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 it to hang things from, treat it 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 to even. How many squares you cut depend on how long you want you 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 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 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 woolen 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.
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
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
Thank you !
Cristina at Ava's Alphabet
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
Thank you very much.
Marie
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
Thank you, they are fun to make too!
Sheree Thomas
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
Thank you so much especially for the feature.
Michelle
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
Thank you, they are a fun and relaxing craft.
Sandra L Garth
This looks like a very addictive craft! Thank you for sharing with us this week at Celebrate Your Story link party and have a great weekend.
Claire Armstrong
Thank you, it is very addictive. It’s a bit like making paper chains you never know when to stop.
Pili
I have to show this to my oldest daughter! She loves to sew and work with felt and she keeps all the scraps. She will love the idea!
Claire Armstrong
Thank you, it is a great way to use up all those felt scraps.
Linda at Mixed Kreations
What a super cute idea! I don’t have very much felt, but I always have leftover fabric. This is a priject the grandkids could help with when their down for a visit. Thanks for sharing!
Claire Armstrong
Thank you, it is easy and fun to make.
Jaclyn | One Thousand Oaks
I love how chunky and big the garland looks! Pinning so I can remember to make this!!
-Jaclyn
Claire Armstrong
Thank you they are fun to make.
Charlene Asay
Loving this! Thanks for sharing with us at Family Joy Blog Link Up Party this week!
Claire Armstrong
Thank you!
Nikki Gwin
I need some of these!!! 🙂
Claire Armstrong
Thank you!
madalyn
Such a cute idea!! I’m thinking I’ll stay home and do a lot of Christmas crafts this weekend, maybe even get our tree! Thanks for sharing at the Peaches+Salt Link party!
Claire Armstrong
Thank you, I love Christmas crafting in the cold winter evenings.
Russell
What a great idea and so festive too! Happy Holidays!
Claire Armstrong
Thank you !
Helen at Pleasures of the NW
What a fun idea! Thanks for sharing on the Pleasures of the NW’s DIY party!
Claire Armstrong
Thank you.
Julie
This looks like a great “do whilst watching tv” kind of craft, I can imagine cutting a great pile of pieces and hardly noticing the time passing! I always keep felted jumpers but I’m now thinking I need more colourful ones. I would never deliberately shrink a jumper just so I can cut it up of course so I’ll have to keep my eyes open in charity shops for something suitable.
Claire Armstrong
It is kind of addictive once you start, my family give me all their old jumpers and my Mother and aunt like to wear bright colours, so I have a plentiful supply. I also would never deliberately shrink a jumper, but I’m not as upset as I used to be if I accidently do. As I start thinking of all the things I can make with it.
Katrin
Claire, these look like so much fun and so so nice for the season! I love to decorate with felt, its great for crafting and I would have never gotten this idea, you’re so clever!
Claire Armstrong
Thank you, Katrina. I keep all the families old sweaters to felt, I love working with it. You can see why I even keep the scraps too!
Jill
Another great idea for those old sweaters Claire – these garlands could be made for so many occasions!!
Claire Armstrong
Thank you! Yes you can make them in fall colours for the autumn or spring colours for Easter.
Jennifer
How creative! Thanks for sharing at My Flagstaff Home!
Jennifer
Jessy @ The Life Jolie
This is the cutest idea- I’m dying to try it!
Claire Armstrong
Thanks ! I warn you once you start you can’t stop, I’ve got loads of the garlands. As well as decorating the house I do use them as ribbon on gifts.
Chelsea
Really cute!!
Claire Armstrong
Thank you, glad you like them !
Cindy Eikenberg
Claire, I just love your felt garland!!! Visiting from PinkWhen and pinning! Hope you’re having a happy weekend!
Claire Armstrong
Cheers ! Thanks glad you like it, I’m having a great time visiting the coast this weekend !
Patty
Hi Claire,
You are one patient woman, compared to me anyways. The look beautiful.
Claire Armstrong
Thank you ! These are really quick and easy to make so actually don’t need that much patience honest !
creativejewishmom/sara
Love it! So cozy and fun…..and you could alternate all kinds of fabric really, like some jeans squares and such, and maybe throw in a few felt balls here and there….thanks so much for sharing on craft schooling Sunday!
Claire Armstrong
Thanks ! I like the idea of the felt balls.
Emily
Love, love, love this idea! Just pinned to try later!
Claire Armstrong
Thank you ! I warn you once you start making them you can’t stop but they do look great.