How To Make A 4th of July Rag Garland

You know how it is, you buy some fabric, and you just love it! You want to use it for another project, too. That’s how this 4th of July Rag Garland came into existence. Although this is a patriotic garland, can you imagine one of these for almost every holiday? This is so easy to make, you might want to consider one for other holidays!

Patriotic Fabrics - How To Make A 4th of July Rag Garland — Patriotic Fabrics at JOANN Fabric and Crafts

Initially, I bought the two fabrics on the left. The more I work with them, the more I love them! I went back and bought another yard of the striped fabric and a yard of the star fabric with a white background.

[ctt template=”8″ link=”mbcY_” via=”no” ]You can make this 4th of July Rag Garland with leftover patriotic fabric! This DIY garland is so easy! [/ctt]

Patriotic Pillowcases

I bought this fabric to make pillowcases for a couple of small pillows we use for long trips in the car or truck. The boys are taking a trip north, so flowery fabric that looks like it’s from the land of precious wouldn’t do. I spotted these patriotic fabrics at JOANN’s. Don’t you love them? Dave’s truck is navy blue. They coordinate perfectly.

At first, I had intended to make fitted pillowcases but ultimately decided to make regular pillowcases. These two pillows are from “The Pillow Guy”. We bought a couple of the “My Pillows” and these are freebies. (Side note, I love my pillow.) These pillows wash so nicely! I made the pillowcases with a little extra length on the openings.

How To Create An Easter Rag Wreath — Easter Rag Wreath

While I was working with this fabric, I brainstormed other ways of using the two fabrics. Remember the Easter rag wreath? ►Click here for step-by-step directions. I considered a wreath but remembered seeing a garland made using basically the same technique. And so, my plan for the rag garland is hatched!

Patriotic 4th of July Rag Garland

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Supplies needed:

Twine
Patriotic fabric
Scissors or rotary cutter and cutting mat

Easy Directions:

Before using cotton fabrics, you should wash and dry them. Then, it is best to iron the fabric, too.

Cut strips of fabric. I didn’t want these to be too long, making the garland too big around. These strips are cut 6-1/4-inches long and 1-inch wide. You can make them smaller or larger depending on the effect you want. You just want to be sure you can easily tie a knot with the strip of fabric.

Use a rotary cutter to cut strips. How To Make A 4th of July Rag Garland — Use a rotary cutter to cut strips.

How To Make A 4th of July Rag Garland — Supplies needed for a rag garland.

At first, I cut the strips with scissors. It is perfectly doable but using the rotary cutter is much faster.

The directions for this garland couldn’t be simpler. You just tie the strips onto the twine string with an overhand knot. Try to tie the pieces in the middle of the fabric strip and tighten by pulling on both ends. Push the knotted strips together closely as you go.

A Pattern?

You should decide in the beginning whether you want to create a pattern. My thinking is that if you follow a pattern, you won’t end up with one section being much lighter or darker than another unintentionally.

Length of Garland

With a 1-inch thick fabric strip, you can expect to tie about 6 ties for every 2-inches of jute twine. I wasn’t sure how long the garland needed to be so you can see above that I left the roll on until the length of the garland was determined. This can be done by draping it across the fireplace mantel and adding to it until you have the desired length. The final garland ended up being 72-inches of tied strips.

In the picture below, note the garland on the right seems a little lackluster. At this point, I ran back to the fabric store and picked up the star fabric with a white background. I pushed the strips apart and tied a white strip right next to each of the strips with the gold stars. Then, I just pushed the knots back together firmly. It just seems too blah without the pop of white, doesn’t it?

You can see the rag garland draped on the fireplace. I didn’t do a 4th of July mantel display this year. Don’t judge me! Lol! I just added the garland and a pretty red star candle I bought recently to the fireplace mantel decor from an earlier post. I love it!

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