Happy Day Garland

One of our sweet friends at church was in the hospital this week. And the kids and I wanted to send her a little something to brighten her day. So Lucy drew a picture; I made a simple felt garland.

This garland is easy to make.
It’s colorful and cheery.
It just feels happy!

Ready for a 30 minute project?
If your kids are old enough to use sewing scissors, let them help too.
Let’s get started! (And UPDATE: There’s a video too! See the bottom of this post.)

Grab your felt fabric scraps and cut them into shapes.
No rules here. Cut whatever shapes you want–stars, circles, hearts, squares, triangles, flowers, etc. Don’t trace anything….just free-hand cut. I double-layered my felt and cut two shapes at once. Cut some circles small, some medium, some large. Again, no rules!
In 15 minutes you’ll have a pile like this:
Decide how you want the garland to look. You can do all circles or all stars. Made by Rae has a really cute heart one here (for Valentine’s Day).
I decided to vary mine with circles and stars.
Then start sewing!
EASY, easy.

Lay down your first shape and sew a straight line down the middle. When you get to the end, place the next shape in line and continue sewing down the middle of that shape. If you’re worried about the strength of the garland between the shapes, you can forward and back stitch where the shapes come together. But this isn’t necessary.

Continue this method, sewing all your shapes together.
If you’re a person that likes precision and order you can line up the shapes ahead of time in particular order. If you like to fly with the wind, just grab any shape that looks good and sew it next in the line.
I sewed a couple strings of twine to the ends of my garland so my friend would have an easy time hanging it in a hospital room (since she might not have tape with her). Totally optional.
And…..you’re done!
One Happy Day Garland!
Send it someone who needs a little sunshine and cheer in their day. Hang it from a window, a doorway, a hospital bed, or baby cradle. It’s guaranteed to bring smiles.
I’m pretty sure I’ll be making more of these at Christmas time and stringing them around our tree. I just love the colors.
especially in jeweled tones for Fall (seen on our Halloween decor HERE):
Try it for any season.
Have a happy day!


I have a video for these now, too! Just click play below and enjoy…
If it isn’t showing up, you can also WATCH IT HERE.

  1. I love this! I also love that you used it for Christmas tree decorations too. I wish I had found this when I was desperate for homemade ornaments last year. Oh well. I think this would be a great addition to any kids room!
    This week I shared a post full of things that are inspiring me as I try to create a new play area for my little guy and included this project too. šŸ™‚
    http://thelittlewaffleflower.blogspot.com/2012/03/boys-play-area-ideas.html

  2. 2) jessy

    I love this!

  3. 3) Virginia

    I have been trying to think of something fun to add to our Christmas decor and NONE of the store-bought stuff is going to cut it. Making this banner but in Christmas colors (red, green, hunter green, white). Thanks for posting.

  4. 4) alexandra

    i love this!
    how did you know how big to make it for the baby cradle?
    are there specific dimensions?

    šŸ™‚

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