Monday, November 9

I can make that!

One of my favorite bloggers, Chris at Just a Girl, is having a party! Chris has a lot to celebrate--she just unveiled a beautiful new blog design, and she's decided to take the plunge into attracting blog sponsors. So it's a good day for her to have a party. And it's a good day for all of us, for her party idea is a great one. Here's our chance to share ideas of all kinds of things that we can make. . . and there's plenty of time for us to learn from one another and make lots of wonderful gifts and decorations in time for Christmas.

What I'd like to show you has the most humble of beginnings:

scraps of fabric and a wire coat hanger.



That's it. That's the entire list of materials required to make a ragamuffin wreath!

You've seen the adorable ragamuffin garlands made wildly popular by the Nester. Nester even did a tutorial on these for Edie's 12 Days of Homemade Christmas series.

I took that idea, but instead of tying my fabric scraps onto a string or wire, I tied them to a wire coat hanger. As much as I prefer padded or plastic hangers, I still have lots of wire hangers in my house. I chose a sturdy wire hanger, removed the paper from the hanger, bent the body of it into a circular form, and began tying. (Don't worry about getting the hanger into a perfect circle. It's going to get bent some as you go, and you can always tweak it after you've finished tying on your fabric.) If you like, you could use wire cutters to remove the hook from the top of the hanger. I find the hook useful for hanging the wreath, so I don't cut it off.

For this project, I suggest you cut your scraps of fabric or ribbon around 7" to 9" long. Anything less than 6 or 7 inches will be hard to tie. Pieces longer than 9" or so will be a little too long, since the pieces need to follow the circular form of the wreath. Of course, you could always trim pieces off a bit after you've completed the wreath.

Here's a wreath that I'm making for Thanksgiving. When it's finished, I'll probably add a little something to it--maybe a small sign that says "Give thanks." In a perfect house, this would be finished and hanging somewhere really cute. In my house, it's only half finished. But here it is:



And here's a little different one. It's made with scraps of just one flannel fabric, all cut exactly the same length. I added a bow and the rustic jingle bells.



Isn't it cute? I hang it on the inside of the glass door leading in from my front porch. I always hang a pine cone wreath on the outside of this door, so having a wreath on the inside of the door is nice.



This photo is terrible, but you get the general idea.

I'll bet you have a bunch of fabric and ribbon scraps lying around. And if you don't have a wire hanger, you can easily get one. And I'll let you in on a secret: I cut the fabric strips for this wreath, but my six-year-old tied them to the hanger. Yes, he did. That six-year-old is now 16, so it's been awhile. . . but what sweet memories are tied up in this wreath! So this craft really is something you can make yourself or get your kids to make with you.

Be sure to look at all the great ideas at Chris's party!


22 comments:

  1. This is beautiful, do you simply just tie them on? Did it take long to make? I am inspired!

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  2. Yes, Autumn Mist, you just tie them on! That's it! One after another, just loop and pull. So simple!!

    I think a ragamuffin garland can take a good while to make, but this wreath is not so bad--you just have to fill the hanger with your scraps. It takes a while to cut the scraps of fabric, but then tying them on is something you can do while watching TV, waiting in carpool line, etc. Easy as pie. Enjoy!

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  3. Charming!

    Everyone will ask you if "you just tie them right on that?" as if we don't believe it will be that easy OR, if we will somehow do it wrong.

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  4. How creative and pretty Richella!

    I have not heard of this great idea and it's such a precious wreath. ~Adorable.

    Thank you for your sweet comment today. I look forward to getting to know you better as well. You are so kind and talented too.

    ~Many Blesssings, ~Melissa :)

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  5. What a great idea. It looks gorgeous. Hugs, Marty

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  6. I will be making some of these too! I love the idea and my mom has scraps of fabric I can 'steal'! GREAT decor item for anytime of year!

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  7. That is cute! I was going to dry and do a ragamuffin garland, too. Still might, but I think I'll do this first. I have just the place for it. Love it!

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  8. Oh yeah - great idea. Even I can do that! Thanks! Kim

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  9. Cute, cute, CUTE! Thanks for sharing another wonderful idea!!! Blessings!

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  10. Adorable!

    I made a ragamuffin garland and it took some time. This looks quick and easy. I'll be giving this wreath a try. Thank you!

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  11. Love this Richella. Don't you just love it when a cool craft like the ragamuffin garland has a domino effect and creates other fantastic ideas! I did a project with scraps for this party too!

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  12. What a fun idea. I love it. Thanks

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  13. I love it! The easiest ideas area always the prettiest! :)

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  14. This is really a neat idea! Love it!
    Hey, I realllly think you might want to pay my blog a visit today. ;-)

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  15. I made one of these when I was a girl and I STILL have it and love it! Yours are so pretty. Thank you for sharing. :)

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  16. Richella, That turned out Fantastic :)

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  17. you just tie them on! That's it! One after another, just loop and pull. So simple!!
    Work From Home

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  18. Oh my goodness, Richella. How cute is THAT? And how cheap! I love that you shared this!

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