How to: Make a Coffee Filter Garland Pt. 2

See How to: Make a Coffee Filter Garland Pt. 1 for instructions on dyeing & drying coffee filters.

Once your filters are completely dried (assuming you dyed them), it’s pom-pom assembly time. I basically followed these easy instructions from Dandelion and Grey, but here’s my detailed take on the whole process.

Supplies: normal needle, thread, scissors, large-eyed needle (optional), string for stringing your garland

1. Grab a single coffee filter & crumple it around its center point. Repeat until you have a pile of these.
2. Sew each filter in groups of four. I tried to have the thread pass through each filter at least twice for safety – my garland is going to be hung high on a ceiling and coffee filters are still tearable.
3. Repeat step 2 until your pom-pom is as dense and spherical as you’d like it to be (see picture at left for my example), and then pass your needle and thread through the center of the pom once or twice before knotting off.
4. Make as many pom-poms as you require for your garland. I randomly picked eight pom-poms.

Garland assembly

1. Cut the string you’re hanging the pom-poms on to desired length.
2. Tie one end of the string to something – I used a doorknob.
3. Tie a knot in the string where you’d like to place a pom-pom (see picture at right).
4. Sew a pom to the string as you would a bead – right through the center.
   1. A yarn needle came in handy here. I tried to thread the pom using the raw end of my plastic twine – epic fail. If you don’t have a large-eyed needle hanging around, you could try painting the raw end of your string with nail polish or liquid seam sealant to make the pom-stringing process easier. Just make sure your nail polish is dry before attempting to string a pom with it ;).
5. Tie a knot near the center of the pom once it’s been strung. Keeping it close to the center will avoid it being visible (see picture at right).
6. Repeat steps 3-5 until all of your poms are strung. Yay! You have a garland. Super-duper easy. I’m storing my completed garlands in very loosely tied trash bags in a dry place until my March 5 wedding. If these suckers get moldy, I’ll be pissed!