// This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine. //
The more we work on my house, the more excited I am to decorate it every holiday season. Last year, I got a mantle up for our stockings AND I got to decorate it with lots of festive garlands and knick knacks. I was in heaven! So this year, I decided to continue with that decorating scheme and make a fun felt handmade partridge and pears garland for the holidays!
It was so easy to whip this DIY project up in one evening. I used my Cricut Maker, some Cricut felt, embroidery thread, and some jute to create this super adorable, brightly colored garland. It's actually made up of ornaments from this project in the Cricut Design Space. I followed the instructions for the project exactly except, at the end, instead of using the jute to make individual loops on each ornament – I used it to make one long strand with the birds and pears glued along it. So, here's what I did:
Step #1: In Cricut Design Space, follow the instructions to cut out your felt shapes (remember to calculate and apply the number of each pear/partridge that you need to cut).
Step #2: Layer shapes together and adhere with hot glue. You'll end up with the two-sided pears and partridges.
Step #3: Use the embroidery thread to stitch embellishments, as desired. I use three strands to make my running stitch embellishments.
Step #4: Use hot glue to adhere finished pears and partridges to a length of jute.
Step #5: ENJOY!
I still cannot believe how easy and smooth cutting felt with my Cricut Maker is! I was able to cut all the felt in under 20 minutes (I made 8 of each shape) and watch TV at the same time. Stitching the shapes up with the embroidery thread took a little longer (about an hour) but you could skip this step completely and the project would still look really cute. You could also substitute the jute with baker's twine or ribbon for a customized look.
I love how this little garland is Christmas-y without screaming “MERRY CHRISTMAS, Y'ALL!”. I used the light pink, light blue, and green felt from the Cricut Felt Sky Sampler and the white felt from the Cricut Carousel Sampler. I used the embroidery thread and a running stitch to sew right through the layers of shapes and join them but you could totally do the same with hot glue. I used hot glue to glue the birds and pears to the jute to make the garland. How will you personalize your handmade partridge and pears garland for the holidays?
***By the way, the project calls for cutting this using a Strong Grip mat and a Deep Cut Blade but I used my Strong Grip mat and a Rotary Blade and it worked just fine.***
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