Marvelously Messy : denim

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With Memorial Day coming around the corner and the 4th of July not too far behind, I decided to do some patriotic rag crafting . I had a pair of jeans that no longer fit, some inexpensive bandanas, and some white tulle from (wait for it) Goodwill. I used a large embroidery hoop as a frame for the wreath and a piece of dowel for the Ra Ra (titled by my Munchkin....since it has a cheerleader pop pom feel to it....it must be a Ra Ra Siss Boom Ba!!!!). A little hot glue for the fabric flower and that was it for materials. It's a pretty easy craft. Here's the play-by-play:

Cut strips of your three fabrics, I would say no more than 2 inches in width and maybe 8 inches long. You can experiment and decide what length works for you, shorter and thinner strips would make a more pouffy wreath....longer strips would make more of a shaggy one. Once you've finished making the strips, take two of one kind and tie it in the middle (around the hoop). Go to the next color and pick two pieces and do the same. Rotate through all the colors until you've tied all the way around the wreath!!

Sorry for the quality of that pic. I had to borrow a camera, as my usual one was being used. You get the idea though, right?? It's pretty darn simple. Now onto the Ra Ra!!

Use some of the strips of fabric and lay them down in one direction. Get some more pieces and lay them in another.

Pinch the bundle in the middle and bunch it up to make a ball. Take the dowel and the hot glue and put a big glop of glue in the center of the ball and stick the dowel in there. Wait for it to cool a bit, then take another strip of bandana fabric and wrap it around the area where the dowel and the fabric are glued, making sure you use the hot glue to hold it in place. Once it is cooled, it should be pretty well secure. I made a little fabric flower out of jean strips and tulle and glue that onto the top.

We are lucky enough to have a Memorial Day parade go right past our house every year. I think the Ra Ra will be the perfect way for my daughter to show her respect and have a little fun while she's at it!!