Handmade felt garland #DIYdecor

handmade felt garland

You will need yarn, I9 5.50mm crochet hook, scissors, needles (5), 3 to 4 colors of felt 1 red 2 or 3 green your choice, thread green & red.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make a slip knot and crochet a basic chain as long as you like mine is about 7 feet long, leave about 10 in on both ends when you tie off for hanging purposes. 

2. You can make a leaf pattern but I decided to eye ball it and do cut them all free hand to save time. I used 2 colors of green you could use 3 if you like. I cut enough to make 25 clusters (some with 2, 3 and 4 leaves in each cluster)

3. Cut red circles for berries about nickel size, no larger then a quarter. I cut about 50. Cut as many as you like, these will cover your leaf stems on the strand.

4. On table sort leaves into clusters alternating colors for interest.

5. You can sort them all out the way you want, then assembly line & sew them up.

6. Thread your 5 needles with red thread. This is quick tip to save time rethreading once you start.  I am a busy mum and I found this helped me make this quickly while baby was sleeping.

7. Sew berries on to leaf sets. I did variations with 1, 2 or 3 berries depending on the cluster. lay berry on top of leaf stems and  just use a basic back in forth stitching like you would if you were cross stitching on to the leaf sets. See pic with back side of leaf set.

8. Sew all clusters to berries, start with know behind berry.

9. Re thread needles (5) with green thread to save time sewing clusters to crocheted strand. start about 2in from start of crochet and end with 2in at end.

10. Lay strand out flat on floor or table

11. Place your cluster how you like on your strand before sewing and make sure you like the lay out, make sure it is balanced and alternating.

12. Hand sew each leaf cluster to the strand by whip stitching around the leaf stem under the berries, the berries should hide your stitches. After some whip stitching tie knot it off 

13. Hang with some tape ( tape behind a leaf layer to hide the tape) add lights if you like

FIN!

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