tulle pom-poms + garland tutorial

I promised a tutorial after my last post. It took a little longer than anticipated. I ended up having my granddaughter, Madi, spend two whole days with me. I like to give her my full attention when she visits. She's also a talker, so getting anything done is a little difficult. :) She is seriously one of the most hilarious little people I know.

Then I was called to a new position at church. I know. I did not see that coming. I loved my calling as RS Meeting Coordinator and I will miss working with so many wonderful women. More on that later.

Okay, let's get this party started.

 

Because I knew I would use this project often, I made a mini version of all the the pom-pom tutorials I could find. There were about six. I found this method was most simple and created the prettiest *pouf.*

 

SUPPLIES:

• 6" tulle (4 yards for each pom-pom)
• crochet thread (I tried regular thread and fishing line, but found both made it difficult to see my stitches and broke when I pulled them tight. Crochet thread works great.)
• needle with large eye
• scissors
• Fishing line for garland. (I just used what was in the garage, 12 lb. test)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cut four yards of tulle and approximately 3 feet of crochet thread. Thread your needle and tie a nice big knot at the end so you don't accidentally lose your gathers.
2. Make a running stitch (up, down, up, down) the full length of the tulle, gathering lightly as you go. Make your stitches about 1/2" and 1/2" inch apart. Don't worry about keeping completely straight, it all works out in the end.
3. Gather the tulle tightly on the string, making sure it's not twisted.
4. Tie a knot with the two ends (pull together tightly), then tie a few more for good measure.
5. Twist and pull on the layers to form a pom-pom.

Yep, it's that simple.

 

To make a garland, simply stitch through the center of each pom-pom with monofilament (fishing line). I use clear 3M hooks to hang mine. We leave the one in Ella's room up all the time. Both Kate and Tayler want to make garlands for their little's rooms after seeing this one. I feel some girls' time coming on. :)

 

MINI POM-POMS

I made mini pom-poms for our spring RS birthday party. I wish I'd known about these pre-cut 3" rolls then, it would have saved me a lot of time and grief. 

The process for mini pom-poms is the same, with one slight difference. Instead of one strip of tulle, you will cut two strips approximately 60" long, and layer them on top of each other before stitching. Gather your tulle tightly and tie the string in multiple knots.

 

Couldn't be more darling. :)

ADDITIONAL IDEAS FOR POM-POMS:

• Use as decor for baby showers, birthday celebrations, weddings, and little (or big) girls' rooms.
• Attach to a dowel and add ribbon for an instant fairy wand.
• Tie mini pom-poms to bare branches for spring decor.
• Use to top a gift in place of a bow. (Totally doing this for birthday parties.)
• Attach to a little girl's headband for a "pouf" of style.

Any other ideas?

SOURCES:

Paper Mart is my go-to source for tulle. The 25 yard rolls at my local craft stores are $4.99. Paper Mart has them for $1.35, and it's the same quality. The garland I made for Ella's room has 12 pom-poms, so it cost me about $3.00 to make. They also have100 yard rolls of tulle, that are a quarter more than the craft store's 25 yard rolls. Even with shipping included, it's a huge savings. (And their shipping is super fast.)

I just noticed Paper Mart has added 12" and 18" pre-cut rolls of tulle. Fabulous! Thinking mega pom-poms for Ella's birthday party would be wonderful. I'll need to play around with the length.

 Premium tulle in 3"-18" wide rolls.

Also check out the polka dot tulle and shimmery tulle.

Happy spring crafting.