Wreath season is in full swing!
If Buddy the Elf’s favourite thing is smiling, then wreath making has to be mine (apologies to anyone unfamiliar with the film Elf, but I couldn’t resist). I want to begin by emphasizing that there are many ways to construct a wreath as well as to attach materials. My intention is to give you an insight into my preferred method; however, I will acknowledge that it remains a process in constant refinement. My previous month’s blog explained the process for building your own wreath base using grapevine canes. I recommend a review prior to undertaking the following stages if you haven’t progressed beyond the base. So, that being said, I’ll assume that your wreath base is ready for attaching the floral materials.
1. If you are using a handmade base, such as a grapevine base as in my example pictured, I recommend binding the section that you intend to place materials beforehand. Handmade bases are often looser and more organic by design. If you attach your floral materials and bind at the same time, you run the risk of materials coming loose and falling out. By binding the base first, you create a firm foundation for adding flowers and foliage.
2. As far as what I use to bind the materials: there are several options. I prefer to use raffia because it’s a natural product and it provides a very neat look to the reverse side of the wreath by concealing your mechanics; however, you could use wire or twine. Wire can be particularly effective when attaching fresh flowers and foliage that are designed to naturally dry as the wreath ages. Wire, of course, creates the strongest bind, which is necessary to prevent fresh materials from falling out as they dry and shrink with evaporation. The trade-off with wire is that it will rust; a state that will occur faster when working with fresh florals and less likely with dried. So, the binding mechanism comes down to what you feel comfortable with as well as a question of your flower/foliage selection. In my demo, I’m using raffia for my dried flower wreath.
3. When I begin adding flowers and foliage, I like to create a collection of mini posies, ensuring that I have lots of variety and visual interest in my selections. I then attach the posies on alternating diagonals as I progress downwards along the length of the wreath base, binding as I go.
4. I usually aim to cover roughly one third of the wreath base with my floral design; however, this is completely dictated by your creative vision.
5. Once I have decided on an end point, I add a decorative element to conceal my binding mechanics. In my demo, I have opted for something more understated with the use of twine, but you could make a decorative statement with an abundant length of flowing ribbon.
Christmas Wreath Ingredient List – silver dollar gum, polly gum, bracken fern, millet grass, brown rush, love grass, asparagus fern, wheat, teasel, leucadendron nuts, rice flower, bunny tails, and strawflower.
Tess xx
1 comment
Detailed, interesting and amusing! Love it x