29 comments Tutorial: How to Make a Felted Holiday Garland
by papernstitch
12/14/10
A guest post by Jenna Thompson of Small Bird Handcrafted Jewelry.
I love handmade Christmas decorations, but I hardly had any that were made by my own hands…until now…
I think I meant to make this felted garland last year…but I never got around to it. (That’s a familiar tune around here this time of year.) It was not *quite* as quick and easy as I had hoped, but that’s probably due, in part, to my perfectionism rearing it’s ugly head halfway through this thing. That’s not to say that it was difficult, by any means. I just added some extra steps.
I used about 1.5 oz. wool roving in several colors, and got about 48 balls out of it. I needed two pairs of stockings to tie up the roving, and used the washing machine technique for felting. The problem was that wherever the stocking gathered between knots, it created a crease in the felted ball. I wound up with 48 little brightly colored…fannies (which you can sort of see in the bowl in the photo below). Ahem. So I hauled my fanny to the craft store and bought some needle felting tools. I’d only tried needle felting once, at a sheep and wool festival, but that little demo provided me with all the knowledge I needed for this project i.e., stabstabstabstabstabstabstab…
I arranged the various felted balls in a perfectly random pattern (I know, I have a problem), and used a natural, twine-colored worsted weight yarn to string them. I love the handmade touch they add to my mantle.
About Jenna: Jenna is the designer and crafter behind Small Bird Jewelry. When she’s not making jewelry, she’s probably knitting, sewing, or doing home improvement projects. Get shop updates by following smallbirdshop on Twitter at this link.
This entry is filed under christmas decorations, christmas diy ideas, felt garland, handmade christmas decorations, how to make a felt garland, make your own christmas decorations, small bird jewelry.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by brittni mehlhoff, Small Bird. Small Bird said: RT @papernstitch: Tutorial: How to Make a Felted Holiday Garland: A guest post by Jenna Thompson of Small Bird… http://goo.gl/fb/FpO6E [...]
Tweets that mention Tutorial: How to Make a Felted Holiday Garland | papernstitch -- Topsy.com commented on December 14th, 2010 at 2:27 pmLOVE it
Tali Schiffer commented on December 14th, 2010 at 4:21 pmMe too Tali. I fell in love with it as soon as Jenna sent it over to me! I’ve tried felting once before and it was a lot of fun. If I had the materials, I would totally make one of these this year for the mantle. I love it!
papernstitch commented on December 14th, 2010 at 4:22 pm-Brittni
so cool – very 70s and i love it!
the clothing menu commented on December 14th, 2010 at 4:39 pmIt does have a little bit of a retro vibe, doesn’t it TheClothingMenu?
papernstitch commented on December 14th, 2010 at 4:44 pm-Brittni
these garlands are cute! and great for any occasion, really.
thanks for sharing!
angie commented on December 14th, 2010 at 4:58 pmangie recently posted..Monday blues
These are adorable! And I love the “random” pattern of colors!
Julie commented on December 14th, 2010 at 8:25 pmJulie recently posted..let it snow
I love the random color pattern as well Julie.
papernstitch commented on December 14th, 2010 at 8:30 pmWow! What a fun idea! I love the colour it puts into a room – and yet it’s simple and elegant too. I’ve got to get me some roving and a needle!
Catherine commented on December 14th, 2010 at 9:40 pmCatherine recently posted..Smoldering Love
this is adorable! i can see it at a party or wedding, too.
kristin @ petal and thorn commented on December 15th, 2010 at 3:03 amkristin @ petal and thorn recently posted..My Wish List
Oh, this is splendid! Love love love it…
molly commented on December 19th, 2010 at 10:29 ammolly recently posted..one fine humdinger
I agree Kristin. This would be great for party decor as well. And I could see it working for a wedding with the right colors as well. Good thinking!
papernstitch commented on December 19th, 2010 at 4:10 pm-Brittni
[...] 6. Tutorial: How to Make a Felted Holiday Garland [...]
22+ Ways to Make Your Christmas a DIY Christmas! - SoDevious.Net commented on December 19th, 2010 at 10:36 pm[...] against that beautiful blue wall.If you have time (unfortunately I haven’t) you can make a felted holiday garland. You can find a tutorial on Papernstitch. This entry was posted in christmas, diy projects. [...]
christmas inspiration | the style files commented on December 20th, 2010 at 9:53 amI think I would like to make these for my wedding! What a great idea! Do you think it would work well, or does it scream holiday garland?
Raquel commented on December 21st, 2010 at 3:01 pmRaquel,
papernstitch commented on December 21st, 2010 at 3:05 pmI totally think it would work for a wedding, especially if you customize it with you wedding colors or neutrals if you don’t have specific colors you are working with. Then I don’t think it would look Christmas-y at all. Good luck!
-Brittni
Thanks, my mom (who is a knitter) and I are both subscribing to your blog. (Found you through style-files.com, by the way.)
Raquel commented on December 21st, 2010 at 3:13 pmWell, I am so glad that you found papernstitch. Welcome to you and your mom!
papernstitch commented on December 21st, 2010 at 4:33 pm-Brittni
[...] Jenna of Small Bird Jewelry from last week’s felt garland tutorial? Well, this week, I am chatting with Jenna again. But this time, its for a holiday house tour and [...]
New House Tour with Jenna of Small Bird | papernstitch commented on December 22nd, 2010 at 2:22 pm[...] loving this supercute and colorful felted garland. Check out the tutorial by Jenna Thomson here on Paper N [...]
Friday Finds 12.17.10 commented on December 27th, 2010 at 4:45 am[...] you have time (unfortunately I haven’t) you can make a felted holiday garland. You can find a tutorial on [...]
christmas inspiration | Modern Design Trends commented on December 28th, 2010 at 5:51 amI was thinking of doing something similar for the tree next year, but hadn’t considered needle felting. I’ll have to try it. Thanks for the post!
Miss Bargainista commented on January 1st, 2011 at 4:10 pmMiss Bargainista recently posted..Borders- 50 off one item through January 2
Miss Bargainista, its really easy and fun to do! You should definitely try felting.
papernstitch commented on January 1st, 2011 at 4:12 pm-Brittni
[...] Tutorial: How to Make a Holiday Felted Garland [...]
adventures in embroidery | bambinosteps commented on January 27th, 2011 at 3:12 pm[...] Felted Holiday Garland – Papernstitch [...]
101 Handmade Holiday Tutorials commented on October 13th, 2011 at 1:11 pmhi! love this. can you tell me where you got the natural-twine that the garlands are strung along??
bridget commented on November 10th, 2011 at 11:46 ambridget recently posted..recipe: tamale pie.
I’ve been making little needle felt ball to make a garland like this. I’ve stabbed my first finger and thumb several times… lol
Casey commented on November 16th, 2011 at 7:56 pmyour garland is very lovely!
Such a lovely idea and simple enough even for not that crafty people to make. They must be really warm and fluffy too. Right for the season.
Hope you don’t mind I’ve featured your idea on my blog in a colorful Christmas roundup.
Tubarozadesign commented on December 6th, 2011 at 6:56 am[...] 5. Avec des cartes par SALT LABS via POPPY TALK 6. En laine feutrée par SMALL BIRD JEWELRY via PAPERNSTICH 7. Avec des boutons vintage par FRENCH LARKSPUR 8. Avec de la dentelle par STEPH LOVES BEN via [...]
L’atelier du mercredi : avec des guirlandes | PLUMETIS Magazine commented on December 8th, 2011 at 7:33 am