Plaid Christmas Wreath from Recycled Flannel Shirts

Plaid Christmas Wreath from Recycled Flannel Shirts

I wanted to make a a plaid Christmas wreath by upcycling some of the flannel shirts (and scraps) I had. Even though I live in the suburbs, I always imagine that our home is actually a Christmas cottage in the north woods. So, I headed to the thrift store for some Christmas flannel fabric that would work for my craft idea.

Making a plaid Christmas wreath with flannel shirts

This project is one of the reasons I landed the opportunity to write a book about flannel crafts!

Flannel craft ideas and projects

Anyway, back to the wreath project at hand. I also hit a craft store for some woodland greenery and floral stems.

Christmas floral stems for a plaid Christmas wreath

With everything in hand, I was ready to put my vision into motion!

This post contains affiliate links for your crafting convenience. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All blue, bold, and underlined text is a clickable link, either to a product or to a related post.

Rustic Christmas Wreath as Woodland Christmas Decor

First, I measured the thickness of my wreath and cut out strips of flannel fabric that were long enough to wrap around the straw wreath form. Incidentally, the wreath form was ALSO a thrift find!

I made sure there was approximately one inch of flannel overlap on the backside. And somewhat arbitrarily, I decided on a 3½” width for each strip of flannel material.

Cutting out strips of Christmas flannel fabric

I started out with 4 strips of each of the 4 shirts I ended up using. I ironed the strips (they were pretty wrinkled from my half-baked rolled/folding method I used during storage).

Then, I did a quick ¼” hem on one long side of each fabric strip with my sewing machine.

Next, I wrapped the first strip of flannel fabric around the wreath, pulled it taut (but not stretched), and pinned it in place.

Wrapping the strips of Christmas flannel fabric around a wreath form

Then, I simply applied a little hot glue to secure it and removed the pins. This will be the backside of the wreath.

I flipped the wreath over to make sure the first strip looked nice and smooth, which it did!

Flannel craft by making a rustic Christmas wreath

With the first strip done, I continued to do the same thing over and over again. I carefully overlapped consecutive strips over the raw edge of the previous ones, so only the hemmed edge was visible.

Sometimes I like a frayed/raw edge, but I wanted something cleaner for this rustic Christmas wreath.

Recycling flannel shirts as a rustic Christmas wreath

I ended up needing 2 more strips of flannel material than I originally cut. So, I decided to hem both edges of the final strip (that wider red one on the lower left).

I also trimmed the final strip into a long triangle before hemming- like of a long narrow pizza slice.

Woodland Christmas decor with a plaid Christmas wreath

Doing so and hemming it along both edges made a big difference in the end, I think- nice and clean and it fit the remaining space perfectly.

And then I was done with wrapping flannel fabric around my plaid Christmas wreath. Now I just needed to arrange the Christmas greenery and floral stems on the wreath and I’d be done!

Plaid Christmas Wreath from Recycled Flannel Shirts

After arranging the greenery and using straight pins to hold it in place, I hot glued the stems to the flannel wreath. Then, I removed the straight pins. Lastly, I pinned a loop of red ribbon to the back of my wreath and hung it on our front door! It looked FABULOUS against the red door.

Rustic Christmas wreath by repurposing and upcycling flannel shirts

Truly the perfect wreath for a cozy Christmas, don’t you think? Woodland Christmas decor at its finest, if you ask me.

Woodland Christmas decor with a rustic Christmas wreath

I recently learned of the Norwegian word “koselig” which effectively means “a sense of coziness”…and I think this wreath embodies the idea of koselig quite nicely.

And don’t forget, my first book is now available! If you enjoy working with flannel fabric on craft projects, then you will love my book on flannel crafts!

Craft book for flannel shirts

And if you enjoyed this upcycling idea for Christmas decor, then you’ll love how I upcycled this cheese dome into a winter Christmas scene!

Winter Christmas scene under a cheese dome

Craft on!

S

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plaid christmas wreath that is made from flannel shirts

Upcycling flannel shirts for Christmas plaid decor

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Sarah Ramberg is the owner of Sadie Seasongoods, a website that celebrates all things secondhand. From upcycling ideas and thrifted decor to vintage-centric travel itineraries, Sadie Seasongoods is a one-stop shop for anyone who loves thrifting and approachable repurposing ideas. Sarah is also the author of “Crafting with Flannel” and has been featured in numerous media outlets and magazines.

Comments

  1. Super cute! Just shared the project on my FB Page! 🙂 ~Rhonda

  2. uber uber cozy! i like 🙂

  3. Sarah, I love this wreath!!! All your flannel projects are awesome!! I can’t wait to see what you use flannel on next! 🙂

  4. Such a nice wreath! I have been saving a straw wreath for about 4 years. Not knowing what to do with it. Now I do! This looks so very easy! Thanks for posting.

  5. LOVE it!!! think I’ll hunt for some plaids!
    thanks ms clever lady! 😉

  6. Mary-The Boondocks Blog says

    Just love it Sarah. I think it’s much better than a traditional wreath because you are using left overs and creating something that will last longer than one month. Well done!

  7. I seriously love this!

  8. Absolutely love this flannel wreath! It is darling and I can’t wait to make one. Thanks for sharing.

  9. This is adorable! I love your ideas! Thanks for sharing at #OMHGWW.

  10. Thanks for sharing at #OMHGWW! I shared on our blog’s FB page too!

  11. Thanks for stopping by to share, I love your wreath with the plaid.
    http://ohmyheartsiegirl.com/heartsie-girls-wordless-wednesday-43/

  12. This is beautiful and could even be left up after Christmas is over. Found your blog on the link-up today! 🙂

  13. I really love this…and may try and scrounge enough to do this NOW! thanks, Sandi

  14. I am a sucker for anything plaid. This is adorable! Pinning for future reference. Can’t wait to curate a collection of plaid shirts.

  15. Love the flannel and you made this project look super easy! I brought out an old flannel wool shirt of my Dad’s this Christmas to decorate with. Was the perfect shade of red and green too. I might have to take a trip to the second hand store to find some more. This would make a neat winter project.

  16. Love this wreath. It’s so pretty. Pinned & shared. Thanks for joining the Inspiration Spotlight party. See you again soon.

  17. Love this! I am partial to wreaths and always looking for new ideas. This is pinned to my I Love Wreaths board! Really cute great idea. I recently bought a men’s flannel shirt at Goodwill for a craft project. I only used the bottom of the shirt so now I wear it around the house when it’s cold! Of course it is plaid!

  18. Pretty! What a great idea to use pieces from old shirts.
    Thanks for sharing with us at the #HomeMattersParty link party.

  19. Your flannel wreath is adorable. This fall you have come up with so many great uses for thrift store flannel shirts but this one is definitely my favorite since I am a confirmed weathaholic. Thank your for sharing your great tutorial at Vintage Charm.

  20. This is such a cute wreath! Love that you made it with flannel!

    Jill
    Doused In Pink

  21. Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co. says

    What a pretty wreath Sarah! Featured at Be Inspired this morning. Thanks so much for sharing!

  22. This is really Cute!! I love that you used different colored flanel material instead of just one! Thanks for sharing on My 2 favorite Things on Thursday!! Hope to see you again this week (with out any glitches) Pinned!

  23. I love this wreath! I’m a plaid person so this would suit me well! Thank you so much for sharing with us at Throwback Thursday, we hope to see you again this week!

  24. thesummeryumbrella says

    As always, GORGEOUS!! Such a great way to repurpose and create a beautiful new piece. Thank you so much for sharing with us at the Creative Circle link party 🙂

  25. Hello Sarah!! I’m just stopping by to let you know that your fabulous post has been selected as a Feature on the Welcome Home Wednesdays Link Party!! Please stop by tomorrow morning to see your post linked up! Don’t forget to grab your “Featured Button” too! ~Lisa~

  26. Just wanted to give you a heads up that this post is my featured pick on Vintage Charm tomorrow. Thanks for sharing!

  27. Such a lovely wreath! I love the plaid flannel fabrics!

    Navy Wifey Peters @ The Submarine Sunday Link Party

  28. This is so cute! Thanks for sharing. Very cozy indeed … and LOVE your red door! TAke care, Cynthia

  29. What an adorable project Sarah! I love how cozy everything is as soon as you introduce flannel! Thank you for sharing at Create • Share • Inspire! I hope to see you back tonight!

    Alicia xo

  30. Such a creative and cute idea!

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

  31. Love this wreath! All of the colors and texture. Thanks for sharing with us at the Merry Monday Link Party! Hope to see you again on Sunday!

  32. Hi this touched my inner koselig! I went out today and purchased several different variations of plaid flannel from the thrift store to create my own version. My best scores came from the men’s PJ dept at Value village. Surprisingly they had better colors of plaid flannel than the long sleeve shirt section. The flannels in the PJ section were just a bit more brighter and not so drab. Can’t wait to get started but they are in the wash machine so they won’t have that wrinkled look that you commented on (hate ironing!). Do you remember where you picked up the straw wreath from? I seen some at a craft store but they did not have the plastic wrapped around them. I actually found a grape vine wreath at V V while I was there but was curious about yours.

  33. Super cute and definitely cozy-looking! I love it!

  34. jenness nordstrom says

    Did this hold up in different weather?

  35. What a great way to re-purpose old shirts! Thanks for sharing at the Pleasures of the NW’s DIY party!

  36. janetvinyard says

    Hi Sarah, I love it – it’s so unique! Thanks for the clear instructions also! Blessings, Janet

  37. This is a terrific wreath!!! Trying to pin it, but your pinterest button wasn’t working for me and there was none available in your side bar. Found you on Wow me Wednesday.

  38. As soon as I saw this thumbnail in the party link up I knew it was from you. Your style is very distinctive and I love it!

  39. What a fabulous repurpose of old flannel!! So festive and cheery!! 🙂

  40. Another amazingly creative project. Thanks for sharing with the Waste Not Wednesday Link Party….your projects make me smile every week!

  41. This is so unique. Love it! Thank you for sharing at Thursday’s Your Inspired Design.

  42. I love this wreath! The plaid is awesome!

  43. really cool. looking for masculine wreath for grandson’s front door. what a winner. you are so talented and share all of your passion. thank you

  44. How sweet! I have fallen in love with it!!! I’m an avid DIYer and always try to be busy with some new projects. Was searching for a unique idea to start. The Wreath made me stop and crazy to make it asap! In a hurry to start. Wish me good luck, Sarah! 🙂

  45. I love it.

  46. The perfect wreath for Christmas! The flannel looks great with the Christmas greenery. Love!

  47. Nancy Marino says

    What a nice idea for some of my late dad’s plaids that I had considered donating, but couldn’t bring myself to part with. Like the draft dodger idea that someone mentioned also. Thank you Sadie!

    • Sadie Seasongoods says

      You are so very welcome- and hold onto those important shirts for a couple of more months for my book on flannel crafts! LOADS more ideas for shirts.

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