When I was young and had lots of money to waste, I used to love spending it at Anthropologie. It’s kind of sad how much I spent there in my single days (and how much of if it is now broken because of my husband and kids… this is why we can’t have nice things…).
Now with kids and a “budget” I don’t get around to shopping there as much as I would like to. Fortunately for me, the folks at Anthropologie are very crafty, and I am very crafty, which makes it pretty easy for my to hack the craft and come up with DIY versions.
I saw this all over the internet awhile back, and I guess everyone else had the same idea. The original one would set you back a pretty penny, but mine (if you’re as crafty and as much of a craft hoarder as me) is just a penny. Ok maybe not an actual penny, but probably not too many of them.
I have a scrap stash. I have a fabric one, and a felt one and even a paper one. That stuff gets expensive! I save where I can! This is a GREAT example of that. I raided my felt stash, and grabbed all the odds and end pieces from lots of felt flowers and crafts, and a few regular sheets too… and got down to business…
All you need, is some felt, a pair of scissors, some thick thread or embroidery floss, a large embroidery or darning needle… and about an hour. I watched a rerun episode of SVU.
Cut your scraps and sheets into strips… about 1″x3″… just eyeball it, we’re not going for perfection here.
Thread your needle with your desired length of your garland. Measure your fireplace mantle, or your empty wall space, or wherever you plan to display this, and then give yourself about an extra 6-12″.
You can tie a large knot on one end, but I made a loop (which makes it way easier to hang from hooks and the like) and begin to thread your pieces on.
Pinch your piece of felt in the center to create a “bow” like shape…
and push the needle through!
That’s it! Repeat the entire length of the thread. Boom!
Once you have a few pieces on, slide them together to create the bunched look of the garland. It’s easier to do this every 10 or so strips, rather than later when you start to run out of room… trust me on this one.
At the end of your thread, make another knot, or loop and trim the excess of the ends.
Make sure you pay attention to the colors you’re putting on so you are keeping it in a pattern, or random… don’t put too many green, and forget to add some pink or red… or whatever colors you’re using. Organized chaos.
Hang your masterpiece and have everyone tell you how adorable it is! Or just use it as decor on a buffet or counter top at a party!
Oh hey look! It’s me in the mirror! Hi! Plus a few little gems from Anthro too, like my glass citrus juicer and that giant candle stick! Heyo! That mirror might be from there too…
How cute right? It cost me nothing when I made it because I had everything on hand… but I would assume my garland used about 15 sheets of felt, so around $5. The entire garland should set you back no more than $10! How’s that for markup? Aye!
Do you love Anthropologie as much as I do? Do you think you’ll tackle this project? You could use specific colors for holidays or birthday parties! Share your ideas with me in the comments! Happy Crafting!
Hello, I just want you to know that your DIY Felt Garland is the cutest thing ever! I love it!
It seems time consuming but the end result would be worth it! Thanks for sharing
on The MaMade Blog link up .
Kim ~ This Ole Mom
Thank you so much!
Your garland caught my eye right away on the sew much ado linky party. Fantastic! I love Anthro too, but with kids, it’s outa my budget. lol Le sigh. xo
That’s how I feel! SO SAD! Thanks for stopping by!! This project takes less than an hour (ok maybe 2…) and about $10. So fun!
This is just simply adorable – I love it! Visiting from Moonlight & Mason Jars – thanks so much for sharing and pinning! Have a happy week!
Thank you! I love it too! Sometimes we all just need a little bit of whimsy and fancy in our lives 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
This turned out perfect! So fun and festive! And a great way to get rid of all the scrap felt I have lying around 🙂
Yes! It’s the perfect scrap felt project, and it’s so perfect for any type of festive occasion! My daughter wears it like a boa!
This is soooo cute! I love it! I LOVE Anthro!
Thank you! It was a blast to make!
This is adorable! When my daughter moves out of her nursery and into her big girl room, I want to use bright colors everywhere–this garland would look so cute! I love Anthropologie, but the prices are way out of control. Why would I pay that when I can make something just as adorable for $10!?! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Right!? I wish I had a fireplace, cuz this puppy would hang 24/7. You could even make the felt strips smaller, and make more dainty garlands! Maybe as window valances!
That is just too cute! I too remember the days when one could spend money in places like Anthro or Banana Republic and not give it a second thought..lol
Thank you! I miss those days, but wouldn’t trade it now for anything 🙂
SOOOO adorable!
Thank you!
This looks great Roberta!! I love the photo of it hanging up 🙂 Such a cute idea 🙂
Thanks Michelle!
Love the garland!
Sharon and Denise
Thank you so much!
Such fun! I must be the only person around that didn’t see this at Anthro… but oh, I do love them! Thank you so much for sharing at our link it or lump it party!
Amy @ http://www.delineateyourdwelling.com
I only saw it online! But it was sold out, so I had to improvise 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Hey! Your project was featured at Link’n Blogs this week. Come party again!
http://iputabirdonit.blogspot.com/2014/02/linkn-blogs-14.html
xo
Daniela
Put A Bird On It
Oh awesome! Thank you so much!
I love this! I bet it would be super cute in holiday colors too. Pinning it for later!
That’s exactly what I was thinking! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
This is a great Garland project. I love how colorful and full it is. Thanks for sharing! Also, hello from Linkin Blogs!
Right? I love all the colors! I keep thinking about holiday colors or pastels and it makes me want to make another one! Ha! Thank you for stopping by!
What fun garland! Thank you for sharing your DIY tutorial! (I also put a link to you DIY Wedding!) I am featuring you today on my Saturday Spotlights. Come by and share or grab a featured button. Thanks for linking up yersterday at Craft Frenzy Friday! http://pickledokra.blogspot.com/2014/03/saturday-spotlight-3.html
Thank you so much! You have such a cute blog! I am honored 🙂
This is super cute and would also be awesome above a changing table too, with all those pretty colors. Love how your felt garland turned out!
Totally! It’s really versatile! I’m planning on using mine in my craft fair booth 🙂
What a fun and festive way to decorate! Love the colors. I just wanted to let you know that I am linking to this tutorial at my website on Tuesday, March 12 if you don’t mind. I love your site!
I’d love that! Thank you!