How to Make a Pom-Pom Garland to Add Whimsy to Your Holiday Display

Remember those elementary school crafts made with macaroni noodles, colorful pipe cleaners, and pom-poms? The pom-pom garland is a grown-up twist on those inventive projects and makes a fun and festive addition to your holiday decor. Learn how to make your own pom-poms garlands that you can string from a mantel, showcase above a bed, or hang off a table when it's party time.

If you've ever made pom-poms before, you know it can be tedious work. However, we've got the ultimate time-saving secret to making a handful of pom-poms all at once. Check out our tutorial to learn how to make a pom-pom garland below.

Step 1: Wrap String

Flip a chair or a stool upside-down to make a large batch of pom-poms quickly. Begin to unravel your skein of yarn and bring one end of the yarn against a chair leg. While holding the end, wrap the yarn around two leg posts. Eventually, the yarn will be strong enough to hold the starting string, and you can let go.

Continue wrapping until the bunch of yarn is about two inches thick. Cut off the last strand and tuck it into the wrapped yarn, so it doesn't unravel.

Step 2: Section Off Poms

With the yarn still on the chair legs, tie 7-inch strands of string around one side of the bunch of yarn. Each knot should be about three inches apart and tied as tightly as possible. Continue until the length of wrapped yarn is fully sectioned off on both sides. It should look like a string of bubbles.

Shimmy the wrapped yarn off the legs of the chair. If needed, tie additional sections at each end where the chair legs were.

Step 3: Make Cuts

Carefully cut each section in the middle of the tied strings. This will make your individual pom-poms. Once they're all cut, gently pull the strings toward the center to fluff them out.

Step 4: Trim

Use scissors to trim the pom-poms to size. We alternated our garland to have both large and small poms. The smaller you cut them, the more precise and clean they will look. Be sure not to cut the long strings hanging from their center tie—you will need them in the next step.

Step 5: String on Garland

Using the same material as the poms, cut a piece of yarn to the desired length of your pom-pom garland. Lay out each pom along the string to ensure they're evenly spaced. Use the long strings to tie each pom-pom to the yarn. Once secured, you can snip off the long strings with scissors. Finish by draping your DIY pom-pom garland across the mantel or mixing it with another Christmas garland for extra-festive flair.