As Winter slowly takes a backseat to the onset of Spring, it’s time to start sprucing up your home to reflect the changes this renewing and invigorating time of year brings. One lovely addition to your home’s decor is a beautiful Spring wreath. Most people automatically think of the winter holiday season when they think of wreaths, but I happen to enjoy them any time of year. Wreaths can be made for any event or season, so why not Spring? Why not try out my own original pattern for creating unique wreaths?
For this project, you will need a wreath base. I prefer to use straw, but you might choose Styrofoam or even a grapevine base. For purposes of instruction in this article, I will refer to the base as straw. Choose one spool of wired ribbon in vibrant or pastel spring colors. Choose a coordinating package of lace, much cheaper when purchased pre-packaged than buying by the yard off the bolts. Select a spool of coordinating or matching satin ribbon in narrow widths. You will also need a large supply of plain safety pins. Keep in mind, this project contains small and sharp parts and is not intended for use by children or pets. This wreath is for decorative purposes only. You may also choose to purchase some extra embellishments to give your wreath a festive, seasonal touch. All items needed for this project can be purchased at craft stores such as Hobby Lobby, JoAnn, or Michael’s.(You may also wish to have a glue gun and hot/low melt glue sticks available for the last phases of this project.)
When unwrapping the straw wreath, do this outside or over a garbage can, as it will shed loose straw and create a mess. Begin with the wide, wired ribbon. Secure to top center of wreath base with straight pins. Begin wrapping ribbon all around wreath base, leaving about a one inch gap between each round. Every once in awhile, pin ribbon into place to avoid slipping as you wrap. When finished, secure end to the point where you first started wrapping the ribbon, and snip ribbon, pinning other end securely into place. Go back and make any necessary adjustments to the wired craft ribbon, adjusting placement if necessary, and pinning in several locations all around the wreath.
Now, you are ready for the lace. In the spaces between the wired ribbon where the straw is showing, pin your lace into place to begin wrapping. After pinning, begin same process as you did for the wired ribbon, wrapping lace all over wreath in the spaces between the wired ribbon. Pin lace here and there as you go, until you reach your starting point. Go back, check and adjust placement of lace if necessary, then proceed to securely pin lace into place all around the wreath.
Now you’re ready for the narrow satin ribbon. Cut lengths long enough to fold in half so that it makes a loop about two inches long. You can make a flower shape by placing four loops together ( think of it as four petals from the same center). Pin into place accordingly to achieve a flower shape. Use whatever embellishment you choose to create a little center for the flower if you like. This could be a small button, a tiny folded piece of lace, etc. Be creative! Place your “flowers” in an attractive way around the wreath, whatever you feel looks best.
Now, you are ready to add your embellishments if you’ve chosen to use them. Think Spring! Perhaps a tiny bird’s nest with little birdie, or maybe a little bunny. Or, just stick with festive spring colors. Ideas will come to you as you get involved in the project.
Now, cut a piece of stain ribbon several inches long and loop in half. This will be your loop on which to hang your wreath, or use can use a wreath hanger. If choosing the loop method, Be sure your ribbon is not fraying as you pin, and pin numerous times in a small location to really secure the loop. Test ability to hold by dangling from your finger a few inches above a surface, so if it doesn’t hold you won’t damage your new wreath. Use for decoration on the front door of your home, or displayed in some other clever manner in your front yard. This wreath will provide a nice little accent to welcome Springtime. The wreath shown as an example was created by myself a few years ago.