Showing posts with label festive. Show all posts
Showing posts with label festive. Show all posts
Make This Festive Felt Wreath
Make This Festive Felt Wreath
What’s not to love about a wreath? Like Santa himself, it’s round and plump and comes with interesting little surprises. You can hang a wreath on a wall or a door, or lay it flat on a table. Heck, you can even hook one on a chair, a garden gate, or a newel post.
The best ones are homemade. Try it. Let a wreath express the personality of your home – modern and glitzy, old fashioned and charming, historically accurate, or cutting edge creative. What’s your style? How can your wreath emphasize your homes special-ness?
Starting Point
Years ago, it took me a few seasons of cranking out disappointing DIY wreaths before I realized, “It’s the base, stupid.”
The way you begin the wreath is the most important element in its design. A wreath base needs to be a sturdy framework, and a good background that is handsome enough to stand alone. No skimpy grapevine circles or pine branches tied to a wire coat hanger. Give it some body.
That’s why I love to use forms made of either foam or straw. Either one can be the start for this wreath made from strips of felt. It’s similar to the rag wreath I made for Spring.
Gather Supplies
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Wreath form
- Felt
- Ribbon
- Decorative clusters
The amount of felt you’ll need depends on the size of your wreath and how fluffy you want it to be.
One thing’s for certain: it’s cheaper to purchase felt by the yard than by the “craft square.” I know your color selection will be limited because craft stores sell more felt colors than fabric stores sell. I wanted a white background for this Christmas or Hanukkah wreath.
I’ve also made felt wreaths using a combination of felt colors (see below). Felt is easy to work with because it’s so well behaved. It’s a “pressed” rather than “woven” fabric, so it doesn’t unravel and doesn’t need hemming. I chose to cut this version with pinking shears for added interest.
Another thing is for certain: a wreath like this is a whole lot easier than the felt topiaries I made two years ago.
Another thing is for certain: a wreath like this is a whole lot easier than the felt topiaries I made two years ago.
Cut the white felt into strips that measure at least twice the circumference of your wreath form. Mine measured about 1.5 inches by 18 inches.
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| If you dont have pinking shears, no problem. Your wreath will still look pretty. These babies are fairly goof-proof. |
Three Layers
The first layer on this wreath is made of quilt batting. You don’t want any of the base material showing. I liked the fluffy white background in case there were any gaps between felt ties. The batting is rather snowlike, too.
There’s no need to secure the batting. The felt ties will hold it in place. Begin by tying one piece of felt, locating the knot slightly off center. Tie the next one snug up close to the first, with the knot slightly off center in the opposite direction. Alternating between these two knot positions makes the wreath look fuller.
This is the kind of work you can do while you watch your favorite Christmas movie. I doubt that you can mess it up, and if you do, the knot tying is reversible and tweak-able.
This is the kind of work you can do while you watch your favorite Christmas movie. I doubt that you can mess it up, and if you do, the knot tying is reversible and tweak-able.
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| Whether your base is straw or foam, covering it with a background material is always a good start towards producing a really finished look. However, if your base is a color similar to your felt and your ties are close together, a covering may be optional. |
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| Off-set each knot so that they dont line up around the center of the wreath. |
Place the Bow
Once you’ve gone around the full wreath circle with felt ties, tie on a ribbon. You can make one simple loop for hanging, or tie a single bow, or a full multi-loop bow. I like the bow tying tutorial Kristi gave on her site, Addicted 2 Decorating.
I always place one big bow before adding everything else, even though I know some designers add the bow last. I figure its the focal point, so why tack it on like an afterthought?
I prefer wired ribbon over grosgrain or satin ones because the wired edges make it look perky and stay perky.
Next, I add decorative picks that I’ve either made myself or bought. Heres your chance to get as quirky, sophisticated, artsy, or funky as you like. Just remember that you dont want to add anything too valuable or too distracting.
About Picks
I wrote last winter about how to wire a pick with natural trimmings. Wooden picks aren’t the best way to go with felt wreaths because they don’t pierce the felt.
Instead, you can use a variety of other methods for those finishing details. You can sew on decorations (like smaller bows, buttons, ornaments, and jewelry). I like the sewing method when I plan to dis-assemble and reclaim the decorations later.
I like to hot glue decorations like tiny toys and silk flowers onto the felt wreath when I know the wreath won’t be recycled. If you glue and want to recycle the wreath for another seasonal holiday, you can just remove the felt strip that has chunks of glue on it, and go on from there.
Thirdly, you can use straight dressmaker pins to attach decorations to the felt wreath. This method makes sense when the attachments are lightweight and would show glue or stitches. Pins hold firmly in foam, but not so well in straw.
The blue and white winter wreath I made this year features silver ornaments and glittery snowflakes that I stitched on, pine cones and magnolia cones that I painted and glued on, and bows that I pinned on.
Finally, use scissors to give your wreath a little styling, just the way your hair stylist finishes your haircut. Snip, fluff, and you’re done.
Hang It Up
Because felt isn’t exactly all-weather fabric, if you want to use this wreath outdoors, it needs to be in a protected area, like a porch, or on a door with a wide overhang above it. I usually hang it on a wide plastic or metal hook, but if you are hanging it on a small nail, you might want to make a loop of fishing line on the wreath.
Hang your wreath where it will call attention to a desirable feature of your home, or perhaps dress up an empty area in a foyer or hallway, or even a decluttered bathroom.
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| I like to randomly mix three shades of green for a felt wreath that looks like holly. Sort of. The "berries" are wooden beads sewn on. |
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| If you have a rotary cutter, a cutting mat, and a metal T-square, cutting felt strips for wreaths goes lickety split. These strips were cut from 9- x 12-inch felt squares. |
Given a choice I’ll choose a wreath over a garland, banner, or other holiday dress-up. Felt wreaths and rag wreaths are especially easy, economical, and fun to make. That’s the kind of project that calls out to me. You too?
Remember that a staged home – complete with a seasonal wreath welcoming visitors and prospective buyers – looks like a loved home, a well-maintained home. You can get more house-selling tips in my $4.99 eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and for Top Dollar.
I hope you’ll try your hand at one of these hardy, all-purpose wreaths. If so, please share your results with us here in the comments, or on our Facebook Group Page.
Make This Festive Felt Wreath
Festive Staging Prop Extrodinaire How to Make A Christmas Topiary
Festive Staging Prop Extrodinaire How to Make A Christmas Topiary
Even if you are staging an otherwise vacant property, a topiary never looks out of place. Use one to pretty up a kitchen island, add some color to a bathroom vanity, or decorate a mantel.
Last year I made topiaries from boxwood cuttings. This year I made some from felt circles, folded and pinned onto a foam ball. What I love about this DIY project is that it looks elegant but not formal.
The container has the appearance of antiqued silver, but its just a throw-away plastic flower pot. The edges of the felt are cut with pinking sheers, which I think adds an evergreen-like texture.
You can change the bow style and use your topiary at other times of the year as well -- pastel polka dots for springtime, multi-colored ribbons for summer, and raffia or burlap for autumn.
By then, youll be living in your next home, having sold your house thats now on the market!
The Container: What You Need
- 4-inch plastic flower pot
- Stones (or dried beans) to add weight the container
- Dry floral foam, enough to fill flower pot
- Scissors
- Marking pen that will show on side of container
- Glue gun and glue sticks
- Four or more thumbtacks (optional)
- Metallic silver spray paint
- Black craft paint
- 2-inch paint brush
- Disposable bowl
- Disposable latex gloves
- Rag
The Container: How to Do
Place stones in bottom of plastic container. Use a common, nursery flower pot that is flexible enough to withstand a thumbtack puncture without shattering. The stones will compensate for the top heavy ball of felt flowers.
Fit pieces of floral foam into container, creating a tight fit that will support the stick that is the stem of the topiary.
Using the marking pen, draw lines on the sides. You can use a strip of cardboard to guide you if you are not comfortable about drawing freehand. It doesn’t have to be precise.
Lay the container on its side. Heat the glue gun and trace the lines you made. With the glue gun, draw a swirl or star or an initial in the center of each side.
Practice with the glue gun on a scrap of cardboard if you are unsure of your design, and how much control you have with the gun.
Let the glue on each side harden for a few minutes before continuing on to another side. (Remember not to let the glue gun sit unattended if you have children or pets.) Prop the bottom of the container up with the pen if the pot is tapered so much that the hot glue will run down the side of the pot.
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| Your finished pot should look something like this. |
The best results come from wiping each side both horizontally and vertically after you have applied paint to the inside rim and all four sides, then dabbing with the rag to remove any streaking. Work quickly, and do not let the paint dry before you can dab it to the look you want.
The Topiary: What You Need
- 3-inch round glass or plastic cup
- 3-inch sphere or square of dry floral foam
- 2 9- x 12-inch pieces of medium green felt
- 1 9- x 12-inch piece of chartreuse green felt
- 1 9- x 12-inch piece of light green felt
- 1 9- x 12-inch piece of medium green felt
- 1 9- x 12-inch piece of olive green or blue green felt
- Ball point pen
- 72 straight pins
- Scissors
- Pinking shears (optional)
- 18-inch bamboo stick or straight branch, about ½ inch in diameter
- 4 feet wired ribbon
- Sheet moss or sphagnum
The Topiary: How to Do
Using the glass or clear plastic cup, and a ball point pen, trace 12 circles on each felt square. If there is a small amount of overlap, the circle can be slightly askew, but the edges should all the curved. I like using the clear container because youre able to see the entire circle as you draw it. Each sphere will take about 72 circles of felt -- more or less.
Using scissors, cut between the circles, so that you have 12 squares. I found cutting the felt into strips of four circles, and then cutting crosswise into individual squares makes the work go quickly.
Using the pinking sheers (or ordinary scissors), cut just inside the lines, so no ink shows on the edges of the circles.
I chose dry floral foam instead of white Styrofoam because it is easier to insert ordinary straight pins without wearing out your fingers. If you prefer Styrofoam, you can use pins with round heads. If using the square of floral foam rather than a sphere, use scissors and shave corners from the square until you have a roughly round sphere, about 3 inches in diameter
Mark the center bottom of the foam sphere with a small hole, where the topiary stem will go. Begin attaching your felt circles at the top, working in circles as you move down the sides of the sphere. I used the lightest greens at the top, but you might prefer a random pattern of mixed greens, or place the light ones in a band around the middle.
Alternate the direction of the individual circles as you go. You can fine tune the arrangement when you’ve got all the folded felt circles pinned on. Check that the hole you’ve made in the center bottom stays at the center of your design. Push the pins firmly into the foam.
Find the center bottom hole and insert the 18-inch stick straight into the bottom of the foam. Insert the other end into the foam in your antiqued silver container. If the stick is unsteady, add some hot glue to keep it centered, checking the position of the stick from all four sides to be sure it is perfectly perpendicular.
Cover the surface of the foam in the container with sphagnum or sheet moss. Tie or glue a bow made from the 4 feet of wired ribbon.
No pinking shears? No problem. You can still make a beautiful felt topiary, like the white one above (perfect for a wedding favor or centerpiece). And if you dont want to decorate with designs or thumbtacks, simple lines, like the ones in the fourth photo above, will still add the look of weight to your humble plastic flower pot.
Home staging props like topiaries are important elements of home staging. Props like pillows, lamps, books, and plants add the finishing touches to your staged spaces. Learn more about staging your own home for sale from my $4.99 ebook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar.
Festive Staging Prop Extrodinaire How to Make A Christmas Topiary
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