Felt Ball Garland

July is the perfect time to start or complete any unfinished projects you have started for Christmas.  I started this felt ball garland over a year ago, after eyeing some adorable garlands on Etsy and thought I could make it myself for a fraction of the cost.  I hit up Hobby Lobby and bought this 100% wool roving (found in the aisle with yarn). At $1.59-$1.79 a package you can have an economical garland done in no time (I only needed three packages)! I selected a green, red, and white/cream package to create a fun Christmas garland. After setting almost complete for over a year, Christmas in July was the perfect time to wrap this project up and now it will be ready to go come Christmas!

To start, stretch the wool piece out and begin to eye how big you want each ball, keep in mind that the wool will shrink as it gets wet with water and you roll it. I got 9-10 balls from each package of wool.

After you cut a square piece you need two cups with warm water. To one cup,  add a couple drops of dish soap and the other have just water. Submerge the first square in the water with a small amount of soap.

After you remove from the water begin to form a round shape.

Then begin rolling the ball around in your hands. It will take a few minutes for each ball to take shape. Every so often dip ball in the cup with warm water only. This helps to shrink the ball as you roll it. Then return to rolling the ball between your hands.

After your ball is solid and you like the shape and size, place on a paper towel to dry. It takes a good 24 hours for felt balls to dry.

After your 24 hours of dry time. Take embroidery floss and a large needle (I used an upholstery needle). Decide the color pattern you would like for your garland (white, red, green, etc). Thread the needle and go through the middle of each felt ball to string on the garland. Space out the felt balls to your desired length. When you have them all on the garland, tie a knot in the embroidery floss so the end balls do not come off. Then cut the string at the desired length (leaving room on the end for hanging, etc). You can use the garland many ways.

That's a wrap! I can't wait to decorate with my felt ball garland this Christmas. What projects are you excited to start/finish for Christmas?