I made this from actual rags. And it’s beautiful. {Ruffled Rag Wreath Tutorial}

You know what I love about January? Packing up all the Christmas crap.

Oh yes, it was beautiful and merry 3 weeks ago. Now, GET OUT, CHRISTMAS. Once I un-elfed the mantle, though, I quite missed my large holiday wreath hanging over the mirror.

So, being me, I decided to make a new one. Because I make wreaths. It’s what I do. I’m the wreath lady.

And I had a Roll O’ Rags laying around.

It was a natural fit.

Yes, that is a wreath made entirely from rags- the kind you buy for $4 a roll in the paint section.

I’m very familiar with the paint section.

For mine, I used the largest foam wreath I could find (18″). It was $11, I think, but I used a coupon to get 50% off. I also wound up using 2 Roll O’ Rags.

In total, including the burlap ribbon, the wreath cost me about $20, not including supplies I already had, like glue sticks and thread.

So here’s what you’ll need:

1 wreath form– I’d say stick with white. If you get green, make sure you wrap it in white ribbon or Duck Tape before starting so the green doesn’t show through.
1-2 packs of rags– Again, get them at a home improvement store. They should be near the paint. Go for a couple rolls, even if you’re doing a smaller wreath. The wreath looks best when full and fluffy, and you can always use the extras as, well, rags.
Needle and white thread– I chose the crafter’s thread, which is a little thicker so it wouldn’t snap when I was pulling on it, but that’s not entirely necessary.
Scissors
Glue gun & glue sticks
Ribbon– optional

First, if you’re using ribbon to create a bow, go ahead and wrap it around your wreath several times and adhere it with hot glue. You’ll add the actual bow later.

Unroll your rags. You’ll notice they are not uniform at all. Not in color, not is size or shape. Some will even have small holes in them or small stains. Ew. I cut out and around the stains but left the holes.

If needed, and you probably will with most of the pieces, cut them down to about 4-6″ wide.

DO NOT SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON THIS.

Remember. These are rags. They are rags! No need for perfection at all.

Cut a long piece of thread (but not too long that you can’t work with it) and thread your needle. Tie a knot at the end. Starting at one long end of a strip of fabric, weave your needle through the middle, pulling to ruffle the fabric as you go.

When you get to the end, cut your thread and tie a knot to hold the ruffles in place.

You can totally do this with a sewing machine, of course. But I didn’t think it was worth the effort to dig mine out. And please don’t think you need to be skilled in sewing to do this. You are just pushing a needle through some fabric. That’s it. It doesn’t even have to be in a straight line. Not even close.

Once you’ve ruffled up all your pieces, head to the hot glue gun. Run a bead of glue along the base of the ruffles…

And stick it to your wreath.

(Don’t mind my dirty fingernails. Was just painting children’s bedrooms all weekend.)

You could also put the hot glue on the wreath, and then stick the fabric on top of that. Either way, you’ll probably burn the hell out of yourself at least once. Sorry.

Continue doing this until the wreath is filled in to your liking. I did roughly 3 rows- but it really wasn’t an exact science.

I made a quick bow from the burlap ribbon, and attached it to the front of the wrapped ribbon with some hot glue.

And I added a loop of ribbon to the back, long enough to hang it over my mirror. I attached that to the back of the wrapped ribbon with pins and some extra glue.

DaDaDA!

Oh, I just love it. I love it for it’s simplicity and imperfections. It’s cozy and clean all at once.

And fluffy!

I’m a little obsessed with getting “craft” supplies at the hardware store. It’s a fun challenge to turn things that smell like sawdust into something beautiful.

Of course, you don’t have to use those rags. You can use any kind of rags. Cut up an old set of sheets (better yet, rip them and let the edges fray), or old t-shirts. Instead of purchasing ribbon, rip a contrasting fabric down to size. Turn something used or utilitarian into something that makes you smile.

And because I know someone will ask- my chicken was a discount purchase from Hobby Lobby 3 months ago. He’s missing a toe. I love him anyway.