What I Made Wednesday {Valentine's Rag Heart Wreath}

Pondering on the month of hugs and smooches that lay ahead and I thought I'd share some inspiration with this eco-friendly wreath. I guest-posted it last year at the Fine Craft Guild but I never shared it on my own site! What was I thinking? So, for those of you who missed this super-easy, too-cute wreath, here it is. I hope it inspires you to start speaking the language of love as February begins next week! xxoo

What You'll Need
Dry Cleaner's wire hanger
Old T-shirt - color of choice
Scissors (not shown)
Wire Cutters
Starch (optional)

What You'll Do

The hardest part of this project is bending of the wire hanger. Carefully unwind the wire hanger at the hook area and shape the hanger into a heart. You’ll have the hook portion at the heart’s center. Wrap the two wires into one. Take wire cutters and cut off the excess wire. You may need stronger wire cutters than those pictured. Be sure not to cut too closely to where the wires come together as you don’t want to break the connection. I actually cut the excess wire off after I tied each rag strip.

Next, take the old t-shirt and cut the bottom right above the sew line. This strip will act as your hanging strip. The sewed seam will help this strip’s role from unraveling while it hangs your Rag Heart Wreath. 

 

Begin cutting strips starting at the bottom of the t-shirt. I made my strips between a half an inch to an inch in width and between four to five inches in length. It’s not an exact science and the variation adds character to the final result. This width and length worked so well when I tied the knot that I did not need to use the starch to force the rags to lay outwardly.

Begin knotting each strip to the wire and follow along until the entire wire is covered. It is not a double knot, just a simple basic tie. When you get to the center of the heart where there are two wires coming together, take a rag strip and knot both wires together. Continue along until the entire wire is covered. Push each knotted strip together tightly.

 

These photos show the heart’s center and knotting both wires together.

What You'll Need to Know to Finish

Remember that rag strip you cut from the bottom of the t-shirt? Go ahead and figure out what length you need based on where you’re going to hang your Rag Heart Wreath. Tie each end to the Rag Heart Wreath around the area where the heart begins to curve upwards. Try to make that knot blend in with the rest of the knots already tied on to the wire by positioning it between the knotted rag strips already there. All done!

Go hang your swoonie Rag Heart Wreath and be proud; a Valentine’s Day craft that cost nothing, nada, zilch! Good for you and Happy Valentine’s Day, you savvy crafter, you!

 LOVD tidings, Lilly