D.I.Y. Burlap Wreath

In case you missed me making this burlap wreath here is the video link. It really is an easy project that only looks like it was difficult to make. Your friends and family will be impressed!

I hope you are enjoying the Fall season. It's getting colder and three local radio stations are playing Christmas music already--but I'm trying to hold onto Autumn for as long as I can!

Easy Burlap Wreath

The colors of the leaves have changed, or fallen off the trees, which can only mean one thing--it's Fall ya'll! All the Halloween decorations have come down, including the witch on the front door, so it was time to make a wreath for Autumn.

I think you will really enjoy this project because it is extremely easy, but looks like you worked very hard. One great thing about this decoration is that it can live indoors or outdoors. 

For this project you will need: 1 square wreath form (wire) 2 rolls of burlap ribbon 1 bunch of faux Fall leaves Floral wire or Twist ties 1 cardboard initial (typically the first letter of the last name) 1 Glue gun

To begin, fold the end of the first roll of burlap ribbon in half and place underneath the wire wreath form. You can start in any place, so I just chose the middle. Using a length of floral wire (or a twist tie), secure the end of the burlap to the wreath form.

Once the end is secure, pull a loop of the burlap fabric through the top section of the wreath form.

Next pull a loop through the bottom section. You will repeat this over and over. Loop through top, loop through bottom, repeat.

Here is a photo of 4 loops (two on top and two on the bottom).

Continue pulling loops of burlap through the different sections all the way around the wreath form. When you reach the end of the first roll of burlap (about halfway around), secure the end with the wire or twist tie. Then secure the end of the second roll of burlap like when you started, and continue pulling loops through from the back of the wreath form.

You will notice that some of the wire form is visible as you build your wreath. This is okay, because you will scrunch as much fabric in each section as possible, and then when you are finished, you can open the loops where the fabric was folded in half. This fluffs up the wreath and hides the wreath form. If you are not satisfied with the fluffing process, you can use more floral wire to secure the fabric over the form so it is not visible.

You can see here that after opening the loops and fluffing up the wreath, only the bottom left section has a piece of the wire form visible. I left this on purpose to have some sturdy to glue the leaves and monogram onto.

To make the monogram for this easy burlap wreath, I used a cheap cardboard letter purchased at the craft store. I painted one coat of dark and light green paint and let it dry. Then I painted all over with gray. I rubbed some of the gray off with a paper towel so that the green showed through. For added effect, you can use a brown crayon on the edges once the paint dries. This makes it look a little more vintage or rustic.

While the letter is drying, you can begin to arrange the fake leaves on the wreath. I wanted some sticking out of the top and right side of the letter, following the square shape of the wreath. Use a glue gun to secure the leaves.

If the glue looks a little messy it's okay, because you are going to add the letter to the wreath and it will hide that part.

When the monogram is ready, glue the backside (which I left unpainted) with hot glue and stick it on the wreath.

That's it! You're finished. You really won't believe how easy this project is! The part that is most time-consuming is painting the letter for the monogram. 

You can add a loop to the back of this welcoming wreath and hang it on your wall or front door.

I think that I might be addicted to this project now. The possibilities for each season are endless! Just think: green burlap and red ornaments for Christmas, white burlap and blue snowflakes for Winter, yellow burlap and pink flowers for Spring, and more! You could also make one base wreath and have interchangeable pieces instead of making separate wreaths. 

I hope that you enjoyed this perfect craft for Autumn! What do you like best about this time of year?

13 Crafts for October 31

It's not too late to make one of these fabulous craft projects for Halloween! Julee from D.I.Y. Louisville and I love Halloween. Here is a quick collage of some of our best projects to make for the Holiday, or as I like to call it, Craftoween! Be sure to pin this image to remember it for next year too! Just hover over the image with your mouse and click "pin it."

Projects from left to right on the image:

1. Eat, Drink and Be Scary sign
2. Edible blood recipe
3. Frankenbox craft
4. Ghost Garland
5. Monster Wreath
6. Spooky Styrofoam Spider
7. Pumpkin Needle felted scarf
8. Trick or Treat bag
9. Wall Witch decoration
10. Floating Ghost 
11. Owl plaque
12. Ghost cupcakes
13. Crayon transfer treat bag

Trick or Treat Bag tutorial

Last year my nephew modeled reversible trick or treat bags for me that I was selling in my shop. This year I thought that I would share the instructions with my blog readers so that you can make your own reversible trick or treat bags at home! It's a very simple project, good for beginners and experienced sewers. 

It's always easy to find awesome Halloween fabrics, and this year was no exception! For this project I chose a fun monster print with Dracula, Frankenstein, a Werewolf, and a Mummy. For the reverse fabric I chose eyeballs. For this project you will also need some cotton webbing for the straps, scissors, and a needle and thread or sewing machine.

Cut 2 rectangular pieces from each print, then cut two small squares out of the bottom corners.

Flip the fabric so that the 2 pieces of each print are facing each other (for the monster fabric and the eye fabric). You are then going to sew 3 sides of each fabric (left side, right side, and bottom) leaving open the tops and the bottom corners.

Once the 3 sides are sewn, stitch up the corners, leaving only 1 open on the lining fabric.

To stitch the corners, open the corner fabric and flatten the opposite way. Sew a straight line.

On the eye fabric, I left one corner open, since that is the lining on my bag. One the monster fabric, I sewed up both corners.

Next you can turn the lining (inside) fabric right side out. 

The next step is to place the lining (eyeball) fabric inside the monster fabric, so that the right sides are facing each other.

Cut the cotton webbing into 2 strap pieces.

Put one strap on each side of the bag, in between the 2 lining and outer fabrics. 

Use pins to hold the straps in place.

Then sew all the way around the top of the bag, making sure to remove the pins.

Trim the excess thread and strap pieces, then turn the entire bag right side out through the small corner hole in the lining fabric.

Once the bag is all turned out, sew the corner of the lining (eyeball) fabric closed and tuck the lining into the outer part of the bag.

The last step once the lining is tucked into the bag is to stitch around the top of the bag.

Now the bag is finished! I really love the combination of the monster and eyeball fabrics. Remember that the bag is reversible too! You could turn it inside out depending on your costume... or your mood!

Needle Felted Pumpkin Scarf

It's gotten pretty cold around here this October. Halloween week will definitely be scarf weather! Because of that, I decided to make this needle felted pumpkin scarf. I used the same fleece as my last minute scarf, this time in black. Although wool is usually needle felted to other wool products, I found that it worked pretty well with the fleece too.

To make this needle felted scarf you will need:

Black fleece or felt cut to the length you desire (this is the base)

Orange wool roving

Green wool roving

A needle felting tool

Foam or brush base for needle felting

Place the fabric over the foam/brush pad for needle felting. Take a strip of the orange wool roving and coil it into the pumpkin shape.

Using the needle felting tool (multiple barbed needles), begin to poke on the orange wool, pushing it into the scarf.

Continue to "felt" the orange wool with the needle tool.

When you are finished with a nice round, flat pumpkin, you can add some green wool roving for the stem.

Using the needle tool, poke the green wool multiple times.

Continue until the stem is to your liking.

Repeat on the other end of the scarf by making the same pumpkin design. Once you have completed that, the scarf is finished!

You can trim away loose fibers with scissors and tidy up with a sticky lint roller. I hope you enjoy this fun needle felting project for Craftoween!

Got any good homemade Halloween costume ideas?