Fall Decorations DIY

Fall Garland DIY with Sentimental Value: Upcycle Clothing into Meaningful Fall Decor

Create a sentimental DIY fall garland using a loved one’s clothing! Follow this simple, no-sew craft to transform cherished memories into cozy, fall decorations DIY. Perfect for adding a personal touch to your home this autumn.

Do you have an item you hold onto because of its sentimental value? Trust me, I get it. My home is full of things I simply can’t let go of. Just ask my husband!

Over the years, I’ve seen people make pillows from loved ones’ shirts or quilts from old t-shirts—the list goes on and on. Since I’ve yet to conquer the sewing learning curve, I decided to take an item that reminds me of my Grandma and give it a makeover, my way.

Now, I’m not sure she’d see things the same way I do, but when I look at this garland, I will always think of Grandma in her overcoats, cooking and baking the days away in her small 1950s kitchen.

You see, Grandma was a firm believer in protecting her clothes from stains and tears, things that happen while cooking and cleaning. She always wore a housecoat over her everyday clothing.

There was no shortage of housecoats at Grandma's—she had them in deep colors, pastels, stripes, florals, sleeveless, long sleeves, store-bought, homemade. But they all had one thing in common: pockets.

As she got older and living independently, she always kept her cordless phone in one pocket. That way, if she ever fell, she could call for help.

I recall one time when she tried to get me to wear one of her housecoats while making homemade jelly. I told her, "Grandma, I don’t need that! I can handle jelly-making without getting anything on me."

She chuckled and said, "You just might wish you had one on when you drip juice on your shirt." And don’t you know, by the end of the day, I had a grape juice stain on my shirt.

To Grandma, that shirt was ruined. But to me, that stain will always remind me of our jelly-making days.

Now, let's get into keeping memories alive with a home craft using one of Grandma's overcoats!

Materials:

1. Article of clothing from a loved one, or an item that has seen better days, but holds memories for you
2. Scissors
3. Coiled rope

Instructions: 

• Remove buttons or snaps, pockets, etc from garment
• Begin by cutting a small cut above the hem of the garment, tear the hem away for a tattered over time feel
• Continue making small cuts and then tear into strips, when you reach seams, you will need to make another small cut into the seam to continue tearing the garment to create strips of material
• Once you have completely cut the garment into strips, begin by tying off the strips around the rope
• I did not pay close attention to lengths since I was okay with varying strip lengths, each strip was approximately 1-1 1/2 inches in width, and about 10 inches in length
• I continued to apply strips to the rope until I ran out of strips, one housecoat created about a 6 foot garland
• I curled the ends of my coiled rope (it has wire inside) and then placed it atop our china cabinet for a new to me fall garland

I worked all the way up to the eyelet collar, using her entire housecoat. I am saving that eyelet collar for when inspiration strikes next. 

Dare I ask Grandma her opinion on how I used her overcoat? I think I will pass on that one, I can hear her now... you could have used that overcoat. To which my reply would be: I did Grandma, just in my own way.

I decided to style my fall garland DIY with other vintage and fall decorations on top of our china cabinet. I added pumpkin picks, with eucalyptus, a Dollar Tree pumpkin I upcycled last year, our dairy truck, a brass whistle, and so many other vintage pieces. I guess you could call me a maximalist when it comes to decorating. I just love too many things.  

Oops... I haven't had time to steam the new curtains... that's life here at the cottage lately. 

I was pretty excited once it was completed, and sent my sister a photo asking if she would like a Grandma housecoat garland. Her response? Yeah, I like that... you just may be on to something here.

Grandma was never without a housecoat any time you'd visit. She was always busy cooking up something in her kitchen. Never one to waste something on the brink of expiration, she would create a recipe to be sure to use up everything she had on hand.

I like to think I inherited my knack for upcycling, and using what I have in the kitchen to create new recipes from my grandparents, they were the Original Upcycler's. 

Speaking of upcycling, I have joined Ann from The Apple Street Cottage who organizes 'Do It Over' Designers, along with several other bloggers on this fine Saturday. 

These gals have a knack for creating really clever projects, so head on over and check out their projects for this month (you can find the links below). I know you will be blown away by their talent!

Exquisitely Unremarkable

Little Vintage Cottage

Modern on Monticello

Pandora’s Box

Purple Hues & Me

Southern Sunflowers

Unique Creations by Anita

Sum of Their Stories

Color Me Thrifty

Vintage Style Gal (that's me)

The Apple Street Cottage

Birdz of a Feather

Don't Forget to Pin for Later!

Ciao,

Cara