(craft tutorial) ombre paint chip garland

by Jennifer of The Life of Jennifer Dawn for See Vanessa Craft

Summer is in full swing and so is peach season here in the south. The kids and I recently ventured out to a nearby orchard to pick some delicious peaches. The summery fruit was actually the inspiration behind making this garland. Using paint chips of various shades of pink, peach, and green, I quickly made a decoration that gives the home an added touch of whimsy. Here’s how…

Supplies
paint chips
circle punch
sewing machine
basic sewing supplies (thread, scissors…)

Directions

1. Select the paint chip colors that you want to use for your garland. Punch out circles from those paint chips.

2. Line your circles up in the order that you want them to be in your garland. Since I was trying to created an ombre effect, I lined mine up from lightest to darkest. Tip: If your paint chips have words on the back you may want to cut out two circles of each color that you can sandwich together when you sew your garland.

3. Prepare your sewing machine by adjusting the stitch length to a long setting. (I put mine on 3.) As you sew, the needle will essentially be punching small holes into the paint chips. You don’t want these holes to be too close together or the paint chips could tear. Use a sewing needle that you can designate for just paper crafts. Sewing through things like paper and paint chips will dull the needle, so you won’t want to use it for fabric after completing this project. Thread your sewing machine. Make sure your top and bottom bobbins are full, so you don’t run out of thread in the middle of sewing your garland. Pull the threads out several inches to create a long tail for the garland. This will help with hanging the finished product. Place the first circle (or circles if you are sandwiching two together) under your presser foot and begin sewing. (Do not backstitch.) Continue placing circles through the machine making stitches between them if you want gaps between the pieces. Sew through all of your paint chip circles to create one long strand. Once you’ve sewn through the final circle, pick up your presser foot and pull the thread out several inches to again make a long tail on the end. Snip the threads and you’re done!

4. Hang and enjoy!

Happy sewing!

Jennifer is a wife, mommy, and former teacher who left the classroom to stay home with her three little ones. She’s an avid crafter who loves to dapple in all things creative. Through blogging she’s found a way to share her love of craftiness and spread a little happiness. She blogs at The Life of Jennifer Dawn.