Supplies you will need (aside from fir boughs):
wire cutters, floral wire of medium gauge, a bow (or ribbon and pick to make a bow), a wire hanger, a pair of pliers, and some malleable organic material to "fatten" up your hanger (I have used scotch broom, weeping willow branches, and this time, poplar branches).
First, you need to find some fir boughs (not pine, not hemlock, and not spruce). (If you don't know a pine from a fir, find someone knowledgeable, or find a identification book). I usually get a Christmas tree about 1 foot taller than I need and cut off the bottom six branches. I then make 6-8 inch cuttings off of each branch which turns out to be enough for a wreath.
Next, I get a wire hanger (heavier gauge, preferably with a rubber coating), and then use pliers to form it into a round shape.
This is what it should look like when you are done:
Next, I wrap the malleable material around the hanger to give it a diameter between 1/2 and 3/4 inch. In this instance, I used poplar branches:
Next I take one or two boughs (if thin, I use two and offset them to make the "packet" seem fuller) and place them on the wreath. I like to plan where the bow is going to go, and place the packet on the wreath with the stems pointing in a clockwise direction just an inch or so after (in reference to clockwise) where I want the bow. Then I twist the end of the wire on itself after going around the bough once. After that, I wrap tightly three times.
The first packet should be in the direction of the wreath (in the same direction as a tangent line). The next should be placed about 1 inch farther along (in the clockwise direction) and the tip should be about 1-2 inches to the left (or middle) of the wreath. The third should be placed with the tip about 1-2 inches to the right (or outside). This pattern should be repeated until the circle is completed.
To add decorations, space them evenly (and in odd numbers) on packets in the direction of the wreath and wire them on along with the packet.
Final product:
There were the ladies and their wreaths that took my class:
3 comments:
oooh! I think I will make one for the holiday coming up! only one problem...the trees here suck. will you ship me some? :)
I used to make wreaths all the time, pretty much same technique. I learned while working at a wreath/swag plant in Puyallup the first holiday season we were married, when Dennis was at boot camp and I needed something to do. I can still smell that place, it was heaven. Thanks for the memory...
These are beautiful. I have made them too but I like your technique better. The first year we spent Christmas in our house I was really ambitious and made one for each window on the front of our house. A big wind storm came through and destroyed them. I have since bought artificial wreaths but these pics make me want to give it another try. Thanks for the inspiration.
Post a Comment