How to Make a Paper Garland

Co-authored by Hannah Madden Reviewed by Renee Day

Last Updated: November 17, 2023 References

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Paper garlands can dress up your everyday space, decorate your home for the holidays, or make special occasions a bit more festive. The no-sew version is great for a simple craft with your kids, while the circular garlands look like professional decorations for birthdays and bridal showers. Try spending a fun afternoon creating your own garland to brighten up your space with a little DIY project.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

No-Sew Paper Garland

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1
Cut 1 by 10 in (2.5 by 25.4 cm) strips from 2 pieces of paper. Pick out at least 2 pieces of construction paper in alternating colors. Using a pair of sharp scissors, cut out strips that are at least 1 in (2.5 cm) wide and about as long as the sheet of paper. You can adjust the size a bit according to your preference -- adjusting the width of the strips will make the garland loops wider and adjusting the length will make the loops longer.^{[1]
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- Try using red and pink pieces of paper for Valentine's Day, green and red paper for Christmas, or pastel colors for a baby shower.
- Your strips don’t have to be the exact same size, so you can just eyeball it as you cut them out.
2
Attach the ends of one strip, then glue them together in a loop. Grab a strip of paper to start with and bring the ends together to form a closed circle. Overlap the ends about 0.5 in (1.3 cm), then use a glue stick to attach them together. Hold the loop closed for about 1 minute to let the glue dry.^{[2]
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- If you don’t have a glue stick, use clear tape or a stapler instead.
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3
Slide another strip through the first loop, then glue the ends together. Take another strip of paper and run it through the first loop until you connect the ends of that strip to form a second loop. Connect the ends of the second loop with the glue stick and hold them together for about 1 minute.^{[3]
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- If you're going for alternating colors, make sure you pick a different color for the second loop!
Continue running each strip of paper through the previous loop and then connecting it to make a loop. Use your glue stick to secure each piece of paper so they all stay connected. If you'd like your garland to be a bit longer, just cut more strips of paper and create more loops until you're satisfied with the length.^{[4]
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Hang the garland with a nail or a push pin. You can drape the garland over a tree, a back patio, a column, or any piece of furniture. If you want to hang your garland up on the wall, hang the loops over a sturdy protruding nail or a pushpin on the wall.^{[5]
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- These simple paper garlands make great decorations for the classroom, birthday parties, and even your own home!

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Circular Paper Garland

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1
Cut cardstock into 3 in (7.6 cm) circles. Find a water bottle or the bottom of a glass and use that to stencil out circles that are about 3 inches (7.6 cm) in diameter. Use scissors to cut them out to create your paper pieces.^{[6]
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- Cardstock is a little thicker than regular paper, so it will keep its shape better.
- Try using patterned cardstock in alternating colors for a cool effect!
- Or, go for some metallic cardstock to really catch the eye.
2
Arrange your circles in the order you’d like them to hang. On a flat surface, organize your circles so they’re in the order you want them to go. Start from the top and work your way down to create each strand.^{[7]
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- Depending on how long you’d like your garland to be, you can use 5 to 20 circles for each strand.
3
Sew down the center of one circle with a straight stitch. Place your first circle on your sewing machine and set your needle to a short straight stitch using white thread. Carefully sew directly down the middle of the circle, slowing down as you reach the end of the paper.^{[8]
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- Although cardstock is thick, a normal sewing needle with regular strength thread should have no problem stitching right through it.
4
Pump the needle 10 times to create a length of thread after the circle. When you reach the end of the circle, use the knob on the side of your sewing machine to manually move the needle up and down 10 times. This will create a length of thread that’s floating after the initial circle.^{[9]
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- Using the knob on the side gives you more control than the foot pedal, which is why you should use it for creating the extra length on the end.
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Place the second circle down next, then keep stitching. Grab your next cardstock circle and place it directly behind the length of thread you just sewed. Stitch directly down the center of the next circle to connect it to the first one.^{[10]
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- If you don’t get the stitches directly down the circle, that’s okay! Try to make them as centered as possible for an even strand.
Keep sewing circles and then stitching about 10 times in between each circle. When you’re finished with one strand, cut the thread and tie it off at the bottom to keep it in place.^{[11]
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Hang the garland with a push pin or double-sided tape. Place the top of your garland on a doorframe or a wall, then use a push pin or tape to hang it up. Add more strands right next to it for an interactive doorway or a fun picture wall at a party!^{[12]
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- Try hanging up your garland strands in front of a white wall to make a fun background for people to take photos.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Tissue Paper Garland

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1
Cut 50 3 in (7.6 cm) circles out of tissue paper. Grab a package of tissue paper and fold it into thirds. Use the bottom of a bowl or a cup to make 3 in (7.6 cm) circles in pencil, then use scissors to cut the circles out of each layer of tissue paper.^{[13]
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- Folding the tissue paper will save you time so you don’t have to cut out each circle individually.
- Try using multiple colors of tissue paper for a fun, decorative garland.
2
Stack the circles in groups of 10. Group up the circles you cut out so they’re in 5 stacks of 10. If you’re using multiple colors of tissue paper, make each stack a different color or alternate the colors in each stack.^{[14]
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- For example, if you wanted to make a purple gradient, try 2 stacks of dark purple, 2 stacks of light purple, and 1 stack of white.
- Or, for a rainbow garland, alternate red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple in each stack.
3
Thread a needle with about 6 ft (1.8 m) of thread. Grab a sharp sewing needle and cut a length of sewing thread that’s 6 ft (1.8 m) long, or however long you’d like one strand to be. Put the thread through the eye of the needle, then tie a knot at the end of the thread that isn’t touching the needle.^{[15]
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- You can use any color of sewing thread that you’d like to.
4
Push the needle through the center of 1 stack. Grab your first stack of tissue paper circles and line your needle up so it’s in the very center. Carefully push the needle through to the other side until it pushes through all 10 of the circles and through to the other side.^{[16]
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- If your needle is sharp enough, you shouldn’t have too much trouble pushing through the flimsy tissue paper.
Grab the rest of your stacks and push the needle through their centers as well. Make sure you add the stacks in the order you’d like them to hang, since you can’t take them off again.^{[17]
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Spread out each individual circle so they’re about 1 in (2.5 cm) apart. Lay the length of thread down on a flat surface like a table or the floor. Slowly spread the circles out so that they overlap on the edges, but keep about 1 in (2.5 cm) of space in between the base of each circle.^{[18]
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- This will make the tissue paper circles spread out over the length of the thread for a cute, fluffy decoration.
7
Attach the thread to each circle of paper with a dot of glue. Take a bottle of liquid school glue and align the tip of the glue with the hole that the thread pokes through the circle. Add a small dot of glue to the circle on top of the thread to hold the paper in place. Keep doing this to each circle, being careful not to get glue anywhere else.^{[19]
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- This will hold the circles in their position on the thread so they don’t all fall to the bottom of the garland.
8
Tie the end of the thread in a double knot to secure the paper. Once you reach the end of your garland, take the needle off the thread and tie a small double knot in the end of it. Set your garland aside to dry for about 1 hour to make sure the circles are secure.^{[20]
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- If you hang the garland too early, the paper circles could fall off.
9
Hang the garland up on a wall or a doorway. Grab the top of the garland and hold it up against the wall or the doorway. Use a push pin, a nail, or some double-sided tape to attach it to your area. Add more strands of the garland to completely cover a wall or doorway for a cute decoration.^{[21]
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- Try hanging your garland in front of a white backdrop to really make it pop.

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Use alternating colors to really make your garland stand out.

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Tips from our Readers

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Try cutting out different sizes and shapes, such as flowers, make your garland even more beautiful.
Decorate your links or circles with glitter or stickers to make them pop out and look more unique.

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