Monday, February 27, 2012

Girly Rag Wreath (a.k.a. The Never Ending Project)

  Have you ever started a project thinking it would be pretty straightforward & relatively easy only to be proven so wrong? This wreath was that project for me. 

  Before Valentine's Day, I was going through my craft cache, determined to use up some of the supplies I had on hand before purchasing anything new. I had several fat quarters of fabric that I bought a couple years ago thinking I would make some fabric flowers & scrapbooking embellishments. I did make a few, but had lots of fabric left over... especially a lot of pink. Great for a Valentine's project, right?

  After seeing some pretty rag wreaths on Etsy, I figured I could make one fairly easily. 

  Easy? Yes. 

  Fast? No!

  A disclaimer: If I had a rotary fabric cutter & mat, that would have made a massive difference. Alas, I cut all these fabric strips with my craft scissors. I would definitely recommend using a rotary cutter.


Now, on to the tutorial. 

Supplies:

4 & 1/2 fat quarters of fabric
wire hanger

Tools:

Pliers
Ruler
Scissors or rotary cutter & mat

I used a wire coat hanger as the round form. Take the hanger & bend it into a circle. 


Using a pair of wire cutting pliers (lineman pliers, according to my husband), cut off the hook.


Form wire into a connecting hook.


Cut fabric into one inch wide strips, into a few different lengths. I did 4, 5, & 6 inches.


I wanted the fabric to have frayed edges, so after it was cut I washed it in the washing machine to achieve that. Then it needed to be ironed & the loose threads cut off. This took a few hours.  


At last! Ready to make the wreath. 


Start tying, alternating the fabrics & lengths. I just had my fabrics stacked randomly by pattern, as you can see in the photo above.


Finished! Ta-da!


I have it happily displayed in my craft room.


I love it even though it took so long to make.


Thanks for reading!

Enjoy your day!
Check out the great parties I link up to!

This project was featured at:


19 comments:

  1. That is such a great idea!  I've got a Christmas garland that I made years ago in a similar manner but tied to jute.  This would be great for holidays or sports things, or...

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  2. I wonder if you tore the fabric if it woud fray on it's own?

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  3. Caroline @ Double the DecorMonday, February 27, 2012

    How cute!  I love how easy this is, too!  I found you on Tip Junkie.  And I'm glad I did because I love your blog and your style!  I'm not following you on Google and Linky : )

    Caroline @ Double the Decor

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  4. Caroline @ Double the DecorMonday, February 27, 2012

    now* following you! : )

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  5. Альбина РассеинаTuesday, February 28, 2012

    Большое спасибо за урок! Очень красиво. При этом легко в исполнении.  
    Thank you for the lesson! Very nice. It is easy to perform.

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  6. Альбина РассеинаTuesday, February 28, 2012

    Большое спасибо за урок! Очень красиво. При этом легко в исполнении.   
    Спасибо за урок! Очень красиво. Это легко выполнить.

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  7. it turned out great!  Thanks to you -- I didn't have to look up a tutorial today!   I could just click on your image.   I want to make one out of my husbands ABUs or ADUs... or whatever they are called.  I gave away my rotary cutter after it collected dust for 5+ years....  maybe I should go buy another one!  LOL

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  8. I had a dream about making a wreath, the other night, and it was so similar to this. Funny! You did a good job!

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  9. Your fabric wreath is stunning! It looks time consuming but, I love it. 

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  10. It's adorable Steph! Great job! Thanks so much for joining my party!
    Melody
    ChattyChics.com

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  11. Cute! I was totally planning on making something like this for my little girl's room. Thanks for sharing!

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  12. alot of work, but totally worth it!!! Looks amazing! I need to follow in your footsteps and use up what I have!! :) Thank you for linking up to our party!

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  13. Blissful_and_domesticMonday, March 05, 2012

    I love rag tie wreaths. Yours came out so cute. Loved that you just used a hanger for the form.I am visiting you from country Momma Cooks. I am having a Sunday Blog Hop and would love for you to link up your cute blog:>

    http://blissfulanddomestic.blogspot.com/search/label/Sunday%20Blog%20Hop

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  14. 2yellowbirdsdecorTuesday, March 06, 2012

    That is so cute!! I love that you put it up in your craft room!! Thanks for sharing at Thursday's Temptation.
    Jill

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  15. Featuring YOU today!  Thank you so much for sharing at last week's {wow} me wednesday party. :)

    Ginger @ gingersnapcrafts.com

    http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/2012/03/take-look-at-you-my-favorites_08.html

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  16. I totally know what you mean about that kind of project...my yarn wrapping endeavor was like that; took forEVer.  But your wreath turned out great!!  Thanks for sharing at Shine on Fridays!

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  17. Steph,
      That is a deliciously adorable wreath!  I need to try that - great colors and love how easy you made the tutorial!  Thanks for sharing! Would love for you to come over to my Creative nspirations party happening now and link it up!  I would love to have yout there!
    Stacey of Embracing Change
    http://staceyembracingchange.blogspot.com

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  18. LOve this wreath! I will have to try my hand at this - such pretty fabrics!
    THanks for linking up- please come back soon!
    Stacey of Embracing Change

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  19. Laurie @ Simply Creating HomeWednesday, January 16, 2013

    What a sweet rag wreath! I just love the colors. A rotary blade and mat would make a huge difference in how quickly it could be cut out! Kudos for sticking to it and finishing. Another great way to get fabric strips quickly is to just rip them. You can cut little snips on the selvedge edge and then rip it. It frays it and works great! Thanks for sharing your sweet wreath with us!

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