DIY Rag Wreath Tutorial
A Cute & Easy Wreath Idea for Every Season
Welcome everyone to my DIY Rag Wreath Tutorial and a special welcome to everyone coming over from Sonya Burgess’s tutorial about how to make a simple Valentine’s Day tree! If you didn’t happen to see, a group of talented bloggers and I got together to do a Valentine’s Day Hop! You can find all of the details at the bottom of this post.
Rag wreaths have been around for a very long time, but they’ve certainly changed over the years. The Rag Wreath is named for the material people used to use to make them, namely rags, old clothes, fabric scraps, or anything the maker had on hand. You’ll still find people making the wreaths that way today, but as you’ll see below, I tend to make them themed and, therefore, pick out corresponding fabric at the fabric store. Either way you decide to make them, I hope this DIY Rag Wreath Tutorial inspires you to make your own for any season or reason. If you want a video version, check out my Google Web Story for this tutorial. Otherwise, here’s how you make it:
Gather Materials
One of the best things about this rag wreath is that you do not need many different types of materials or tools and you could use things you likely have around the house.
- Wreath Frame/Form: The first few rag wreaths I ever made, I used a wire hanger and shaped it into a circle with a little elbow grease. The hanger hook made for a great way to hang the wreath too. Now, I prefer to buy wreath forms that have 2+ layers of wire because it makes the wreath fuller. Here’s a 12 inch, 3 layer form from Joann’s. Sometimes, I tie the fabric around 2 layers of wire at once, sometimes around every layer individually, sometimes just the outside layers. It just depends on how much fabric you have and how full you want it to look.
- Fabric: Really, any kind of fabric that you can cut into strips and tie will work. Since I like them themed and I don’t do a whole lot with fabric otherwise, I usually go to Joann’s to buy different squares or cuts to fit my theme. Obviously, for Valentine’s Day I picked out lots of shades of pink and red. It ended up feeling a little flat so I added some purples and fabrics with mostly white backgrounds.
- Optional: Pinking Shears: Now, I say that these are optional, because technically any pair of sharp scissors will work. However, pinking shears help keep the fabric from fraying. You can typically find a coupon to use on a pair to bring the price down, but I honestly wouldn’t work with fabric like this without them. Here’s the pair I have.
Cut Your Fabric Strips & Tie Them to Form
For a 12-18 inch wreath form, I tend to cut the fabric into -inch strips that are between 1 to 1.5 inch strips.
You can fold your fabric in half, cut strips, and then cut those strips to the correct length. That is the fastest way I’ve figured out to do this. I tend of cut a nice sized pile of each color fabric so I can pick different colors out and mix them well. If you cut one color fabric at a time, just space out the tied strips so you can mix the colors up.
I try to tie them all the same way so that the knots are on one side of the form and the fabric ends are on the other side. I like a full wreath, so I keep pushing the knots down the wire until I cannot fit another piece of fabric before moving to the next section. Once the whole wreath is full, I pull all of the ends forward so you can better see the shape. And then I add ribbon to the top so I can hang it on a door hanger.
And that’s it! It’s really so simple and it’s also easy to start and stop as needed if, I don’t know, you need to keep your kids from literally climbing the walls. Just an example….
If you end up making your own rag wreath, I would LOVE to see it! You can tag me on social media posts (@designofyourlife on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok) or comment below with a link. NEXT UP on the Valentine’s Blog Tour is a delicious Red Velvet Bundt Cake recipe from the Zucchini Sisters! Check out the complete details for the blog tour below!
Valentine’s Blog Tour
Want to see more Valentine’s ideas? Well then, that’s great because today, you are in for a treat!
❣️ 💟 💟 ❣️ More Amazing Valentine’s Inspiration ❣️ 💟 💟 ❣️
Click the links below the images to go straight to their posts. ENJOY!
Chalking Up Success // Sweet Valley Acres // A Life of Balance // Peacock Ridge Farm
❣️ 💟 💟 ❣️ 💟 💟 ❣️
Cloches & Lavender // From Farmhouse to Florida // My Family Thyme // Sonya Burgess
❣️ 💟 💟 ❣️ 💟 💟 ❣️
Design of Your Life // Saved From Salvage // Zucchini Sisters
❣️ 💟 💟 ❣️ 💟 💟 ❣️
I love how cute your wreath is. Plus, it seems simple. I’ll have to try making one soon. Pinned.
Thus is so pretty. I haven’t made a rag wreath in a long time. Now you have me thinking about using old jeans.
Fantastic tutorial and information.
Pinned!
Thank you Janet for that and for organizing this hop! It’s been really fun. I think jeans would be perfect for a rag wreath! I hope you get to make it and definitely tag me if you do. I’d love to see it.
Thanks Janet, I hope you get to make one soon!
Oh, Alicia, I love this rag wreath idea! What a great project for using up leftover fabric too, I’m definitely pinning this for future inspo, thanks!
Thanks Jayne! Yes this is the perfect use for leftover fabric. It’s been fun hopping with you gals!
Alicia – I have always seen these wreaths and had no idea how to make them but seeing how you did it sure looks easy but so attractive when done. What better project right? It has been fun hopping along with you!
Thanks Crystal, I totally agree. It’s so simple and then there’s something relaxing about the repetitive, almost mindless cutting and tying. I love them. It’s been gret to hop with you too!
I have always loved a good rag wreath but have never actually tried to make one myself. With your great instructions I am going to have to pin this and give it a try. So happy to have been on the hop with you.
It’s been great hopping with you too Sonya! I hope you do get to make a rag wreath and you can tag me if you do!
Such a cute and simple craft. Happy hopping with you.
I love cute and simple! And the wreath is vibrant and fluffy enough that you can see it well from the street, which is nice too. I’m happy we could hop together!
Such a cute wreath! I love anything heart shaped! thanks for sharing the details on how to make on! Great to hop with you!
Thanks Kimberly! It was great to hop with you too!
What a pretty Valentine’s Day wreath, Alicia! I love the colors you chose. It was so much fun to hop with you. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Thank you! I like how it turned out because it pops against our black front door. It was great to hop with you too!
Alicia, I love rag wreaths, too. They are so relaxing and therapeutic to make. I love the festive, colorful rag wreath you designed for Valentine’s Day. It really stands out against you door! It was nice to “meet” you on this hop. Pinned!
Thanks Rebecca! It was nice to meet you too!