How to Make an Easy Rag Wreath in Under an Hour

This heart-shaped rag wreath took me less than an hour to make! You can use any foam wreath form and scraps of fabric to make this easy project in under an hour.

If you’re looking for easy projects that can be completed in under an hour, try a scrappy rag wreath! I made this heart-shaped wreath while my twins were napping, including cutting all the fabric into squares. As a mom who doesn’t have a lot of extra time on her hands, it was such a joy to go from start to finish while my boys took a nap!

I wanted to have a beautiful wreath to hang on our door that would work for Valentine’s Day but wasn’t pink or red. That way, it would work throughout the rest of winter and into spring, until I was ready to decorate for Easter. I had these two fabrics picked out for another project I never did, so I thought they’d make a cute wreath with a bit of a country vibe.

Once I finished my project, I love LOVE how it turned out. Especially for only an hour of work! Fabric rag wreaths are one of those projects that is great for beginner crafters who don’t have a ton of supplies on hand and want a quick, satisfying project in the end. Now that’s what I call happy crafting!

The History of Rag Wreaths

Rag wreaths are one of those projects that have been around for a very long time. It was a great way for people to use fabric scraps to create something new, along with rag rugs. You can even see rag projects in heritage museums throughout the United States and abroad.

Even today, this is a great scrap busting project! No need to head to the fabric store. If you’re like me, you have a huge fabric stash in your craft room. Making rag wreaths is a great way to get through some of those fabric scraps. Just cut your scraps down to size as mentioned in the directions and use them to make your rag wreath! I had these two checked patterns sitting in my stash for years, so this was a great reason to break them out and use them.

I also think this would look really pretty in an ombre of solid colors or patterned fabric. You could also use different color schemes for the different holidays, like red and green for Christmas decor, an array of pastels for Easter, or orange and black for a Halloween rag wreath. These foam wreath forms come in many shapes, too, so get creative! I’ve even seen mini foam wreath forms so you could whip up a mini rag wreath fast!

Rag Wreath Supplies

Get everything you need to make this project in my Amazon Shop!

• Foam wreath
• 1/2 yard small check fabric (you could also use fat quarters or a jelly roll)
• 1/2 yard large plaid fabric (you could also use fat quarters or a jelly roll)
• Wooden dowel
• Craft glue
• Ribbon for hanging
• Pins or a hot glue gun

You can also use a wire wreath form! Use long strips with a double knot around the wire form. No glue, but it does take longer to make and my hands are always much more tired after finishing one like that up! After making both, I definitely prefer this foam wreath form version—it’s just so much faster.

Rag Wreath Instructions

I don’t have any photos of this part, but I used my cutting mat, ruler, and rotary cutter to cut my fabric into long 3″ fabric strips, and then stacked those strips and cut them into 3″ fabric squares. (Even if you don’t sew, I think every crafter needs a mat, ruler, and cutter! I use them all the time to cut fabric, paper, vinyl, felt, etc.) Using a rotary cutter is so much easier than using regular scissors, but scissors work if that’s all you’ve got!

You could also cut strips of fabric that are more like 1.5″ wide by 3″ long but it will take you longer to make your rag wreath.

I had two stacks of 3″ fabric squares. One of my fabrics was a thin cotton and the other was flannel, so the two piles aren’t the same thickness — but they have roughly the same number of squares.

Start by placing a piece of fabric around the end of your dowel.

Dip the dowel and fabric into the glue…

And stab into your foam. I found this oddly satisfying. It makes a nice little crunch.

Then, repeat, repeat, repeat! It fills up a lot more quickly than you’d expect. My pieces of fabric were about 1/2″ apart. I tried to distribute both kinds of fabric evenly and I think it worked out great! I did try and work the fabric pieces at the bottom of the heart so that the point would be clearly visible.

To hang it, I just pinned some white ribbon to the back of the wreath. You could also use tacks or hot glue.

Final Heart Rag Wreath

I hung it on my old window to photograph it, but I’ve already moved it to our front door (which badly needs a makeover…add it to the list!). It looks so beautiful out there. Fabric wreaths really do soften the lines of a front porch! I’ve also hung them in windows and on interior doors, especially during the Christmas holiday season when our whole house is decorated.

Update: This has held up so well. Three years later, and this beautiful fabric wreath is still my spring door decor. None of the fabric pieces have fallen out and because I used black and white, I don’t notice any fading from the sun.

I just love how it looks—so much texture and dimension! I store it flat in our Valentine’s Day decor box and I just fluff up the fabric each year when I pull it out to put it on the door.

This is the perfect project and I can’t wait for you to try making it!