How to Make a Rag Wreath

I have a number of fabric scraps lying around the farmhouse. Instead of throwing them away, I decided to make a rag wreath to hang on the front door over the remainder of Summer. I’m fairly sure I learnt how to make a wreath like this when I was in primary school, though the results would not have been half as cute. Read on to see how to make a rag wreath for FREE in less than an hour.

What is a Rag Wreath?

Quite simply, a rag wreath is a wreath made from scraps of fabric you have in your stash. It could also be made from old clothes that are ready for the rag bag! I looked everywhere for the origins of such a wreath and could find nothing documented so I’d be interested if you know where this idea first evolved from. My guess would be that a rag wreath was a way to decorate and use up old fabrics found in the home. People had more time back then. They were also less wasteful. During Depression times, it was common for rags to be repurposed into many things. People were so inventive.

Choosing the Colours and Fabrics

I preface this post by saying I did not want to spend any money on this craft. And I’m happy to say I made my wreath for free! One of the advantages of working with a limited colour palette in the farmhouse is that when I buy fabrics they tend to coordinate because I’m rather picky about what I let into our home. Having this colour palette on hand made the assembly of the wreath easy as colour coordination was done for me. I love the fresh summery vibe of the blue and white. The red gingham (which I intended to use for Christmas but never got round to it) adds the perfect amount of country charm.

Another reason I chose the red, white and blue theme is that I wanted to do a little bit of porch decorating for Australia Day this year. Australia Day decorations have a very BAD reputation. They tend to be tacky, cheap and not overly classy. After a conversation in my private Facebook group, I decided to prove them wrong!

The colours you choose will depend on what you have on hand or want to buy. Quilting cottons are a good choice if you are going to buy fabric. They come in coordinating ranges and the fabric is quite stiff if not washed. If you need to buy a wreath form, Spotlight has a large range.

To Make a Rag Wreath You Need

• a wire coat hanger. You can also use a wire wreath form or even a bamboo embroidery hoop.
• fabric scraps cut into strips. I made mine 5cm wide and 20cm long. medium weight cotton fabric such as quilting fabric works well but this is also a great way to use up old sheets or pillowcases. The amount of fabric you need will depend on the size of your wreath form but 1/4 of a metre of each colour or pattern is a good start.
• scissors
• ruler

To Make Your Wreath

• Bend the wire coat hanger into a circle shape. Leave the hook on as you can use this to hang the wreath at the end
• Make a selection of coloured strips of fabric. I put cuts along the fabric every 5cm and then tore along the cuts to get a ragged edge. If you want a neater look you can draw lines and cut them. Make your strips about 5cm x 20cm.
• Pull or trim off all the excess bits of cotton. (I had tonnes from where I ripped the fabric!)
• Now begin to tie the strips onto the wreath in one tight knot

• You may decide to trim the size of your strips once you have them on the wire. I started at 25cm and found it was just too long. The wreath was very floppy and did not sit well. Once I trimmed the length of the strips they stood up nicely.
• Continue to tie the strips on, pushing them tightly together to give a very full effect.

Now you have finished making your wreath it’s time to give the strips a fluff up and adjust any hidden strands. Now, bend the hook into place. Once you’ve added all the fabric strips the hook is basically hidden. I pressed the open end towards the other side to make a smaller hook and then bent it down the way from the wreath so it was at a 45-degree angle. This means it hangs better on the door.

Happy Wreath Making!