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on all orders over $99
U.S. Orders Only (lower 48 states)
Note: We will have a few kits with all the supplies, but as these sell out, we will still leave the tutorial up since you can select different products and still follow the basic instructions.
Kits are sold out.
Supplies:
MTX48638 Santa Pieces - this style available only in kit - other Santa pieces are available. Click here.
XX751124 Red 24" Work Wreath - 1
XB98510-20 10" Black/White Fabric Mesh Roll - 2 rolls
R3427719 4” RAZ Chalkboard Ribbon - 1 Sold Out
X533840-15 2.5” Santa Belt Ribbon – 1
X645640-18 2” Sleigh Ribbon – 1 Sold Out
C1640040 2.5” Red Felt Glitter Snowmen Ribbon – 1 Sold Out
A 24" pencil work wreath was used for this project. You could use a work wreath or a pencil wreath and you could use a different color. Our 24" wreaths actually measure 15" across the widest ring. With the addition of mesh and other products, you wind up with a finished wreath of 24" or larger.
Cut your mesh. The mesh we used is a new product for this. It's a combination of polypropylene, jute and polyester. This combination really gives the mesh more of a fabric feel versus plastic. It didn't seem to ravel as much, even though all mesh products do ravel. The fabric mesh is 10" in width and 10 yards to a roll.
Cut the 10" mesh into 10" lengths. You can cut your mesh with a rotary cutter like we used, or scissors. Any way you cut mesh, it will still ravel. We cut two layers at a time to speed things up. We keep a 24" x 36" self healing Omnigrid cutting mat on the table.
The ruffle technique was used. Let the cut piece of mesh roll up into it's natural position.
Lay the mesh down and scrunch up through the center of the mesh at the cut edge, having the selvage or uncut edges to the sides.
Pinch the ruffle in the center.
Take a cluster of three ruffles and attach in a twist. We started on the outside, but it doesn't matter if you start on the outside or inside, just your preference.
Secure the cluster in a twist by giving the twist a couple of turns. Continue to work around the outer ring adding a cluster of three curls to each twist. Then move to the inner ring and continue adding clusters.
Sorry my shirt matched the mesh!
Our next step was to cut ribbon strips. It's always a good idea to test your ribbon length before you start cutting up your ribbon. We chose four different Christmas ribbons for this project. You can choose other colors, other sizes.
We cut our ribbons 12" in length after our 12" test strip looked okay. To attach a ribbon strip you just pinch it in the center, open up a twist, lay the ribbon strip down (face up) and re-secure. If this is the last layer of items you are adding to your wreath, you can give the twist 3-4 turns now.
Ribbons can be added to your wreath in many different ways. You can use as little or as much ribbon as you like. We chose a pattern of using two ribbons together and placed them in every other twist. Then we went back with the other two ribbons and filled in the remaining twist. But this is just an option.
Before we added our ribbons, we did a chevron cut to the ends. You can do this, or just angle the ends, just whichever way you prefer. To do a chevron cut, fold your 12" piece of ribbon in half, then fold again lengthwise, cut on the fold edge away from you to make the chevron finish.
The most import thing about adding ribbon strips is to open up the twist, make sure the curls stay in place, and lay your ribbon cluster down on top of the curls. Then re-secure the twist. Make sure your ribbons are face up.
After the ribbons have been placed, you can position the Santa Pieces. The Santa head has two wooden pegs that can be used to attach to the wreath frame using zip ties or chenille stems.
I helps to hang your wreath to get an idea where you want to position your pieces. The Santa beard will hang up on the mesh, so handle it gently.
We positioned the head on the front of the wreath, and slipped the pegs through the metal rings and secured from the back with zip ties.
The arms were tucked into the side and attached to the wreath frame with zip ties.
The legs were secured from the back using zip ties around the plush part of the legs to keep them from slipping around. The Santa legs are the dangling style and do not contain wire. But, we had some wire that was about the gauge of a coat hanger so we made a little hole in the top of the legs and ran the wire down through the leg. This is an optional step, but adding the wire worked okay. A wire coat hanger straightened out would work okay for this.
After your wreath is completed, fluff out your ribbons and clip any strings. It's helpful to clip strings versus pull them. Stand back and look at your wreath and if you need to add more ribbon, just keep adding until you are happy with it)))
You can make a hanger for the wreath by putting a couple of zip ties or chenille stems together as a hanger. Don't forget to check the back for any sharp edges that might scratch your door.
The wreath measured about 25" in width, not counting the Santa pieces.
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