It was a vintage toy box from the 1950’s that I wanted to buy at this estate sale. It was retro and adorable and a good item to resale at my vendor booth. The catch, it came fully loaded down with leftover fabric that they wanted to sell with it as an entire unit. That unexpected fabric purchase led to this DIY fabric scrap wreath for my Spring décor.
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This post is part of the Creative Craft Blog Hop that I am filling in as host for the next two months for Sara from Birdz of a Feather.Â
If you are visiting from Gail’s site, Purple Hues and Me then welcome! I know you will enjoy Gail’s Wood Veneer Candlestick project this month. At the very bottom of this post, I will be directing you to the next stop on this blog hop venture. And don’t forget to check out all of the talented bloggers participating this month during the week as well.
DIY Rag Wreath For Spring
I don’t sew or make fabric crafts so I had absolutely no need for a box full of fabric, even if some of them appeared to be some beautiful vintage patterns.
That toy box had this darling vintage cartoons on the side and old fashioned construction. That is what I wanted. The estate sale was crowded and things were being carried out of that second story barn craft loft faster than you could get out of the way of the more experienced shoppers.
Their moving and shaking of things had uncovered the toy box full of fabric in the corner. There wasn’t time to think about it much so I made a quick decision and bought the whole unit as is.
A wonderful and helpful sales person gladly helped me haul the heavy wooden toy box down the stairs. Of course I had already convinced myself that I would find some type of creative use for all that fabric.
Does anyone else have a story like this one?
Where you just can’t say no to a great thrift find and more crafting supplies? So you convince yourself that you will figure out what to make with it?
Welcome to my world.
Thankfully each month I participate in blog hops like the Creative Craft Blog hop which give me the wonderful opportunity to be creative and finally try new projects.
That box of surplus fabric that I didn’t really need lead to me making my first fabric scrap wreath.
And it was such a fun project!
For starters, I cut up the fabric in strips that were about 1 inch wide and 9 inches long.Â
You could measure this out to be very precise in the sizes but I just cut one then used it as a template to cut out many others. I found that I used about 2.5 yards of different fabrics for this fabric scrap wreath project.
At first I cut out 5 different colors and patterns of fabric. The primary fabric being this adorable white one with colorful bugs on it, which is perfect for a Spring wreath. All of the fabrics I chose for this fabric scrap wreath were cotton fabrics.
However, when I started to put the wreath together, I loved how the two green colored fabrics really popped more with the bug colors in the white fabric so I left out the purple and yellow colors.
To attach the fabric scraps to the wreath was so easy. I tied each individual fabric strip in a small knot around two wires of the wreath frame. And then tied another one and another one and another one.
That is it. That is all it takes to create a rag wreath. If you can tie a knot you can easily make this wreath.
I had more fabric in the white with bugs than the green so instead of working on just one section of the wreath at a time, I tied the two green colors of fabric scraps all around the wire wreath form to make sure that the colors were distributed throughout the wreath. Then I added in the white fabric strips around those.
I had to work on my version of a rag wreath this way because I couldn’t go out an purchase more of the green fabric if needed. Otherwise I would have just worked on one section at a time.
Just for a visual, this is how the back of the wreath looks when you are done.
The final step was to hang the wreath, fluff up the fabric strips and twist each one around as needed so that the decorative side is displayed.
Since this was the first rag wreath or fabric scrap wreath as it is also called, I wasn’t sure how I would like it. But I have to admit that I really like how colorful it is and especially how easy it was to make. If anything I now have a great wreath project to use up a lot of the other fabrics that I inherited in the vintage toy box purchase.
Pin For Later
Please visit all of the other talented bloggers who are participating this month in the Creative Craft Blog Hop, staring with Tammy’s Cake Stand that is next in line behind my project. The full list of projects are below.
Easy Homemade Mother’s Day Gifts
Round Wood Door Hanger w/ Free SVG!
Handwoven Wood Veneer Candleholder
Easiest and Cheapest Cake Stand
Hugs,
James 1:3 “Because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”
Donna,
I love this idea..I have a pair of floral vintage curtains that i have been looking to do something with and i think this would be perfect to use them for!!!! Thanks so much for the inspiration!!! Pinned!!
Stay safe, healthy and happy!!
Hugs,
Deb
Thanks Debbie
Cute. Nice way to use up scrap fabric.
Thanks Erlene
Donna, what an great idea for creating a colorful wreath. Perfect to adapt for any event or season. Super easy to use fabric scraps.
Thanks Carol. It was so easy and fun to make too.
How lucky were you to find all that fabric?! I need to find me an estate sell with a craft loft. My husband might have a heart attack if I did though, lol. I love how your wreath turned out!! I don’t have a lot of fabric either, as I don’t sew. I’ve created some no-sew tutorials, but not many. You found the perfect way to use up some fabric. I really, really love this! Thanks for the tutorial!
Happy hopping & hosting!
Niki
Thanks Niky.
That’s wonderful you were able to upcycle the fabric yardage into a pretty spring wreath. Looks wonderful! Is the monthly Creative Craft hop open to join? If so, I’m interested.
Yes you can join. I will add you to the email list for next month since I will be hosting it again.
This is such a cute wreath and a great way to use up the material you had. It’s a WIN WIN. Get a beautiful wreath and use up some previous scraps from other projects.
It was fun to make. I have lots of patriotic fabric from the purchase as well so might make another one.
This is so cute, Donna! I love the cheerful colors you used–pinned!
Thank you.
For a first time scrap fabric wreath maker, your wreath really turned out beautifully, Donna! It certainly looks like it was made by a pro! I love the way the fabric scraps blend in together to make a lush and full colorful presentation! And you did a fabulous job in filling in for Sara, too! Thanks!
Thanks so much Gail. I hope you join in next month as well.
You certainly found a great way to use your bonus fabric, Donna. The wreath is beautiful and I can’t wait to see what you do with the rest of the fabric!
Thanks Ann.
Hi Donna, wow, this is such an adorable wreath! Great use of your unexpected fabric stash…love the pattern mix, and the tied strips look like fluttering butterflies and birds! Just so pretty and such a clever creation, I’m pinning it to my Wreaths and Door Decor board. Thanks so much for being our hostess for the next few months, and thank you for helping with my permalink 🙂
Thanks Jenna. No worries about the permalink. I hope you join again next month.
Donna I love the colors you used in this wreath. It just makes you happy looking at it! Great job. Thanks so much for sharing. You are so right about it being a great project for using scrap material from other projects.
Thank you!