The reading area is by far my most favorite spot in my classroom. When I wanted to dress it up and make it even more inviting, I decided that a fabric garland would give it the perfect touch! I soon became addicted to making these banners, and noticed that everyone I shared them with loved them too. So, after receiving many questions about how I made them, I decided to make a tutorial and share the love of garland banners with everyone. Oh, and by the way, fabric garlands aren't just for the classroom, so read on! 

Step 1: Find your Fabric & Materials

The width of your windows will determine how much fabric you will need. The width of my windows was 12 feet, so I knew it would be a large garland. Because of this, I thought 6 different fabrics would be the perfect amount to add variation in the curtain. I also did not get the same amount for each fabric, due to what they had left of the fabrics. I got 2 yards for 4 of the patterns, and 1.5 yards for 2 of the patterns. This was JUST enough with no fabric strips left to spare, so I would say a good rule of thumb would be to get one yard of fabric per foot. My fabrics were from JoAnn Fabrics. (Don't forget that teachers get a discount!) You will also need to find some heavy twine/jute. You can take a look at what I used. The best deal I found for the jute was at A.C. Moore with a 50% off coupon.

Step 2: Prep Your Fabric

Cut off the white edge of the fabric. Then, cut small slits in your fabric. They can be spaced apart in whatever width you would like your strips to be. Mine ranged from 1 to 2 inches apart. 
*Note: Because my windows are tall, I did not need to cut my fabric to make it shorter. However, if you have shorter windows, you may need to cut your fabric to a smaller width before cutting the small slits.

Step 3: Tear Away!

Grab ahold of the strip you cut, and pull it down the width of the fabric. The strips won't be exactly the same width, and they will fray, but that's the beauty of the fabric garland: perfectly imperfect! 
Warning: This step will result in high amounts of fringes! Just make a pile and see how big it can get! 

Don't forget to admire the prettiness of all the colors!

Step 4: Measure Jute

Now you will have to decide how you want your curtain/garland to hang. I wanted mine to sway down and come up in the middle, so I knew I would need to make it a little longer than 12 feet wide. I decided to cut my jute 20 feet long, keeping in mind that I wanted to have plenty of space at the ends for knots to hang the curtain. (Always measure longer than you think you will need, so you don't run out of twine.) Once I had my 20 feet measured, I folded the jute in half and marked the 10 foot point with painter's tape. This was my middle starting point. I started tying knots in the middle and worked my way out to the ends. This helped me keep the curtain even. I also placed tape marks around the 3 feet mark. I stopped close to these points so I had enough room to tie the knots at the end. I also wasn't exactly sure how it would hang until I got to my classroom, so I wanted to allow for some wiggle room with the length of jute.

Step 5: Tie ALL the Fabric Strips!

This is definitely the most time consuming part, but don't give up now! It will be worth it in the end...trust me! I suggest finding a series to binge watch on Netflix, enjoying a nice drink, and enlisting the help of your supportive significant other or best friend. Since it is easier to show this step, rather than explain it in writing, check out this super short video I made on how to tie the knots. The only thing you need to be sure of is that you do them all the same way. So if you start with your fabric over or underneath the jute, do that with all of them. 

When you are tying the fabric strips, remember that they do not have to be in any particular pattern. I just tried to make sure I had a good mix of dark and light colors throughout the curtain. Since I had gotten more of two of the fabric patterns, I mixed these into the rotation more often than some of the other accent patterns.

Step 6: CELEBRATE!!

Woohoo! You did it! Stand up and stretch, give yourself a pat on the back, and thank your helper! Take a look at the lovely fabric garland you just created!

Step 7: Hang and Enjoy!

I tied big loop knots at the ends of the garland. I also used ceiling hooks and placed them on each end of the window, and slipped the loops on the hooks. For the middle, I also placed a ceiling hook at that spot, and put a binder clip through the middle point of my curtain. The binder clip then hangs on the hook. Here is a quick video on how I made the end loops.

That's all there is to it! Such a simple project, but it made a world of difference in brightening up my classroom!

Oh, and don't think that these garlands are just for the classroom! The possibilities are endless! They are perfect for nurseries, kids rooms, holidays, parties, etc. We made a Christmas garland for our kitchen, and also used it in our family pictures for our Christmas cards.  (Could that picture be any cuter?!)

If you decide to make one of these adorable fabric garlands for your classroom or home, be sure to tag me on Instagram! I would love to see it it!

Check out my classroom projects! 
http://www.donorschoose.org/Becky.Wimmer

Hi everyone, it's Becky.  I'm linking up with the fabulous ladies over at Blog Hoppin' to show you where I teach! I've been working very hard to get ready for my kiddos on Wednesday, and I'm very excited to share the (almost) finished product with you! I don't do classroom themes...If I had to name it, I would just call it "stuff I like!" I really just pick out things that I like and hope they go together! In the end, everything seems to work out!

I'll start with the outside of my room. I loved @cfry27's s'more birthday board she posted awhile back on IG, and kept it in my mind as a jumping off point for my BTS bulletin board! I'm so pleased with the way it turned out! (Funny thing is that although I do love s'mores, I'm not really a camping gal!)

This is the view from my doorway. It is such a nice bright room! I love the way my classroom library has turned out! 

Here's a better view of the classroom library. This just makes me happy! I used my Cameo to cut the "READ" letters from contact paper to give that area more personality!

I also love the way this project turned out! I covered the back of my bookshelf with contact paper and washi tape. This is going to be a new space to go with my writing station.  I will be writing about this in a blog post once we get reading groups/stations up and running!

One of the big changes I made this year is that I got rid of my huge teacher desk! With having 23 kids in my room, I needed all of the space I could get, so the desk had to go! I couldn't get rid of a desk completely (I'm not that good!), so I traded it in for a much cuter, smaller option! (Found it on Craigslist for $40...didn't have to do a thing to it! I consider that a bargain!) I also made a teacher toolbox to give me a space to put some of the things I hoarded in my big desk! I also love the chevron fabric and burlap boarder above my desk. Let me tell you, arranging burlap is not an easy task, but I'm happy with how it turned out! 

This is a panorama shot of the front of my classroom. For some reason I like to have my groups at an angle. I can't deal with everything straight out from my board! By the way, my favorite part of this view is my awesome EPSON projector mounted above my board. I don't know what I'd do without it! If you look under the board, you can see where we are going to place our mentor sentences. (See close-up below.) I wanted these sentences to be somewhere easily accessible for my kiddos when they are writing.

Well thank you for taking a tour of my room! Be sure to link up with Blog Hoppin' to share your space! I can't wait to see everyone's hard work! We really do put our heart and soul into our rooms to make them just right for our kiddos! 

Greg still has another week before his district starts, so his room is not quite ready. But I do have to share this awesome bulletin board that he finished today! He used paint samples to create it!

Also, don't forget about the big TPT 1 day sale happening on Wednesday! Everything in my Wim's Winners store is 20% off, and with the code BOOST you will get 28% off! Wednesday is the first day of school with my firsties, so I will be doing my shopping in the evening!

Until next time everyone! Have a great week getting to know your kiddos!
~Becky

Greg here - and I'm about to get real! I have a confession to make. I know I might take some heat for it, but it needs to be said. I don't work as hard as Becky. In fact, I bet that most primary teachers work harder than I do. I've spent time this summer scheming projects, making connections, and building ideas for what could possibly get accomplished in my classroom. I am extremely excited at what I have planned for my students! But primary teachers don't have that luxury. They also need to spend countless hours preparing their rooms for that magical first day of school. 

Over the past 9 years, I learned that this is the most stressful time of the year for primary teachers. There is so much to get ready! And when those children finally make it to your classroom on the first day, you have a constant barrage of activities to keep them engaged (so they won't miss their mommies). I like to keep things moving in my classroom, but I indulge in the 20 - 30 minute activity every now and then.

For two days this week, I worked in Becky's classroom to help her prepare for the beginning of the school. Here are two pictures I took on Monday morning.

For primary teachers, this site is not new. Unfortunately, MANY MANY people do not understand what goes in to preparing the primary classroom for students. 

Here is a quick review of a *few* of my jobs.

That's right - labels on 23+ folders, plus additional stickers inside of each folder. Pencil boxes prepped with the appropriate equipment for each firstie to tackle the most difficult craftivity!

Seriously, Really Good Stuff's tape strips are where it's at! 23 desks prepped and taped!

Altough I thoroughly enjoy the Houghton Mifflin math series, their perforations do a number on your fingers. Since the first graders can't tear the pages out of the book (neatly), I do the honors. I've done this job for 9 years - it's tradition!

I have learned that it takes a village to get ready for the kiddos. There is a serious labor of love and attention to detail that is impressive. If you want to see all of my hard work (and Becky's too), stay tuned for Becky's classroom reveal post in a few days.

This post is really a thank you! Thank you for all of the extra time and hard work that you've put in over the summer. I understand it's a great deal of energy that may sometimes go unnoticed to those out of the education world.

Best.