Christmas wreath making guide
Making your own festive wreath is a lot easier than it looks and makes for a very satisfying, fun and relaxing way to spend an afternoon. Put on the Christmas tunes, grab a glass of mulled wine and get stuck into creating a personal masterpiece.
You'll need:
- A copper wreath ring
- A reel of craft wire
- Enough moss to cover the ring
- Plenty of greenery – from you garden if possible. Think short pieces of fir, holly or soft branches from any other leafy evergreen trees and bushes. If they have berries or winter flowers on, all the better.
- Secateurs or strong scissors
- Optional extras: dried orange segments, cinnamon sticks, ornamental berries, pinecones, ribbon and raffia.
You'll be able to source materials from craft stores or your local florist.
To make your wreath:
Step 1: Attach your wire to your wreath ring.
Wrap the wire around a small section of the frame several times and twist together so it feels secure.
Step 2: Add moss.
Take your moss and make a sausage shape all the way around the wreath using the binding wire to secure it to the frame. Only place the moss on one side of the wreath so that the back can be flat against the door. Pull the binding wire tight over the moss as you go. Once you have bound all your moss to your wreath frame, twist the wire before cutting it to ensure the moss is secure.
Step 3: Separate your greenery into piles of the same variety.
And cut them to about 15cm in length. This makes the next step easier.
Step 4: Make bundles.
Take 5-6 stems of greenery to make a bundle. Ensure that you use a variety of plants to create texture and colour.
Step 5: Place your first bundle.
Now re-attach the wire to your frame and use it to attach your first bundle. Position the bundle on top of the moss in the centre. Wrap your binding wire over the bottom of the bundle and around the wreath. Pull the wire tight as you go to ensure the greenery is securely fastened to the frame.
Step 6: Repeat!
Place your next bundle to the left of the one you just placed. Make sure that you overlap the bundles to hide wire and stem ends. Add your next bundle to the right of the middle bundle. Then repeat the pattern - placing your bundles in the middle then to the left and then to the right until the moss is covered.
Step 7: Nearly done!
When you’ve gone all the way round to the first bundle, push it back and place the final bundle underneath so that all the stem ends and wires are concealed. Cut your wire and wrap it around the wreath to secure. Your wreath is almost finished!
Step 8: Make a hanging loop.
Choose the top of your wreath. Turn your wreath over so you are looking at the back of the frame. Attach your wire there. Make a loop, then tie off your wire to the frame once again. You now have a loop to hang your wreath.
Step 9: Finishing touches.
Wrap wire around your chosen decorations and attach them to the wreath.
To make the cinnamon stick decoration:
Join two cinnamon sticks together by wrapping with wire several times. Then twist the pieces of wire together where they join - use this bit to attach it to the wreath. You might want to wrap a piece of raffia around the centre of the cinnamon to hide the wire.
Position all your decorations onto your wreath before attaching them to see how they look. Decorations look good in threes. Try placing your decorations equal distance apart to create a triangle shape – look at the pine cones on our example.
Congratulations – your one-of-a-kind wreath is ready to be proudly displayed on your front door. We’d love to see the results – please share a picture on Facebook or Instagram.
With thanks to award-winning florist Georgina Lake, founder of Bunch Florist.
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