Dreaming of Spring: Recycled Garland

Turn take-out or deli container lids into a sewing experience!  We made an Easter message, but adapt it to any celebration you like.

Materials

Sewn Letter Supplies

• Washed, clear plastic lids
• Drill/ drill bit OR hammer/ nail & safety glasses
• Scrap wood block
• Yarn
• Plastic needle
• Scissors

Optional Planning Supplies

• Permanent marker
• Paper & pencil

Decorative Finishes

• Coffee filters
• Water
• Food colouring
• Cooling racks
• Containers

• Wood Beads
• Cord

Directions

• Plan out your letters for your garland and figure out where you would punch holes to make lines to make them connect on paper.  Then make your dots onto your plastic lids with a permanent marker.  We also made two holes near the top of the lid to account for the cord to go through to hang your garland.  You could make dots around the circumference of lid if you want to add further decoration.

• Depending on your age and abilities have an adult (or do this with an adult), place your lids onto scrap of wood and then nail or drill through your plastic lids where you placed your dots.  It is important that your wood scrap is thick enough that the nailing won’t go through to whatever surface that you are working on.  Be sure to wear safety gear and exercise caution with this portion of the activity.  After trying the wood method, we actually found it worked better to drill over a carpet sample, but that was based on our type of drill and the style of the carpet we had.

• Thread your yarn (we generally go with a length the size of our arm) onto a needle and make a thick knot at the opposite end.  Sew your letters.  We went over the letter twice.  If you have to come up through the same hole to connect a portion of the letter, then tie a knot at the back of your lid.

• We also sewed around the edges of the lid to create a decorative finish.

• When you are done, knot the end of the yarn and then snip off any excess.

Decorative Finishes

• We wanted to experiment with dying coffee filters so we created a dye bath with water and food colouring- the more colouring you add, the more vibrant your filters will be.

• Dip the edges of your filters and spread them out to dry on your cooling rack.  If they are quite saturated, then place a plastic tray underneath to catch any potential drips.

• Allow to dry overnight.

• We then folded our filters in half and in half again.  We punched two holes as shown so we could string them on our garland.

• String your beads, filters and letter lids onto your cord.

• Hang up your work in your window, over your table etc.

Purpose

• Creating handmade materials for a celebration.
• Re-imagining items with a new use.

Safety Notes

• Use scissors, hammers/nails or a drill with care & adult supervision.
• Yarn can be a strangulation hazard therefore it should be used with adult supervision and for the intended purpose.
• Beads can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of reach from children 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things in their mouths.
• When using food colouring, we suggest wearing a smock and using a craft tray or a plastic table cloth to protect your clothes and surfaces.