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Thursday, April 11, 2013

Military Cami Wreath

As the Spring Forward time change came, so did the Marine Corps uniform. My husband had to get his Desert Camis ready. While he was digging around in his military stash ( I am sure most military people know what I am talking about) he pulled out a whole bag of extra cami tops and bottoms. Most of them were older and faded and some were like new but just too small. He intended to take them to a shop to sell, but I decided to try out a new project with them instead.

DIY Military Cami Wreath!

A perfect addition to any military home. Great gift for moms, spouses and friends. So if you are like me and have a bunch of extras lying around the house, here is something you can do!

Supplies you will need: Scissors, Pliers, wire hanger, 2 cami blouses, hot glue gun, and chevrons/ ribbons that you want to add.




Start by cutting the seams of the blouse. I chose to cut the whole back piece, then folded it in half long ways then cut into strips. I also ended up cutting up some of the sleeves and front pieces to make the wreath extra full. The strips are about 2" wide by 10 to 12" long. I didn't cut these exact, I just eyed it. These would also look great if you were to use texturized scissors.





The wire hanger needs to be bent into a circle. I did this by hand and use the pliers at the top where the harsher corners where to round them out.




Once you get enough strips together, start tying them onto the hanger from the middle of the strip. Just a single knot will work.






As you add more, be sure to squeeze them tight together to one side of the hanger packing on as many strips as you can fit. If you don't do this, your wreath will look very thin and flat. Once you get towards the end you will see your knots. This is the time to start rotating the ties all around to hide them. Just fluffing and twisting until you reach a desired look.




I cut the name tape off of the blouse, as well as the USMC tape and the EGA off the pocket.

I made the bow from 2 of the button strips cut off the blouse, tied them together in the middle then tied the bow around the neck of the hanger. I chose to make the ribbon of the same material but you could also make it with a bigger yellow ribbon for a support the troops theme.





Here is where you can personalize your wreath. I found 2 older chipped chevrons to hold the name tape onto the bow. I then used hot glue for the EGA and the USMC tape at the bottom. I wanted to make this wreath with existing things in my home. But if you wanted to make yours nicer, you could get all new camis, chevrons and add the ribbons that your military member has as well.




I am happy with the outcome. It adds a nice touch to my front door.