Make The Fluffiest DIY Pom Pom Garland From Yarn
Let’s make an easy, super fluffy DIY pom pom garland, shall we?! I’m talking about a ROBUST garland, overloaded with fluffy pom poms. Not one of those garlands with eight medium-sized pom poms. I’m talking overkill on the pom poms.
I made this garland for decorating my daughter’s bookshelves for back to school and the best part was that I made it with her. This tutorial is that easy. So grab your kids, a skein of yarn (or two or four), and let’s make a pom pom garland together!
How Easy Is This Pom Pom Garland Tutorial?
It’s so easy, a caveman your children can do it. True story. It’s a super easy tutorial.
This whole project came about because my eldest daughter (age 7) found my pom pom makers and asked if we could make pom poms together. Technically she asked, “Mom, can we make pom poms and watch Dream Home Makeover together?!” To which I exuberantly responded yes! Crafting plus home makeover shows is a winning combo.
The hardest part of this whole project is getting the yarn started on the makers and transitioning from one side to the other. Both steps I helped my daughter with.
But other than that, the skills necessary to make this garland include the ability to wrap yarn around a pom pom maker for what feels like hours on end, use sharp scissors without cutting yourself, and tie a tight knot.
That’s it, I swear. So let’s get to it!
Garland Specifications
I’ll share the specifications of the DIY pom pom garland we made, just so you get an idea of how big, the different sizes of pom poms, colors, etc. But this is one project in which following the tutorial is not necessary. Do your own thing and play around.
- Length of the garland: 7′
- How much yarn: 4 skeins of white and less than a quarter skein of each of the four colors
- Pom pom maker sizes: Extra-Large (3-3/8″) and Medium (2-1/2″)
- Number of XL pom poms: 21
- Number of medium white pom poms: 25
- Number of medium colorful pom poms: 20
How To Make Pom Pom Garland
Supplies:
- (4) Skeins of White Yarn (medium weight)
- (4) Skeins Different Colors of Yarn (medium weight)
- 3/8″ Satin Ribbon
Tools:
A quick note about pom pom makers. Buy them. I know there are a million tutorials out there for making your own out of cardboard, using a fork, or even your fingers. But they are so inexpensive and make the job easier and more consistent. Sometimes special tools are worth it and this is one of those instances.
You can get a set of four pom pom makers for under $15 or a super basic set of pom pom makers for under $5. I’ve used both and each makes perfect pom poms every time.
A tip about the scissors. You can use regular craft scissors but they are much harder to wedge between the sides of the maker to snip the yarn. If you have a smaller pair of craft scissors, those work much better.
Make A Pile Of Pom Poms
After you’ve gathered your tools and supplies, start by making a bunch of pom poms. I used extra large pom poms as a base with a bunch of medium or little pom poms to mix in. The size variety and color mixing are what help give the garland interest.
So make:
- (21) base color using the extra-large pom pom maker
- (25) base color using the medium-sized pom pom maker
- (20) contrasting color using the medium-sized pom pom maker
The number of pom poms you need depends on the length and how full you want the garland. These are the exact numbers I used for a 7′ length garland. Adjust the number you need for the length of your garland.
For pom pom making instructions, there’s a full tutorial including tips for how to make pom poms on my blog. It includes yarn selection tips, how much yarn per pom pom is needed, and a full tutorial with pictures on how to make a pom pom.
Make your pom poms and give them a trim if you wish but DON’T cut the long tail that’s used to tie the pom pom. You’ll need that in a minute.
Pom pom making tip for use in a garland. Make sure you use a long piece of yarn to tie the pom pom with. The length of yarn left after tying is what you’ll use to attach the pom pom to the garland. So leave yourself some extra yarn to work with and don’t cut off those loose ends just yet.
Assemble The DIY Pom Pom Garland
Now to assemble the garland. Clean off a large work surface (it helps if it’s as long as the garland you’re making), and roll out the ribbon to the length you want it. Don’t cut the ribbon just yet. That way, if you later decide on a longer garland it’s easy to extend.
Grab the big pom poms first and tie them to the ribbon using the yarn ties. Use a simple double knot. Space them out a little bit but still keep them pretty close together. Trim the excess yarn as you go.
Next, grab the smaller pom poms in your base color. Mine are white. Tie these onto the ribbon in between the large pom poms. Trim the tails as you tie them on.
Finally, mix in the accent color pom poms and tie them on one at a time, trimming the tails. I liked working one color at a time because it was easier to see how spaced out the colors were but you do you and fill in however you wish.
The pom poms slide easily on the satin ribbon. So push them together and make more pom poms and fill in where needed until you’re happy with the mix.
Then cut the ribbon, tie off each end, and hang.
Frequently Asked Questions
All your burning pom pom garland-making questions are answered here. And if you have a question, leave one in the comments section and I’ll add it to this post with an answer.
How Much Does It Cost To Make?
The cost depends on a few factors like whether or not you have pom pom makers and what kind of yarn you buy. Or maybe you’re a knitter using leftover yarn so this project costs next to nothing.
This garland cost me $24 to make. I bought 8 skeins of yarn, at $2.50 apiece during a Michaels yarn sale. The ribbon cost me $4 for a 3/8″ spool of basic white satin.
If you’re buying pom pom makers as well, there’s an extra cost of $5-15 to the total expense.
How Long Does It Take To Make The Pom Poms?
FOREVER, she says in her best Sandlot impression.
Seriously. Full disclosure here. It took an entire afternoon, about 4-5 hours, of making pom poms with my daughter for this garland. But we were also binging Netflix at the same time and making popcorn snacks. Our efficiency was mediocre at best.
This was using a medium weight yarn, which takes alot of winding to fill out a pom pom. Thicker yarn doesn’t take nearly as much time to wind around a pom pom maker.
Speed tip…make a pile of pom poms but don’t give them haircut yet. Do that all at once, just before you attach them to the garland. It saves time.
How Long Does It Take To Assemble?
Garland assembly is the quick part. It only took about 20 minutes to tie on all the pom poms and give the yarn tails a trim.
We had made more pom poms than we needed, so that helped. Factor in more assembly time if you need to make more pom poms to extend the length of the garland.
Take The Pom Pom Garland To Another Level
There are so many ways to take this garland to another level. Like adding more color, using variegated yarn, or even adding wood beads and decorative objects.
Experiment with the use of materials. Some ideas include using heavy-weight yarn for extra fluff, mixing different sizes, going monochromatic, using yarn scraps for a super colorful mix, adding ribbon or metallic yarns for a glittery effect, and more.
Or go even more simple in style and string small pom poms into a basic garland to wrap around a Christmas tree or adorn your holiday mantle decor. Or use it as birthday party decor.
Speaking of other elements, we tried adding glittery apples to the white yarn garland for a festive back-to-school theme but it screamed Christmas. Once the apples were tied on and the stems buried in the yarn, they looked like Christmas ornaments. Enter exhibit A:
But we course-corrected and the project turned out great!
In closing, once you master the DIY pom pom garland as a base, there are so many creative possibilities to customize it. Happy crafting and pom pom on my DIY decor warriors.
