DIY Fall Door Swag Tutorial: A Beautiful Twist on the Classic Autumn Wreath

Creating a fall door swag is a simple way to update your front door for autumn, especially for doors with oval glass centers. This project uses basic craft supplies and minimal tools, making it easy to put together.

The DIY tutorial breaks the process into clear steps, from selecting materials to assembling the swag. You can complete the project in under an hour. The door decoration works for both Halloween and Thanksgiving, and you can adjust the size, style, or colors to match your space.

When finished, you’ll have a fall door swag ready to hang and welcome your visitors. Follow the steps below to make this autumn front door decoration for your home.

We redid the entry of our house this summer and changed from a plain white panel door to one that has an oval glass panel on it. This makes decorating the front door with a normal wreath design a bit of a challenge. The answer is this fall door swag project!

Some of the links below are affiliate links. I earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you, if you purchase through an affiliate link. You can also find many of these supplies at your local Dollar Store or craft shop to save money

Supplies for the DIY fall door decoration

I like to use natural elements in my decorations, such as fern stems and branches. You’ll need the following supplies to make this project:

6 12-inch natural fern stems
2 natural pine branches
2 sunflower floral picks
10 green pipe cleaners
2 ½-inch autumn wire-edged ribbon
2 fall colored pussy willow floral picks
1 wreath hanger

How to make a fall door swag

When making the swag, keep in mind that both the top and bottom sections need to be balanced so that it fits well in the glass panel on the door.

Making the bottom section

Take three fern leaves and lay them flat. Secure their stems with a green pipe cleaner.

Place a large pine tree stem with two branches on top of the ferns. Secure the ferns and pine branch together with another pipe cleaner.

Adding the sunflowers

Layer one sunflower floral pick on top of the fern and pine branch base. Lay a stem of pussy willows next to the sunflowers.

Secure them with more pipecleaners.

Making the top of the fall door swag

To make the top of the swag, you repeat the steps you did for the bottom layer, but make it smaller so the finished shape of the door swag will be balanced from top to bottom.

When you have the top section done, position it above the bottom section, with the two pieces of the swag facing in opposite directions.

Secure the top swag piece to the bottom swag piece, leaving about 2 inches bare in the center for a bow to sit.

Make a floral bow

Use the wire-edged ribbon to make a floral bow. This is done by making large loops with the ribbon, tying them in the center, and leaving two loose ends to dangle down. See my tutorial for making a floral bow here.

Cut the ends of the ribbon at an angle and tie it to the center of the fall door swag. Puff up the loops of the bow.

Hang the autumn door swag on a wreath hanger, and the project is done!

I love the way the glass panel on my door is balanced with the swag.

The size and shape of the swag match the shape of my panel, and the color of the door is a great background for the pops of color from the sunflowers.

How do you decorate the front of your door if you have a glass panel? Tell me your ideas in the comments below!

Share this front door fall decoration on X

If you enjoyed this twist on a front door wreath, why not share this tutorial with a friend? Here is a post to get you started:

🎃🍁 How to Make an Autumn Door Swag. This rustic welcome for your front door is perfect if your door has a glass panel. 🍂🌻 Get the step-by-step tutorial on The Gardening Cook. #FallDecor #DIYDecor #DoorSwag #FrontPorchStyle #DIYHome Share on X

Pin this DIY fall door decoration

Would you like a reminder of this tutorial for making a fall front door swag? Pin this image to one of your fall boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.

Admin note: This front door swag tutorial first appeared on the blog in October 2015. This post has been updated with new photos, a printable project card, and a slideshow video about fall decorating.

Yield: 1 fall door swag

DIY Fall Door Decoration - Autumn Door Swag

5.0 Stars (2 Reviews)

This fall door swag is a twist on a normal front door wreath. The shape fits a door with an oval glass center beautifully.

It's easy to make and comes together in under an hour.

Active Time 45 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Difficulty easy

Estimated Cost $10

Materials

6 12-inch fern stems
2 pine branches
Sunflower floral pick
10 green pipe cleaners
2 ½-inch autumn wire-edged ribbon
Fall colored pussy willow floral picks

Tools

1 wreath hanger

Instructions

Lay two fern leaves, one on top of the other, and secure their stems with a green pipe cleaner.
Place a large pine tree stem with two branches on top of the ferns. Secure them with a pipe cleaner.
Place one sunflower floral pick on top of the fern/pine branch base. Tie it to the base with a pipe cleaner.
Add a stem of pussy willows and tie it to the base, next to the sunflowers.
This completes the bottom section of the swag.
Repeat steps 2,3, and 4 for the top section, but make the top section smaller in total size, so the door swag will be balanced.
Position the smaller top above the larger bottom section, with the two sections positioned in opposite directions.
Secure the top swag piece to the bottom swag piece, leaving about 2 inches bare in the center for the bow to sit.
Make loops with the wire-edged ribbon, tie them in the center, and let the two ends dangle down. You can see directions for making a floral bow here.
Hang the finished fall door swag with a wreath hanger.
Display with pride.

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Carol

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43 Comments

Robin Masshole Mommy says:

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That is absolutely lovely! I love the flowers you chose. I have nothing on my door, so I would love something like this to liven it up.

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1. Carol says:
  
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  Thanks Robin. I’m a sucker for sunflowers so it was an easy choice for me.
  
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Jennifer says:

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oh I love this so much!! Simple yet such a great statement piece and different than the usual wreath!

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1. Carol says:
  
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  I’ve always had round wreaths, so this was a nice change.
  
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Camile says:

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Love this idea! Our front door is almost all glass and we usually decorate it with a wreath. However, I think this would work too. I am not very creative but I think I can make this!! Perhaps it can be a project for me and my 4 year old to work on together.

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1. Carol says:
  
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  Sounds like a fun afternoon!
  
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Heather says:

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I think you did an amazing job with it! I love the sunflowers and the bow you used in it. Ups is oval shaped too, but it’s big enough to put a wreath in it and it looks fine.

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1. Carol says:
  
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  I also had another problem with mine. When the door was installed a normal wreath hanger was way too short for the panel.
  
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Alex says:

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I love this so much!!! It is so creative, but at the same time seems doable for the not so creative person (aka. ME). 🙂 I need to make something for our front door, as well!

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1. Carol says:
  
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  It was pretty easy. Only took me about 45 minutes.
  
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Alli says:

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I love your door swag! I, too, like to do something that carries me through the entire fall season – all the way until it’s time to decorate for Christmas. So pretty!

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1. Carol says:
  
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  thanks Alli. Yes, I decorate for Halloween but prefer my door to got through both holidays.
  
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Chanel | Cultural Xplorer says:

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Very festive! I need to make some swag for my door that screams fall!

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1. Carol says:
  
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  I just love decorating this time of the year!
  
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Michele says:

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I live in an apartment so od not have a glass panel on my door. I really love that you used materials from your backyard–maybe a few of the leaves that have changed color already would look good as well.

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1. Carol says:
  
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  I tried to add some leaves but the stems were not long enough and I didn’t have any extenders so I left them out. Like the idea though.’
  
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Vera Sweeney says:

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This project turned out super cute! I love decorating our house for fall and the holidays.

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1. Carol says:
  
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  Thanks Vera. It’s such a fun time of the year!
  
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Terri Beavers says:

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This looks like a task even I could make. It’s really pretty and elegant on your front door. I’ll have to try to make one of these and if it turns out, I may have to try to make one for Christmas too.

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1. Carol says:
  
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  I plan the change this over to a Christmas one once that decorating gets going.
  
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Pam says:

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That is so adorable! Fall is one of my favorite times to decorate for. You can just do so much without getting kitschy!

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1. Carol says:
  
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  I agree Pam. Love fall!
  
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harriet says:

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That turned out so cool. That is such a fun project for the home.

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1. Carol says:
  
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  Thanks Harriet. It was really a fun project to do.
  
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Stephanie of The TipToe Fairy says:

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I’ve never made a swag before, just wreaths. This looks like it would be fun to make.

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Tyra says:

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This is absolutely stunning! I love the flowers and the fall feel of it! Amazing job and it actually seems pretty easy to put together. Fantastic.

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1. Carol says:
  
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  Hi Tyra. Thanks for the nice comments. Yes, it came together easily.
  
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Marina John says:

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This looks amazing! I love your creativity. I need to go look around and see what I have on hand to create my own door swag.

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1. Carol says:
  
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  Thanks Marina. My favorite projects are those that make use of what I have on hand or in the garden.
  
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Bonnie G says:

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This is so very pretty. I have been wanting to add something like this to my door. I want to make this.

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1. Carol says:
  
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  Thanks Bonnie. Hope yours turns out well!
  
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Renee Fuller says:

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Love the swag. What a welcome front door

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1. Carol says:
  
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  Thanks Renee. I like the way it turned out too.
  
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Angie K says:

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I am obsessed with decorating! ESP for the holidays! This is so beautiful! It goes perfectly with your door! I will have to think of something to do for my place and fast! LOL

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1. Carol says:
  
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  I am the same this time of the year Angie. Just love decorating!
  
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Becka says:

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Oh that is so pretty. I think it looks great on your door. Good job!

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1. Carol says:
  
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  Thanks Becka. It was a fun project to do.
  
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Renee Fuller says:

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Great tutorial and post on creating this lovely swag

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Carol says:

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Thanks Renee. It’s the first time I have made a swag, so I enjoyed it.

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Evelyne says:

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I need to do something like this. I don’t have any flowers left…but I could totally improvise. I love a good door decoration!

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1. Carol says:
  
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  I have some roses and dahlias still blooming. Very pretty.
  
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Carolyn Juran says:

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I’d love to know the color of the front door. I have brick and bluestone and am redoing shutters and the door.

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1. Carol says:
  
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  Hi Carolyn.
  
  The color of the door is Sherwin Williams Naval. I had this shade tinted into a Behr exterior semi gloss paint. (I prefer Behr over Sherwin Williams paint which we tried but it ended up too thick and was messy on the paint job, so we started over with the Behr paint.) Carol
  
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DIY Fall Door Swag Tutorial: A Beautiful Twist on the Classic Autumn Wreath

Supplies for the DIY fall door decoration