It is so hot in Texas right now. And unseasonably, it has
been raining every day which is NOT helping with the humidity. I made a comment the other day that I was over
summer and I am now ready for the cooler temperatures of fall and winter (well
as much fall and winter you can get down here). Why do I live in Texas, again?
I miss having 4 seasons!
So, with fall and winter on my mind, I decided it was time
to start stocking up on holiday decorating! Actually, in all honesty, I really
don’t like decorating for holidays (except for Christmas, of course) just because
I don’t like the hassle of putting everything away. It makes me feel like I’m moving
every other month. So, solution to that….door wreaths!
I’m thinking I might turn into a crazy wreath wife. I’m sure
my husband will love that! But I had so much fun making this wreath that I see
many many more in the future.
Here’s the list I plan on accomplishing:
Halloween
Fall/Thanksgiving
Christmas
Birthday
(this will be in place of Valentine’s day)
Easter/Spring
Fourth of
July
First of all
I will say that I quickly learned that you need more burlap than you think
(especially if you like a tighter look to your wreath). So, buy a little extra
and if you don’t use all of it you can always take it back. Oh! And I will
mention that the tighter woven jute is much easier to work with than the lose
weave.
All you will
need is your burlap ribbon/garland – I used 5 inch wide and 20 yard long spool
but you can buy it in many variations – found in the floral section of your favorite
craft store, a green wire wreath, pipe cleaner to match your burlap, and your accessories.
You can choose to accessorize your wreath however you’d like but in this case I
used barrette flowers
So, when I
first started this wreath adventure I couldn’t find instructions ANYWHERE on
how to do this. I found people that sort of kind of explained it but most
people just said “there isn’t a wrong way so just do what works for you.” That’s
great advice but I need instructions! So, with their advice, this is the best
way I found to do it and now I’m going to share it with you!
You may
think I’m completely crazy but start out by unrolling your entire spool…..just
do it!
- Start by tying a knot on the inner most ring of your wire wreath (for a little extra support you can actually tie it to one of the divider pieces that runs perpendicular to the rest of the wreath).
- Now, you are going to start weaving your burlap through the wires. Over, under, over under....
- Pull all 20 yards through your wire wreath and pull tight.
- Now make your loops. You can do this as fluffy and loose or as small and tight as you want. I’d say my loops are on the small side - Personally I think it makes for a cleaner look.
6. Pull tight
7. Make your loops
8. Continue!
Once you come to the end of your first roll of burlap you
will need to tie off the end in a way that will keep what you’ve done, nice and
tight. This can be done simply by using a pipe cleaner. Be sure you get pipe
cleaner that’s the same or close to the same color as your burlap. Oh, and
notice my helper in the picture below? He’s showing you how much of the wreath
20 yards of burlap covers.
As I mentioned before you can use whatever you would like to
decorate your wreath. I found that the easiest way to do this is with barrettes.
Craft stores have tons of these things and in several different colors and
sizes (or you can even find them at girls accessory stores, too!). Barrettes are the easiest thing to use because they clip on to the burlap
and will always stay put, AND they are easily changed out if you want a
different look!
And here’s the final product! Simple and chic.
Oh yeah…I would suggest doing this outside. Apparently
burlap sheds….EVERYWHERE. The shedding is worse than the big orange cat's. But if
you do want to craft on your couch (like I do) then the shedding is easily
cleaned up with a dryer sheet and/or a lint roller.
Have fun y'all and stay safe!
KC
