A fabric rag wreath is a great way to add some colour and texture to your home. Made from oddments of fabric, they won’t break the bank and can be whipped up in no time at all. Grab the chance to spend time with the kids, and they can learn a new craft whilst having fun.
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED
wreath frame (we used a wire frame)
oddments of material
scissors
ruler/tape measure
marker/fabric pen
iron (optional)
HERE’S WHAT YOU DO
The first thing you need to do is gather up all your oddments of fabric. It can be anything, old clothes or leftover fabric from projects. The only thing to bear in mind is you will be tieing the strips to the frame. Really heavy material may be harder to attach and you won’t be able to compress them really tight. This means you will be left with gaps. Cotton mix fabrics are ideal for this project. If you want you can iron your fabric flat first. It may it easier to cut, although it doesn’t matter if the material is creased as this adds to the overall effect.
ONCE YOU HAVE CHOSEN YOUR FABRIC YOU NEED TO CUT THEM INTO STRIPS.
Each strip should be approximately 5 inches long by 1 inch wide. However, you can make them any length you want. The longer they are, the smaller the gap will be in the centre of the wreath, so bear this in mind. It’s a good idea to have a play with a few different lengths until you find the look you are after.
If you have a rotary cutter and an easy rule tool, you will be able to cut your strips really quick. Don’t worry if you only have a pair of scissors and a ruler, you will still be able to cut your strips. Just make sure that you protect any surfaces and get an adult to do the cutting.
Cut out all your strips. Although only a guide, we used 390 strips for the 25.4cm frame and 420 strips for the 30.5cm frame. It will depend on the thickness of your strips, so this is only an estimate. They don’t have to be exactly the same width, especially if you hand cut them, but do try and keep them roughly the same length. Again this is not crucial as you can trim any wayward ends later.
To save time, it is a good idea to cut out all the strips you need first.
Now comes the easy part. Take your first strip and tie it around the centre ring. If you are going to pack all the strips tight in the frame, you only need to tie it once. The strips will hold each other in place. If you space them out for a more open wreath look, you will need to double tie them. You may need to have slightly longer strips if you double tie. It’s a good idea to start against one of the centre wreath supports and work either to the left of the right. Try to get the knot in the middle of the strip so that there is even material each side. Also, it’s a good idea to tie the strip with the right side of the fabric facing up, as the back of the material is often much paler.
Decide which is going to be the front of your wreath and make sure you tie the strips from the same side each time. You can choose random strips or work in some kind of pattern. We worked red, white, red, white, red then green sequence. A total of 6 strips and then worked the sequence 5 times in each segment of the wreath. As each wreath should be individual, it is entirely up to you how you plan yours out. They do look best with a random, yet organised sequence. So random patterns of fabric but organised in a colour sequence. That way you won’t have a block of one colour in one place. Unless of course, that’s the look you are after.
This is the back view of the wreath. As you are adding the strips, push them tight to one before each time. You really need to squash them all up together to make them secure.
If you want all your segments to be the same, work a sequence at a time in each segment. That way you know they will all match and give you an even effect.
You may find it a bit difficult to squeeze the last few strips of the segment, but as mentioned, it really does make it more secure if you can pack the strips in tight. We found that it is much easier to work on the inner round first, so complete that before moving on to the outer layer.
Add the strips to the outer ring in exactly the same way. Again, it is really important to squeeze as many strips in each segment as you can.
Once you have finished you can snip off any ends that stick out too much. You will need to fluff up your wreath to tease the strips into place.
This gorgeous rainbow wreath was made from the 30.5cm frame. The inner section had 5 of each colour strip in each segment. So the sequence we did was 5 red, 5 orange, 5 yellow and so on in each of the 5 segments. The outer ring had 7 strips of each colour in segment. The sequence was 7 red, 7 orange, 7 yellow and so on in each of the 5 segments. Sometimes you get more effect from blocking the colours. If we had done one strip of each colour 5 times in each segment, the colours would have been hard to see. The overall effect would have been very different, even though we used the same colours and material.
If you are hand cutting your strips, how about using pinking shears. This is a little bit harder, as the pointed edges along the side will have some resistance to being tied. The effect is amazing though, so give it a go.
So why not, grab your supplies and a cuppa and have an afternoon creating a beautiful wreath.
Let your imagination run wild with your colour and fabric choice.
We love seeing your creations and makes, so don’t forget to tag us #CraftyCoCreations
Happy creating.
The Crafty Co
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