Courtney McGrailColourful bouquets and garlands are not just for summer time; crisps and colourful leaves are the flowers of autumn. Bring the colours of October indoors with this felt autumn leaf garland. For a simple design, choose your favourite type of leaf. You can always make templates of different leaves for a unique kind of garland. Choose colours inspired by sunny autumn days and cloudy autumn days. Colourful shades will brighten up your room as the days get darker.
For the felt leaf garland you will need: Scissors, embroidery thread, cereal card, embroidery needle, sheets of felt in different colours.
Draw the shape of an oak leaf on the back of the cereal card. Cut this out and pin to one of the sheets of felt. Cut out and repeat with the remaining colours, making sure you have two leaves of each colour. Take a long piece of embroidery thread, choosing a colour which will pop out against the felt colours.
Make a knot in one end of the embroidery thread. Slip through the eye of the needle and sew four to five stitches along one of the leaves. Make a knot and then join the next leaf, again sewing four to five stitches. Cut out extra leaves to make the garland is as long as you like, making a knot between each leaf. Make a knot at the end of the garland and flip it over.
Take the leaf doubles and glue them to the backs of the leaves on the garland. Leave the glue to dry and then your garland will be ready to hang. Alternatively, sew the markings onto the leaves and sew each layer together using blanket stitch. Before you sew the leaves up completely, cut a length of ribbon and make a loop.
Place this in between the two pieces of felt and finish sewing together. Collect some dried branches from outside, place them in a vase and hang the leaves from the twigs. You can strip the branches bare or leave some of the natural leaves on to contrast with the felt leaves.
When autumn ends, swap the autumn leaves for a holly and ivy garland made from different shades of green felt and green patterned fabric.