Plant Love: Colorful DIY Boho Fringe Planter Makeover

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published Jul 17, 2017

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Plant ladies – and gentlemen – unite! Every houseplant is unique, so shouldn’t their planters be unique, too? With some simple supplies, a spare hour or two, and an itch for creating cool color combos, you can easily craft a playful new look for all of your plants. The coiled cotton piping offers the ultimate neutral base for all of your favorite embroidery floss hues, and it makes this DIY perfect for pairing with all things textured, natural and bright. Could this be the beginning of a beautiful “fringe-ship”? I’ll let you decide…

(Image credit: Amelia Lawrence)

What You Need

Medium to large plastic planter or similar container
15-30 yards / 13-27 m of ½ in. to ¾ in. cotton piping (amount needed will vary based on container size)
20+ skeins of embroidery floss (at least 2 of each color)
Glue gun
Glue sticks
Washi tape
Comb
Scissors

Step 1. Measure your cotton piping

Coil the cotton piping – bottom to top – until the entire container is covered. Use the washi tape as a temporary anchor on the bottom of the container to hold the coil loosely in place. Cut the cotton piping at the top, leaving an extra foot or two of material just in case. (See below)

(Image credit: Amelia Lawrence)

Step 2. Plan out your design

After covering the container, cut and place 2-3 inch pieces of washi tape organically on the piping to indicate where to place the fringe. Uncoil when you’re done, but remember which end is the bottom. Tip: During this step, you can also plan out where each of your colors will go, or keep things totally random.

(Image credit: Amelia Lawrence)

Step 3. Prep the fringe

Select two skeins of the same colored embroidery floss. Remove the paper packaging but do not unravel. Lay the skeins side-by-side, and lightly comb to flatten and straighten the looped floss. Tip: Reserve 2-3 feet (more for larger planters) of each color if you want to be able to define your fringe at the end.

(Image credit: Amelia Lawrence)

Step 4. Glue the fringe

Heat your glue gun. Once the floss is completely flat, apply hot glue in a thin line across the middle.

(Image credit: Amelia Lawrence)

Step 5: Attach the cotton piping

Starting with the first taped-off area on your piping, and while the glue is still hot, remove tape and place piping over hot-glued fringe. Press gently to ensure all of the floss is attached and laying flat.

(Image credit: Amelia Lawrence)

Step 6: Flip the fringe

Flip the fringe around the piping so that the ends align.

(Image credit: Amelia Lawrence)

Step 7: Cut the fringe

Use the comb and scissors to evenly cut the looped ends of the embroidery floss. Don’t worry about perfection – you’ll be able to trim more neatly at the end. Continue steps 3-7 until all of the taped-off areas of the piping are replaced with embroidery floss fringe in a variety of colors.

(Image credit: Amelia Lawrence)

Step 8: Wrap and secure cotton piping

Once all of the taped-off areas are replaced with fringe, begin coiling (again, from bottom to top) and securing piping with hot glue until you reach the top. Strategically choose an area to end the coil, as this will become the back of the planter.

(Image credit: Amelia Lawrence)

Step 9: “Define” the fringe

Wrap leftover embroidery floss over each individual section of fringe and around the planter, making sure the floss sits between the coils to camouflage it. Pull tightly to further define your fringe, and tie off in the area designated as the back of the planter. Tip: You can also try to hide your ties behind other fringe to minimize appearance.