drape it over your pictures for that fun festive feel. I love to hang mine from my Christmas mantle.
Even though what happens in craft club should stay in craft club, I can tell you that last night we got into the festive mood by turning mini felt garlands into adorable felt Christmas baubles, whilst sipping sloe gin.

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What You Need to make a Christmas Felt Garland
- Felted Sweaters or felt scraps – I keep mine from projects throughout the year. Felted sweaters are the best as they are nice and thick. I posted how to felt an old sweater on my Mountain Cushion tutorial.
- Pinking shears
- Tapestry needle (large needle), elastic thread or waxed jewelry thread. Any thread would do as long as it is thick and strong with a bit of give.
- Buttons or small craft bell.
- If making a felt decoration bauble you will need craft wire.
How to Make Upcycled Christmas Felt Garlands
1. First, using the pinking shears cut your felted sweaters/scraps into small squares. I tend to cut my felt into 2cm squares and don’t worry about them being too even. How many squares you cut depend on how long you want your felt decoration garland to be.
The pinking shears are only for decorative purposes as it gives a better effect than with straight scissors.

2. Next, thread a button or a craft bell onto the end of the jewelry thread, this will stop the felt squares from falling off the end.
Next using the tapestry needle thread your felt squares in the colour order of your choice. Red and cream alternate make a lovely festive garland.
I also love a Christmas felt garland of many colours.


3. When your felt garland is the length you want, finish as you started with either a button or craft bell.


How to make Felt Decoration Baubles
The Christmas felt baubles are made the same way as the upcycled felt garlands. The main difference is in the use of craft wire instead of thread. That is because of the wire holding its shape.
Loop the wire at one end before you start to stop the felt falling off. When you have finished adding felt squares thread the end of your wire through the loop to create a circle and tie it off.
Again you can make these as upcycled felt baubles as big or as small as you want.
These felt baubles are almost like mini Christmas felt wreaths. If you use larger sweater felt squares you could easily make a lovely Christmas wreath for your door.

This is a very addictive craft once you start, you’ll find that one felt garland won’t be enough! I sometimes call these Christmas felt garlands, felt tinsel. That is because I like to wrap them around my Christmas tree as you would with tinsel.

The simplicity of this craft makes it a great one for kids. Believe you me they will love it. I’ve found that kids love crafts that grow as you go; especially boys. It’s like when I get my Beavers to make paper chains they never want to stop.

Happy felting, and remember once you start it’s hard to stop. If you’re like me you will be on the lookout for old colourful woollen sweaters to turn into this fabulously festive felt tinsel. It’s a great way to add colour to your Christmas decorations and costs next to nothing to make.
Another great use for slightly larger sweater felt scraps, is to make sweater balls from them.
Check out some other cool Christmas crafts here.

If you are looking for somewhere festive to store these felt garlands from year to year, store mine in my festive painted wicker hamper basket.

How To Make An Upcycled Felt Garland

These gorgeous upcycled Christmas felt garlands are so simple to make the kids could do it. The garlands are very versatile and can be used like tinsel, ribbon or even made into wreaths and Christmas ornaments.
Materials
- Old wool sweaters and felt scraps
- Elasticate Jewelry thread
- Tapestry needle
- Christmas bells
Tools
- Tapestry needle
- Pinking Shears
Instructions
- Felt your wool sweaters by putting them in a hot wash,
- Using pinking shears cut the sweaters into 2cm squares
- Tie a Christmas bell onto the thread.
- Thread the felt squares one by one, until you reach the length you want.
- Finish off the garland by tieing another bell to the end.
Notes
To make a felt Christmas bauble, thread the felt onto craft wire and shape into a round.
I save my old wool sweaters for crafting, here are some more ideas.
- Handmade Felt Christmas Ornaments
- Felt tassels From Old Sweaters
- Recycled Sweater Felt rug
- Repurposed Felt Succulent Garden
- Felt Christmas Trees
For other fabulous upcycled Christmas crafts visit allfreechristmascrafts.
Grandmas House DIY
Tuesday 6th of December 2016
Love it! Thanks so much for sharing with us at the To grandma's house we go link party! Hope to see you tomorrow morning when the next party starts!
Claire Armstrong
Tuesday 6th of December 2016
Thank you !
Cristina at Ava's Alphabet
Sunday 4th of December 2016
Gah! I love this project! The bright colors are so much fun. Pinned and sharing! Thank you for joining us at Family Joy Blog Link-Up Party this week.
Claire Armstrong
Sunday 4th of December 2016
Thank you very much.
Marie
Saturday 3rd of December 2016
Words cannot express how much I seriously love these garlands! These are so pretty and so smart. Thanks for sharing your awesome tutorial with us at Merry Monday this week!
Claire Armstrong
Saturday 3rd of December 2016
Thank you, they are fun to make too!
Sheree Thomas
Friday 2nd of December 2016
Thank you for sharing this post on the Simply Sweet Homemade Linky Party. You were my choice to be featured this week. What a super fun and novel way to make Christmas decorating your own. Stop by and check out the feature. Happy Holidays.
Claire Armstrong
Friday 2nd of December 2016
Thank you so much especially for the feature.
Michelle
Friday 2nd of December 2016
Oh what fun and they look stunning. I can see why it must be addictive and relaxing too. Such a lovely idea, thanks for the share Claire
Claire Armstrong
Friday 2nd of December 2016
Thank you, they are a fun and relaxing craft.