There are about a billion ways to make a wreath. It’s just a circle, after all, so it really depends on your own imagination. A few years ago, a lady at my church showed us a method for wreath-making that I’d like to share with you today.
Here are the supplies you will want to have:
- A metal hanger
- Newspaper
- Masking tape
- Pruning shears or tough scissors (for cutting the branches)
- Pliers
- Floral wire
Also, you should have some branches that you’ve cut. If you can’t work on the wreath the day you cut the branches, keep them outside (or in a cool place) in a bucket of water.
Here’s what you do:
1. Stretch out your hanger by pulling the bottom down.
2. Use your pliers to straighten out the bends and keep pulling and pushing on the wire until you have it more or less circular.
3. Tear your newspaper until the double pages are single (leave the single ones as they are) and fold them lengthwise two times to make long strips.
4. Wrap the folded strips of newspaper around the hanger, starting at the top and going around.
5. Use masking tape to secure the newspaper to the top of the hanger. It’s hard to see, but I was originally using off-white masking tape. I used that to secure the newspaper to the top of the hanger. I had to switch to blue because the off-white wasn’t peeling off the roll easily. It seems like a happy accident since the blue is so much easier to see.
6. Keep wrapping until you’ve gone all the way around. End by taping the last of the newspaper to the top of the circle.
7. Take a bunch of short branches and wrap floral wire around them to secure them. If your branches are too long, use your pruning shears or some tough scissors to trim them to the size you want. You don’t need to knot the wire in any way, just wrap right over the end.
8. Without cutting the wire, lay your group of branches on part of the wreath form you’ve made and continue to wrap the wire around the form and the branches a few times. I brought the wire from the inside of the wreath out, but however you find it most comfortable is what you should do.
9. Continue to make small bundles of branches and lay each new bunch over the ends of the last bunch. Hold the new bunch in place and wrap wire around it and the form. (You won’t be wrapping wire around each bunch before putting it on the form at this point–that was only for the first bunch.) Make sure not to cut the wire, just lay each new little bundle down and wrap.
10. Keep going until you are nearly back to your starting point.
11. Carefully cover up the place where you started. This takes a little bit of trial and error. I laid a bunch of branches over my starting point, but had to lift some of the pine needles up and wrap the wire under them so it would remain hidden. You can also wrap wire around and, as long as it’s not too tight, you can pull pine needles out of the wrapping to cover your wire. Cut the wire, leaving a little bit extra (maybe an inch or two). When I had finished, I tucked the extra wire under some other wire and twisted it around until it seemed secure.
12. Now you have a basic wreath. Time to add a little bit of interest.
13. Take a few berries or some pinecones or whatever you like the look of. Make a little bunch, wire them together like you did in Step 7 and, without cutting the wire, wrap it around the wreath while holding the bunch in place. Try placing it slightly under some of the pine needles so the wire doesn’t show. Secure the wire by wrapping it around itself like you did when you finished the wreath (just make it up until it feels secure). Use the hook from your hanger to hang it up.
Good job! You did it!
If you hang this wreath outside in the cold, it should stay nice and green for a long time. If it’s dry in your area, mist your wreath with water every day or two.
Pattern and Branch 