This post will teach you how to make a no-sew felt name garland using thick felt and wood beads. It’s an easy project that’s perfect for nursery or playroom decor, as well as parties and gatherings of all kinds.
DIY No-Sew Felt Name Garland
I must admit that this project wasn’t very high up on my to-do list. I knew I wanted to make one of these in time for Tootie’s first birthday party, but that was still over a month away when I made it. One Saturday Tootie was napping and I was waiting for one of my online classes to start when the class was cancelled at the last minute, leaving me with a free hour or so.
So on a whim I decided to throw this DIY felt and wood bead name garland together. I had actually already cut the letters out a few nights before. I needed something mindless to do while listening to a podcast and didn’t feel like doing anything that required me to get up out of the chair. 🙂
Even though I made this for Tootie’s first birthday party, I’m going to keep it hanging in her room now (not how it’s pictured in this post). Isn’t it cute?
The great thing about this project is also that you can make it to say anything for any occasion. Holiday garland? Sure. Retirement party? Also great. Just want some cheap and easy handmade nursery decor? Bingo. All you need is a bit of time, the free letter patterns linked below, and a few supplies.
Here’s what I used:
- Stiff felt
- Letter patterns and paper scissors (download here and print each letter you need one one standard 8.5 x 11 printer paper page)
- Wood beads in Natural
- Twine
- Fabric glue
- Fabric scissors or rotary cutter
And here are the steps for how to make a felt name garland!
Step 1: Download, print, and cut out the letter patterns you need here. Then cut out each letter from your felt. I like stiff felt for this because I think it holds its shape better when it’s hanging, but it is a bit more expensive, so you can use regular felt if you’d like.
Fabric scissors or a rotary cutter are really helpful here—dull scissors you use for paper will drive you crazy and won’t give you that clean edge! I didn’t trace the letter patterns onto the felt. Instead, I just held them together and cut carefully.
Step 2: Lay out the letters face down and cut a piece of twine. String the beads onto the twine where you’d like them placed. This is just so you can get an idea of spacing before you glue anything into place.
Step 3: Use the fabric glue to glue the twine down along the top-back of each letter. Make sure you keep the beads roughly in place to ensure even spacing. I used Aleene’s fabric glue, my favorite. You can use any glue you’d like!
Step 4: Trim the ends of the twine and tie each end into a loop for easy hanging. Enjoy 🙂
For more celebration posts, check out my DIY scrapbook paper and yarn party hat, my simple wooden cake topper tutorial, and my post all about how to throw a birthday party for a cat!
Share my no-sew felt name garland tutorial on Pinterest!
