Rope Wrapped Decorative Letter Tutorial

Wrapping decorative letters with jute rope gives them a natural texture that you just can't achieve with yarn or paint.  These rope wrapped decorative letters can be used to personalize wreaths, walls or bookcases. The jute rope product we use in this tutorial is coated so it is less likely to fray and can withstand use on an outdoor wreath. This is the second post in our series of creative ways to accent plain decorative letters. To see more creative ideas, click here. 

Wrapping decorative letters is easy and you can use almost any kind of string, ribbon, or rope.  You can make them solid colors, striped, or hombre. The options are endless. We chose to make our striped to add two punches of color. What will you create?

Supplies

• Decorative Letter "S"
• (Other letters available here)
• Jute Rope: we used Orange and Apple Green
• Hot Glue Glue Gun and Glue Sticks or Liquid Craft Glue
• Scissors

Cost/Time

This decorative letter craft project cost only $7!  It took about 30 minutes to complete.

Step 1- Glue on String

Glue a layer of string around the outside of the letter, this will help hide areas that you may miss when wrapping.

Step 2- Glue and Wrap

Glue your string onto the backside of the letter.  This will keep the front neater and more uniform.  Wrap around the letter, keeping the rope tight, adding some glue every few inches to keep the string or rope secure.

Step 3- Changing Colors

Trim the first color rope from the roll, and glue down the next color.  Wrap the same way you did the first color, gluing every few inches on the backside of the letter.

Step 4- Keep Wrapping

Just keep wrapping!  Keep the rope as taught as possible without moving it from the glue.

The finished Letter "S"!  We really like the texture of the Jute rope and the bright, whimsical stripes!

The rustic quality of jute lends itself to many different decor styles.

Happy Crafting!

DIY Chair Sash Rosettes: A Tutorial

Tired of those plain Jane folding chairs?  Sheer fabric sashes tied into rosettes change the look from plain to pretty. This tutorial will show you how to tie your own beautiful chair bow rosettes with ribbon or fabric. Save some money (by not renting expensive chair sashes)  and add a pop of color to coordinate with you party theme!  Chair bows and sashes are perfect for any type of party, but are perfect for weddings, engagement parties, anniversary dinners or even for baby and bridal showers. 

SUPPLIES

• Crinkle Sheer Fabric Roll: Teal
• Scissors

This tutorial uses a 24" wide fabric sold on a roll of 10 yards. This fabric is a crinkled sheer poly organza fabric that adds volume to the rosette. A full selection of crinkle sheer colors is available here. This look can be created with a large variety of fabrics or extra wide ribbons.

COST/TIME

A Rosette without tails uses 5-6 feet of crinkle sheer, and a Rosette with tails uses about 8 feet.  Our Crinkle Sheer comes with 30 feet on a roll, which means you can make 4-6 Rosettes with just one roll. This equates to about $3 per chair bow, a bargain in comparison to renting bows and sashes! Your first Rosette will take about 10 minutes to make, but they will go much quicker the more practice you get.

Start with an undecorated chair.

Begin by centering your chair in front of you.  These rosettes can go on the back of any chair style, which means they don't just have to be for special occasions only. 

STEP 1- Center the Fabric

Make sure the center of your fabric meets the center area of the FRONT of your chair back.  Pull the length of fabric around to the back and ensure the fabric is tight and stays tight through the duration of tying.  

STEP 2- Tie a knot

Tie the fabric in a knot at the back of the chair.  The smaller the knot you make, the easier it will be to finish off the Rosette in the end.

STEP 3- Twist the fabric

Twist the fabric in opposite directions.  The fabric in your right hand should twist in a clockwise direction, and the fabric in your left hand should twist in a counterclockwise direction.  The more tightly and evenly you make your twist now, the more smooth and elegant your Rosette will turn out.  If you prefer a more ruffled looking Rosette, than make twists which are slightly looser and less even.  

 Do not twist the Crinkle Sheer too tightly, you want it to coil at the base of the knot in the next step, not in your hands as you make the twists.

STEP 4- Twist together

Twist the two lengths of fabric together in the same direction as you will be coiling the Rosette.  We twisted ours to the right and the Rosette will now move in a clockwise pattern.  Make sure the two sections of crinkle sheer are twisted tightly together.

STEP 5- Make coils

Coil the fabric around itself.  If you coil around the base too tightly, it will look more like a braided bun of hair, so make sure to coil loosely.  

STEP 6- Knot to secure

Bring the tail of the fabric twists back the original knot of Crinkle Sheer.  Trim any excess fabric to keep it clean and neat.  If your Rosette is loosely coiled or if you are using them for an outdoor event, it may be necessary to secure the Rosette with a safety pin.

The Finished Rosette!

If you have made a Rosette without tails, trim the tail so that there is no extra crinkle sheer showing.  If you have made a Rosette with tails, then you can straighten the tails and trim the two sections to an equal length.

Chair sashes are a nice addition of color to any event or party.  You can even use them for everyday decor on porches or for backyard patio furniture!

For more product info, please visit our website at www.MardiGrasOutlet.com.
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View more of our great craft and decorating ideas on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/mardigrasoutlet/.

Decorating Wooden Letters with Sheet Moss: A Creative Idea

Personalize a wreath with your monogram. Create words to express a special message. Show support for your favorite sports team. Decorative wooden letters can be used for many different projects.  The basic wooden form gives you a blank slate to create lots of different looks. Over the next few posts we will highlight lots of creative ideas for customizing decorative wooden letters and numbers.

In the tutorial featured here, we show you have to easily cover a wooden letter "M"  with fresh green sheet moss for a natural spring look.

SUPPLIES

• Decorative wooden letter- M  (other letters available here)
• 20" Green Sheet Moss on a roll
• Hot Glue Gun and Glue
• Scissors
• Permanent Marker

COST/TIME

The cost of the supplies for a moss letter is under $17. There will be lots of sheet moss product left over for additional projects or more letters (3/4 of the roll of sheet moss).  Covering the decorative letter with sheet moss takes less than 15 minutes.

Step 1- Unroll the Moss

Unroll the moss on a flat surface, wrong side facing up.  It sheds, so using it on a surface covered with newspaper will make cleanup easier. 

       

Step 2- Make an Outline
Flip the letter so that it is face down on the back of the moss, (the back should be facing you, the font of the letter above is similar to "New Standard", there is a diagram available here to tell which side is the front).  Use a permanent marker to make an outline of the letter.

Step 3- Cut out the Outline
Cutting the moss is easily done with scissors because the back of the moss is flat.

Step 4- Gluing

Using a glue gun or spray adhesive, apply glue to the front of the letter, and carefully lay the moss onto the surface.  Press down only when you have the exact placement correct.

The finished Moss Letter in under 15 minutes of craft time!

We love the look of the decorative moss letter "M" on a textured burlap spring wreath. You can find the wreath tutorial in this post.

What would you decorate with this mossy letter?