Would you like to inject a fresh feel to your holiday decorations? If so, try making something with an Asian flavour for the festive season. Simply by threading lots of felt squares onto a length of yarn, along with some beads, you can quickly create a unique hanging decoration to display in your home. Get the kids involved too, and make lots more decorations to give away as gifts to family and friends.
Approximate Time: 30 minutes
Supplies:
- Use scraps of thick felt. To add further interest to the surface of plain felt stitch fancy yarns and scraps of fabric to it.
- a large-eyed sewing needle
- yarn
- a pair of scissors
- a ruler
- beads
- bottle tops or mini bells
Instructions:
- Cut felt into squares in a range of different sizes for example; 5 x 5 cm (2x2 inches), 2 x 2cm (3/4x3/4 inches), 1.5 x 1.5cm (1/2x1/2 inches).
- Cut a length of yarn double the measurement of your intended hanging. Example: for a hanging with a finished length of 28 cm (11 inches), your yarn should measure 56 cm (22 inches) long.
- Fold your length of yarn in half and thread through a needle. Use your needle to push the yarn through the centre of a felt square. Continue threading on felt squares and beads at intervals until you are happy with the end result.
- Knot the yarn at the base of the hanging to secure the felt and beads. Similarly tie a knot at the top of the hanging; making sure a short loop is left for display purposes.
- For a further idea, thread on some mini-bells or bottle tops and display your decoration in a sheltered outdoor setting such as a porch. The gentle breeze will make your Oriental hanging 'jingle, jangle' during the holidays.
By Anne from United Kingdom
