Gather Materials
As you are gathering your materials to create a DIY felt holly garland, you should keep in mind a rough idea of how long you’d like your garland to be. A good rule of thumb is that one standard sheet of felt (about 9 inches by 12 inches) will create about one foot of garland. Also consider your color palette. While we chose a traditional green and red holly color combination, this project would look beautiful in a variety of holiday colors! Think about combinations like cornflower blue leaves with golden berries, or cream-colored leaves with green berries. You can really customize this project to blend in perfectly with the holiday decor that you already may have.
What You’ll Need
Supplies
Felt sheets in various colorsSmall felt balls (or pom-poms if you prefer)Glue sticks
Tools
ScissorsGlue gun
Cut Leaves
Start by cutting your holly leaves. This looks really lovely if you cut freehand to give each leaf its own shape; that way none of the leaves look exactly like any of the others and it lends the garland a very natural feel. Alternatively, if you like, you can create a template and cut all of your leaves in the exact same shape. To create a holly leaf, cut a shape that’s about 2-3 inches long, with points on each end and two points on either side.
Add Glue
Now each of your leaves needs to be shaped to create that three-dimensional effect of raised holly leaves. On one end of each leaf, place a dot of hot glue. It should be centered, about a half inch from the end point of each leaf.
Fold Leaves
Now fold that leaf inward so that the glue holds one end of the leaf closed. You may have to pinch it for a short time while the hot glue cools and dries to get the leaf to stay pinched closed. You should now have a leaf with a little more dimension and visual interest.
Cut Felt Strips
Next, cut felt strips from one sheet of felt. The strips should be about one inch wide. The length doesn’t matter too much, but you’ll save yourself work later if you can make them as long as possible.
Glue Leaves
Now begin glueing leaves to one of the strips of felt. Place a dot of glue on the strip of felt. Then place a folded leaf on the glue, adhering the leaf to the felt strip. For the first leaf, make sure that some of the leaf is hanging over the end of the felt strip a bit to hide the end.
Continue Adding Leaves
Continue adding leaves in the same manner. Add a dot of hot glue to the felt and place another leaf. As you keep adding more, you should find that you fall into a rhythm of alternating sides for the leaves. Place one on the top, then one on the bottom, and so on, alternating. If you proceed this way you’ll find that the leaves you add will hide the fold of the previous leaves, to overlap a bit and create a seamless garland.
Connect Strips
When you reach the end of a strip, leave about one inch of open space. Place a line of hot glue on the end of the strip and glue the next strip on to the end. Keep connecting strips in this way until the garland has reached your desired length.
Finish the End
When you want to finish the other end of the garland, just be sure to add a few leaves that cover the end of the felt strip. Keep adding until the end is disguised and covered.
Add Berries
Finally, add your holly berries! Place a small dot of hot glue onto a red felt ball and nestle it in among the leaves. Spread them evenly throughout the garland, in sets of one, two, or three.
Decorate!
Once all of your glue cools and cures, you’re ready to decorate! This garland is nice and flexible, so you can wrap it around things or let it hang over the edges of tables, doors, and more. Enjoy!
