Ragamuffin Garland for Fall

Oh how I love my new Ragamuffin Garland!

It was super simple to make, but did cost a little more money and take a little more time that I thought it would. Here are the instructions and some tips I learned along the way.

Start out my picking out your fabric, ribbons, tulle and whatever else you want to place in your garland. I went with a fall theme and bought a variety of prints. I found upholstery fabric on sale at Hancock when I went, so I got the most fabric from that side of the store. Focus on a variety of colors, prints and textures. I had burlap (rough) and suede (soft) in my mix.

Tip #1- look at both sides of the fabric. Those with the print on both sides will look best since you can't control what ends up on top when tying knots to make your garland.

Tip #2- Upholstery fabric is richer in color, but also stiffer. It was more difficult to tie knots with the higher end fabric.

I bought my fabric 1/4 a yard. That made it 9 inches long. I then cut it into 1-1.5 inch strips. I cut my ribbon and tulle the same length and width. In total, I believe I used 10 fabrics, 2 colors of tulle, and 4 different ribbons.

Tip #3- I bought my ribbon on the roll like this instead of the bolt. It made it quick and easy to cut.

I decided to tie everything onto brown ric rac and bought 3 yards of it. I found it to be sturdy and an inexpensive option.

Tip #4- leave about 6 inches from each end on the string/ribbon/ric rac that you are tying everything to. That will allow you to hang it on the wall or tuck it under a heavy item on your mantle. Make sure the string/ribbon/ric rac blends with your garland in case it shows.

Start tying knots. And, tying knots. And, tie some more. If possible, make sure the pattern is showing on both ends when your knot is tight. It'll help liven it up. After you tie 10 or so, it'll look really flat. Take the ties and twist them up. Doing that will put the tied ends in different directions and give it the fluff you need.

Here is the finished project! More photos to come with the dining room fall decor.

Tip #5- Save your extra fabric strips- they can be used in your decor. I tied them around candlesticks, pumpkin stems, wall decor hangers and more.

Tip #6- I laid my garland on my formal dining room table; however, if you hung it on your mantle you can easily add small clothespins and hang letters to spell "Autumn" or "Harvest" or add matching pictures, like these on etsy.