DIY Paper Garland

I love garlands. They are great for party decorations or photography backdrops and can be reused over and over again!

This is a picture of my daughter with the garland laying over a plain white shower curtain. Cheap and easy background, plus it’s cute, right?

©_MG_1392_EDIT2_WEB

Supplies:

  • Double-sided Card Stock or Scrapbooking Paper
  • Scissors or cutting machine (silhouette cameo)
  • Sewing Machine

Easy DIY Paper Garland

You do not need a cutting machine for this project, although it does make it a lot easier.

If you do not have a cutting machine, I would recommend cutting circles or hearts. Nothing too detailed or it will be too hard to get clean edges.

Fold your paper in half and cut multiple sheets at once to get symmetrical shapes when cutting by hand.

Once I had all the shapes cut, I laid them out in a pattern I liked. It’s easier to grab and go from an assembly line while you sew. That way you don’t lose track and sew the wrong one.

If you can do a basic stitch on a sewing machine, then you can sew these! Don’t be intimated!

This is the first time I’ve used my sewing machine since I bought it! (I’ve only had it 4 years!)

You want a medium length stitch. A short stitch will actually cut right through the paper.

stitch length

3D Option:

For a 3D effect, you do the same exact thing, just double your paper. Sew through two sheets of paper, then fold along the seam.

Easy peasy!

DIY 3D-Garland Tutorial

No-sew Option:

If the thought of using a sewing machine totally freaks you out, then you can use a hole punch and make a small hole at the top of each shape

OR just tape some string on each shape like I did with this Mickey Mouse Garland which I also cut out of construction paper by hand. I didn’t have a Silhouette Cameo to help me then. I believe I cut 6 at a time.

And for the 3D option, again you would use two sheets of paper instead of one. Then hot glue each of the shapes together with a string down the center, and fold them out after the glue has dried.

©Mickey Mouse garland

I believe I covered everything and then some in this post, but let me know if you have any questions. If you enjoyed this post, please pin it for others or follow me on Pinterest!