Easy Crafting for Your Library: Rag Wreaths
Saint Patrick’s Day doesn’t always generate a ton of ideas as far as craft projects, but one craft we’ve done that can be changed to fit into any holiday is a rag wreath. The first time we did it, this craft had a green theme, perfect for St Patrick’s day and the coming of spring. You will need three things; wire hangers, sharp scissors-preferably those used for cutting fabric, and fabric. For this class, I bought 1/4 yard strips of different kinds of fabric, either green or patterned fabric that had green in it. I also had scraps of yellows and pinks just to give a nice contrasting color. Instead of buying a 1/4 yard of fabrics, you can now buy what quilters call fat quarters, which are usually remnant fabrics, cut into small quarters of fabric.
For this craft, you will be cutting one inch wide by three inch long strips of fabric. Have these prepared before class so time isn’t taken up by the cutting. Also have the wire hangers prepared before class; stretch them out so that the triangular part shapes into a circle. You can also shape the hangers into squares and hearts for other holidays or events. The hanger part itself is left the way it is to hang the wreath once it’s done.
Photo Courtesy of Annie Bahringer
The strips of fabric are then tied to the wire circle in a double knot. Push each knot together to make the fabric bunch up. This will give the wreath a nice, rich fullness. Have your students tie fabric strips until all of the space on the wire is covered. Twist the ties so that they stagger around the circle, alternating the ends of the fabric so they don’t all fall in the same direction.
This makes for a great Valentine’s Day craft, too, bending the hanger into a heart shape and using red and black or pink and white color motifs. Halloween fabric has to be one of the most fun times to shop for fabric and the Christmas color schemes are endless. Red, white and blue work well for Memorial Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day. Ask your students to bring scraps from home and see what they can create. It’s always a surprise what kind of color combinations they can come up with.
Tags: arts and crafts, library activities, library and art, library classes, St. Patrick's Day
