Many months ago, I got a very early introduction to Christmas this year from Lorraine Wood Flowers in Glasgow when I attended one of her DIY wreath workshops. I’ve been saving this tutorial to share with you during the festive season. Everything you will need (except from some wire and ribbon) is natural foliage, so go forth and forage.
You will need: a moss wreath ring, pine tree branches, Mistletoe, red berries, acorns/pine cones, dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, fine green wire, thick strong wire, scissors and wide festive ribbon.
We started off with a moss ring that had been already put together for us – for time saving purposes. However, we were told that this was easy to put together by packing damp moss onto a straw or felt ring and securing with wire. All of the branches and decorations are going to be stuck into this, so it’s important to keep it damp to help the natural foliage last longer.
Take fallen pine tree branches that you have foraged and cut these into suitable lengths. Working in a circle around your wreath, secure these on with a fine green wire, overlapping each other, until you get a full wreath. Don’t cut your wire until the end – just keep winding it round from one branch to the next.
Once this is done, you can start to add your decorations. Use the same wire, in the same way, to add some Mistletoe or jut any other festive looking leafed branches that you can find. Then, do the same with some small bunches of red berries to add some colour to your wreath.
Now it’s time to switch to the thicker, stronger wire. Cut off small sections and push one end through your acorns and dried orange slices, before securing with a twist. Push the other end of the wire right though your wreath and again through the back to keep your decoration in place. Then, use your thin green wire to tie bunches of cinnamon sticks together and to tie these onto the branches you already have on your wreath.
Finally, it’s time to add your ribbon. I chose a natural hessian ribbon, but you can use any wide ribbon that you like. Creating this bow can be tricky first time, so here’s a step-by-step photo series from Lorraine Wood Flowers who have mastered the art. Basically you need to pinch the ribbon with your thumb and create loops coming out from this, before securing in the centre with a piece of thick wire. Once you have a bow you are happy with, use the other end of the wire to secure this to your wreath, just like you did with the acorns and orange slices.
Lorraine Wood Flowers puts on great workshops throughout the year, but places get snapped up early. I really recommend that you check them out if you would like to improve your flower arranging skills.
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