DIY: Fringe-y Fabric Garland

Happy Thursday, friends! I'm so thrilled to be sharing a project with you--getting back onto my sewing machine to put this simple garland together for the boys' playroom was like a breath of fresh air.  The perfect, easy-peasy creation to get my juices flowing again after this long month.

It's funny; I've been trying to mount the courage and stamina to attack our (very bare) playroom since August and thinking I needed to start big. Like a new rug, or the teepee I've been planning to make for ages (the fabric has been sitting on my dryer, staring at me for awhile now). But right now, a teepee (with it's enormous dimensions) and a new rug (with its price tag) feel daunting, and so instead I decided to start with what was free, colorful, and fun: a fringe-y fabric garland made entirely out of fabric scraps. Look how many mini piles of fabric I busted! It's the perfect way to use up leftovers from both my projects for the boys and summer creations for myself (i.e., all things cheery and bright).

For those of you in the pep-talk stage of sewing (you have a machine or access to one and are trying to convince yourself to give it a try), this is the perfect little project for you. It requires minimal and very basic sewing, but delivers a big bang of satisfaction, much like the flag garland I made for Little Brother's birthday last year, but with a different look and feel. And look at the joy it brings to our otherwise bare and white playroom!

(One of these days, I'll borrow a wider angle lens and give you a fuller view of this room, and the boys' bedroom for that matter. For now, we're kind of confined to close ups in these little spaces.)

So, are you ready for the tutorial? It might be my easiest yet.

Materials

• Fabric scraps. The longer you want your garland, the more you'll need. I used 9 x 6 inch pieces (folded), but you can certainly adjust the size of your pieces to the wealth of your scrap stash. 
• Basic sewing supplies (including an iron)
• String, twine, etc. for hanging your pieces.

1. Press your fabric on the fold and cut it into 4.5 x 6 inch folded, rectangular pieces (unfolded, the pieces would be 9 x 6 inches, just for clarity).

2. Sew a straight stitch 3/4 inch from the fold of each rectangle, locking your stitch at the beginning and end. Repeat until you have a nice, big pile of stitched rectangles.

3. Using sharp, fabric scissors, cut fringe from the unfolded edge to a point about half an inch below the stitch.

4. Use a safety pin to string up your fringe-y rectangles and hang low enough to pack some punch, but high enough that your young Curious George cannot reach it when standing on the highest piece of furniture in the room:).

Enjoy!