House of Hawthornes

DIY Rustic Sailboat

by 47 Comments

I made a sailboat last week.

Quick and easy DIY rustic sailboat made from tree branch

Out of a branch and a twig,

Quick and easy DIY rustic sailboat made from tree branch


part of my vintage ticking fabric,

Quick and easy DIY rustic sailboat made from tree branch

and a couple of eyelet screws.

Quick and easy DIY rustic sailboat made from tree branch

Quick and easy and sort of cute, if I may say so myself!

In a nutshell:

  • I sawed a dead branch from our brush pile into a section roughly 16″ long. If there’s one thing I have an abundance of around here, it’s dead tree branches
  • I cut a twig to about 17″ long
  • Drilled a hole in the middle of the larger branch section
  • Hot glued the twig into the hole
  • Cut my fabric into a scalene triangle (I’ll save you from running to find your geometry books – it’s three different sized sides)
  • Screwed the 2 eyelet screws into each end of the branch
  • Sewed one end of the the triangles onto the eyelet screws
  • Sewed the opposite bottom of the triangles onto the mast (aka twig in the middle)
  • Sewed the top of the triangles to the top of the twig
  • Then I cut out a double sided triangle to use as a top flag and hot glued it to the top
  • Done

Took about 15 minutes. Most of the time was me trying to get the stupid needle threaded.

I really need to get some new eyes. Or wear my glasses.

Now, I’m a long way from the beach, so I used tree branches instead of driftwood, but I think it turned out OK.

You gotta work with what you’ve got! And here in the Midwest, we’ve got branches.

Quick and easy DIY rustic sailboat made from a tree branch - cool idea for a Nautical Nursery or Coastal Decor!


You can see how I’ve used my sailboat in different areas of my home over the years:

A Happy Little Sunflower Vignette
Summer Home Tour Eclectic Style
Easy American Flag Craft

And you can see lots and lots of other Quick And Easy DIY & Craft Projects HERE.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  12. Gloria (The Little Red House with the White Porch)

    Wonderful job on the boat — the whole little ‘beachside’ vignette is adorable!
    And thanks for visiting my blog and saying you will go to the link to sign the petition! The more people who sign, the more substantial the petition will become to help pass the law.
    Best,
    Gloria

    Reply

  18. Alison @ The Polohouse

    You are so clever and I like your even better!
    Adorable …. a perfect symbol of summer.
    Nice to meet you, Pam!

    Your newest follower.
    xox
    Alison

    Reply

  19. Yanet @ 3 Sun Kissed Boys

    I love it! I think I need to snag more branches from my neighbors. 🙂 I think making these can become addictive.

    Reply

  24. Debra @ Common Ground

    Hi Pam, wow, you’re so creative! just love this, and I REALLY love old ticking! thanks for sharing the fun and inspiration here at VIF!!
    xo Debra

    Reply

  27. Ginger

    Loved this tutorial,living in calif. This sail boat has that right touch of rustic i love.
    Wonderful tutorial.

    Reply

  29. Courtney Sanchez

    You did an amazing job with this craft!! I just want to run out and find to some wood and make one myself. New follower from Crafts by Courtney!! So clever!!

    Reply

  30. Ashley C.

    This is so cute – I had to share it with my IG followers, as I will definitely be making an inspired version of this for my son’s new nautical-inspired big boy room! Thank you!

    Reply

  32. Lisa D.

    Oh my gosh! This is adorable. I’m gonna have to make one of these to go with the other one I made. I made one using a piece of drift wood I found on a beach trip. Cant seem to find another piece but the branch looks perfect!! Check mine out here http://lifeawayfromtheofficechair.blogspot.com/2012/08/set-sail.html
    Thanks for sharing.
    Lisa

    Reply

  33. Chiwei @ One Dog Woof

    LOVE LOVE LOVE this!! I love the look and the cheap factor too. Not the “looking cheap”, but the “cheap to put together” factor :-). Saw it on Hometalk 🙂

    Reply

  34. Sarah Thornington

    Oh how I love this! Being a portrait photographer on the beach I have just found my new favorite prop for the summer! All I need now is some sunshine and some fun children! Thank you!!!

    Reply

  36. Barbara

    I love the twiggy sailboat – rustic and easy to make, but a summer inspiration! Thanks for sharing! I’m going to get a small branch and start making one!

    Reply

    • Pam

      Thanks, Barbara. I’m all about quick and easy when it comes to crafts. If it takes me more than one sitting to finish it I lose interest 🙂

      Reply

  38. Barbara

    Pam,
    I just had to tell you that I’ve made about a half dozen of these – different sizes for myself to sail in my regatta (a vignette on my entertainment center) and my granddaughter wanted one, then my DIL wanted one. So, it has been a very successful, popular craft for me. I kept mine so I can float it again when I do my “beach” or summer vignette.

    Reply

  41. Katy

    Thank you so much for this idea! I made one for my dad for Father’s Day!!

    https://goo.gl/photos/bk5SsKomMDUVfaV79

    Reply

  42. Jennifer

    Love this idea, I’ve been searching for driftwood, but I have a lot of white birch that I think would work using your idea. Thanks for sharing!!! 🙂

    Reply

  43. Marianne

    I’m going to make one for my yard from a three foot piece of driftwood I found . It’s going to look great in my garden .

    Reply

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