Sunday 4 December 2016

Made: An Evergreen Wreath

This is an edited repost from my now-defunct blog, Words That Can Only Be Your Own
For me, nothing quite says 'Christmas' like bringing boughs of evergreens into the house. From pagan yule logs to modern wreaths, the custom of using holly, ivy and other evergreens to decorate the house in December is an ancient one that has lasted thousands of years. However, wreaths made from fresh foliage can be very expensive to buy - understandable, as they're time-consuming to put together. But with a bit of foraging for free greenery plus an hour of patience and sore fingers, you can make a wreath that's just as beautiful as a store-bought one.

You will need:
A wreath base (usually made of moss over a wire ring - I found mine on eBay for less than £2)
Armfuls of greenery - at least two different kinds but the sky's the limit. I used cypress, holly, eucalyptus, ivy, pine and hebe
Florists wire
Secateurs or strong scissors
3 metres ribbon
Assortment of decorations - I dried some orange slices and teamed them with foraged pine cones and cinnamon sticks tied together with scraps of ribbon

1. First, forage for your greenery. You don't need to live in the countryside for this: I picked up the pinecones from under a tree on a nearby industrial estate, the eucalyptus was from my mum's back garden, the hebe from a shrub in my yard, the ivy cut on various walks along the local canal, and the cypress, holly and pine from friends gardens.
2. Soak your ring [snigger] in water before squeezing out any excess.

3. Your wreath will be made up of multiple bundles of greenery, each affixed to the base. Gather a small piece of 3-4 different evergreens and pull together to form a bouquet. As I had 6 different kinds of evergreens, I varied the contents (so one had holly, pine and eucalyptus, while the next had hebe, ivy and cypress, for instance). 

4. Bend a length of wire to form a U-shape at one end, approx. 1 inch long. Place the U at the base of the bouquet (with the remaining wire pointing away from it) and then wind the wire around the bundle two or three times, to hold the bundle together securely. You should be left with about 15cm of wire still pointing away from the bouquet.

5. Push the long piece of wire through your base, bend and push back in again to secure. 
6. Repeat, laying each bundle of greenery so it points in the same direction and overlaps with the previous one, until the wreath base is covered.

7. At this point you may find some bundles need another piece of wire looped around and pushed into the base to ensure they're completely secure.

8. Again using wire, attach the decorations at intervals. 

9. Cut 2 metres from your ribbon and loop it through the inside of the wreath. Tie the remaining metre into a bow around the hanging ribbon, trimming the ends neatly.
10. Once it's hanging up you may need to trim some edges: I found my eucalyptus especially needed a bit of a prune.

11. Step back and admire your work! Wreaths made from fresh foliage will survive for about three to four weeks if hung outside in the cold. 

16 comments:

  1. This looks wonderful, when I worked in public libraries an old man used to come around selling wreaths he had made and holly from a bin bag...(get some nutters in public libraries) I always used to make a nice holly garland for the fireplace with that. Might give this a go myself but put it on the dining table with candles in the middle.

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    1. Oh my gosh, I can just imagine this old guy with a bin liner full of holly! I used to work in Waterstones and you get a lot of the same strange behaviour - wonder what it is about books that sets people off?!

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  2. Wow, you make it sound almost do-able for a craft phobic. I DID attempt a wreath last year, made from ribbon and bits and bobs incl. burlap (over which I had a minor dispute with my m-i-l, who did not understand why anyone would use burlap to decorate anything, I assured her it was very Martha Stewart and uh yeah that didn't really work either!). ANYWAY yours is so pretty! I love the cinnamon and orange. I do remember we used to make them from the off cuts of our Christmas tree when I was growing up, I don't know if we used the ring though, probably why they dried out rather fast! Good to know!:-)

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    1. I used some off-cuts from the tree for this too, and the moss ring does seem to work to keep it looking fresh.

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  3. I love the mixture of greenery, I tend to use just holly but this is much more interesting.

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    1. My hands can't cope with just holly - they're still sore now just from the small bundles I did use.

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  4. Love the cinnamon sticks ! I bought mine this year but saving your post for next year.

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    1. I'm always tempted to buy one but then once I make it, I remember how easy (and cheap!) it is.

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  5. I just quite like this for a general decoration, rather than a Christmas one. I think it adds something special to the door :)

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    1. I agree! Where my aunt and uncle live in Massachusetts it's a thing to have a seasonal wreath on your front door whatever the month - lovely autumnal ones, spring flowers, etc - and I think it's a trend that should take on here.

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  6. Beautiful! Every year I say I'm going to make a wreath for Advent like my childhood tradition, but I still haven't managed to do it. Maybe this year...I suppose moss rings aren't reusable, which would be the one thing to hold me back. I'd be more inclined to try a willow form.

    (PS Sorry if this has posted more than once - I couldn't tell if it had been published.)

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    1. The moss is compostable, so I don't feel too bad - I save the wire and the decorations/ribbons and chuck the rest on the compost heap.

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  7. This is beautiful! and so much more achievable than that time I tried to make a wreath out of pompoms...

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  8. I love the selection of greenery. All we see here is fir or maybe pine.

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