How to Make a Garland with Scrap Fabrics

Begin by drawing and cutting out a circle template. You will need a circle measuring 2.5 inches across.

Tip: A standard sized jam jar lid is an ideal size!

Using your circle template and your pieces of fabric, with a pencil, draw around your template on the wrong side of the fabric.

For every one meter of garland you will need approximately 48 fabric circles.

Cut out all of your fabric circles.

Thread your needle using your sewing thread, doubling up the thread to make it stronger. You will need around 15cm of sewing thread once doubled. Tie a few knots in the end.

Take your first fabric circle and begin sewing running stitches, starting from the wrong side of the fabric and stitching about half a centimetre from the edge. Continue all around the fabric edge keeping your stitches even. Aim to finish your last stitch with the needle coming out on the right side of fabric.

Pull your thread until the fabric “cups” a little bit.

Take a small palm sized piece of stuffing, ball it up as best as you can and pop it into the fabric cup. Pull on the thread again, enclosing the stuffing.

Once the cup has closed, you may need to push any stuffing that may be poking out back into the ball, a blunt end of a pencil will do the job.

Sew all the way back round the circle going through the gathers of fabric. Once you have sewn all the way back round, pull the thread tight again securing the ball shape.

To secure your stitches, make a little stitch anywhere through the gathers of fabric, before you pull the thread tight pass the needle through the middle of the thread loop, then pull the thread tight. Do this about 4 or 5 times to secure your stitches and ball shape. Trim any thread ends.

Continue steps 3 – 7 with all the fabric circles until all are completed.

Arrange your fabric balls into your preferred order for your finished garland.

Cut your embroidery thread to the length of your garland, adding and an extra 20cm to both ends. Take the extra 20cm of one end and make a loop, tie a knot at the bottom of the loop. Then with the other end thread of the embroidery thread onto your needle.

Using your needle, thread on your first fabric ball, going through the front and out through the back where the gathered stitches are. Thread on the rest of the fabric balls, this time going through the back first, where the gathered stiches are, and out through the front.

Once all of the fabric balls are threaded on, take the needle off and double over the excess embroidery thread to create a loop, make a knot at the base of the of the loop and trim off any ends.

Your beautiful garland is now ready to add some homemade festive cheer!