DIY :: Festive Holiday Garland

A couple weeks ago I mentioned that I had shared a tutorial for a Festive Holiday Garland in Discover Paper's 2011 Holiday Guide. I wanted to share it here also - here it is! :)

This garland is simple yet festive for the upcoming holidays. Made from vintage book, dictionary and music pages, as well as deep red and forest green cardstock, this garland is sure to spruce up a Christmas tree, holiday mantle or banister. You could also drape over a mirror or hang in a guest bedroom to add a festive touch.

To make your own, you will need:

+ Sewing machine

+ Red, green or white thread

+ Several paper rounds in various sizes and shapes (I used a 1.5" round punch, a 1" round punch and a 1" jagged edge punch), punched from vintage books, as well as Holiday red and green cardstock. The number of punches you need will depend on how long you want your garland to be. For example, if you use all 1" punches, 12 punches will equal about 1 foot.

+ Optional: Snowflake paper punches, punched from vintage book pages

DIY:

1. Begin by threading your sewing machine with desired thread color and pulling extra thread through before you sew. These two threads (one from the bobbin, the other from the needle) will serve as a way to tie up the garland.

2. Slowly feed in your first paper round and sew through the middle, as though you were sewing a piece of fabric. Then feed in another paper round and continue feeding rounds. Feed each round in one at a time so that they are butted up against each other as you sew them together. You can layer smaller rounds on top of bigger rounds to create a layered effect and add in the little snowflakes if you choose.

3. To create the "3-D" effect, layer 3 paper rounds on top of each other (all the same size) and feed in at the same time.

4. Continue feeding and sewing rounds. No particular order is necessary, but it will look nice to have the different sizes and colors mixed up. Sprinkle in the 3 paper rounds (to make the 3-D look) on top of each other here and there as well. 

5. Once you have reached your desired length, pull extra thread through again (to be able to tie up this end of the garland). Cut the thread and you now have a garland!

6. To create the "3-D" rounds, fold the top paper round edges closed and fold the bottom paper round edges closed. The middle paper round stays flat. The top and bottom paper round will now be in a v-shape, creating a 3-Dimensional "ornament" on your garland. Repeat where necessary on your garland.

7. Voila!  A gorgeous, festive garland to decorate your home this holiday season.