Let’s see how to make a dried orange/fruit garland.  After sharing a post about a wreath and this post HERE I realized I wanted to share one last project.

Last Christmas I made a dried orange garland.

Lessons Learned About Adding Real Chestnuts

Before I share how to make a dried orange/fruit garland, I’d like to share a few things I learned not to do.  Because I enjoy natural elements for the holidays using dried fruit is a favorite of mine.  

Now, last year I did add whole chestnuts to this craft.  I did this because I adore chestnuts, however, for some reason I forgot that they wouldn’t last the entire season and began to get fuzzy.

So, because they didn’t last the entire Christmas season in the dried orange/fruit garland, my suggestion is to add other elements.  Such as, whole walnuts, ribbon, round beads or whole dried oranges to add more dimension. 

Step 1

How To Add Whole Chestnuts/Walnuts To The Dried Fruit

Now back to our project, using whole walnuts is an easy way to add a rustic element to the dried orange craft.  Simply drill a hole through either end of the shell and string the walnut with the fishing line. By the way, leave these natural or paint them silver or gold to add interest to the dried fruit especially for the holidays.

Also, when making this , I also dried red and green apple slices. I particularly, like using red delicious apples because of their deep red color.

Incidentally, to dry the apples use the same process used for the HERE.

To keep costs down, I suggest buying the fruit in bags instead of individually, it’s much more budget friendly for this dried orange/fruit craft.

Step 2

Putting The Dried Fruit Together

After drying all your fruit I suggest doing a dry run as we did for your dried orange/fruit craft.  We also did this to make sure the size was correct for the top of our hutch. Doing this also gives you an idea if you want to change the spacing of the dried fruit. 

In the above picture I also began getting my stacks and the amount of dried fruit I wanted in each section. This helps keep the dried fruit uniform as well as snug.

Step 3

Stringing The Dried Fruit And Nuts With Fishing Line

Next, thread a needle with fishing line and begin stringing the dried oranges and apples to make your garland.  Stringing the dried oranges and apples goes quite quickly.  When you are finished tie a knot and hang to enjoy the fragrance of your dried orange/fruit garland for the entire season.

Here’s another tip, after Christmas take the dried orange/fruit garland apart and save the orange slices. The dried slices last for quite a few years. I suggest storing them slices in a brown bag in a cool place such as the basement.

The apples and the whole oranges unfortunately don’t last.

By the way, if you don’t want to take the time to make your own dried orange garland you can buy one inexpensively at this Etsy shop.

Step 4

Displaying Finished Dried Orange Garland

Finally, displaying your fruit garland is the fun part. Add this to the top of a hutch as I did. Also, this will look pretty on a long shelf or laying on greens displayed on a mantel above your fireplace.

Honestly, this dried orange/fruit garland takes no time at all to make.  The entire family can get involved and have some cookies and hot chocolate and make this together while making memories.

I’m already thinking about how I want our dried orange garland to look for this upcoming holiday season.  I may use all oranges this year with other pieces.  So, make sure to follow Cloches & Lavender.

Do you plan on using dried oranges or fruit in your home for this holiday?  I’d love to know in the comments.

Also, follow along with Cloches & Lavender so you don’t miss the fun things I have coming up to share with you!

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