This everyday welcome wreath was based on the shades of rose gold. Very, very popular at market again this year. This wreath works for any season, anytime and was easy to make!
SuppliesXX751140 24" Chocolate Metallic Pencil Wreath
AP0131 Welcome Sign Sold out
XB90510-34 10" Rose Gold Metallic Mesh (21" Mesh is available, you could do the pouf technique and use the striped mesh for ruffles on top of the poufs - XB905-34)
XB99410-26 10" Ivory Rose Gold Stripe Mesh
C1740317 2.5" Gold Champagne Metallic Ribbon Sold out C1740334(Here is a gold embossed ribbon that is very similar )
C1740360 2.5" Tan Check Ribbon (available in kit only) (Here's a stripe that might work well C1740140)
X711509-38 1.5" Chocolate Canvas Stitched Edge Ribbon
A limited number of kits will be available that includes the above supplies. Note: Kits have sold out, but some of the individual products may still be available or you can substitute items.Please Note: We will leave our tutorial up even after supplies may be sold out since the basic instructions can be followed for wreaths using other styles of mesh, ribbons, and embellishments. If you click on the products above and get a "dead" link, it means that product is sold out and no more coming in.
Summary24" Chocolate Metallic Work Wreath (other colors could be used) The 24" wreath actually measures 15" across the widest ring, but with the addition of mesh and other products, you wind up with a wreath that measures 24" or greater.
We chose chocolate so the twists would add a little contrast. If you had rather the twist not to show, you can tuck them to the inside when finished.
Rose Gold Mesh: A solid rose gold mesh 10" in width and an ivory rose gold strip was chosen for this project. You could use other colors of mesh of course, just stay within the 10" wide group.
I would not recommend splitting a 21" mesh to make 10" ruffles since the more cut edges you have, the more raveling. You will have some strings and you can clip (not pull) them at the end. All mesh products ravel.
The ruffle technique was used for this wreath. A 24" wreath contains 18 twists so 54 pieces of mesh were needed. Ruffles were cut into 10" squares. You can decide if you had rather had more solid color in your wreath or more stripe.
To do the ruffle technique we used a cluster of three ruffles in each twist. Two solid ruffles and one striped.
We started out by cutting the ruffles using two layers of mesh. This is very easy to do when you use a cutting mat and rotary cutter. These two tools are very time saving and easy on the hands. The mat is a "self-healing" mat and we've been using this one for several years now. The rotary cutter blades can be changed and you can purchase both the mat, cutter and extra blades at Amazon. The links in this paragraph include our Amazon affiliate links.
Ruffle Technique: To make a ruffle, just lay the 10" x 10" piece of mesh down on the table, let it curl up naturally. Flatten it out slightly and starting at the cut edge (selvage edges to the sides) pinch up or gather up through the center and hold it pinched. It will look like a little bow tie.
Make three ruffles and hold them together as a cluster. Don't stack the ruffles right on top of each other, angle them a bit when you hold them in your hand.
We started on the outer ring of the wreath and secured the cluster of three ruffles in a twist. Just give the twist a couple of turns to secure.
It really doesn't matter if you start on the inside ring or outside, just do whichever is easiest for you, but generally starting on the outer ring using the ruffle technique is easier, otherwise you have to sort of lift up the ruffles if you had started on the inner ring. We didn't cut quite enough solid mesh so we can to cut more. I really think Carrie and Rachel just liked playing with the tools!
Once the outer ring is done, move to the inner ring and continue with a cluster of three ruffles in each twist. Don't despair if when you finish the outer ring you think the mesh looks to thin, it will have better coverage once you add the ruffles to the inner ring, and you still have ribbons to add too))
Ribbon Strips: Next we added the ribbon strips. We had chosen three styles of ribbon. We had two styles 2.5" in width and one 1.5" You could select any number of styles of ribbon for this project, just vary the widths. It's always a good idea to do a test ribbon strip before you start cutting up your ribbon. We started out with a 12" piece, but decided on 13" instead. It's also easier to always work with wired ribbons.
Eighteen pieces of 13" lengths were cut from each roll of ribbon. Also, you can add ribbon in other ways instead of ribbon strips if you like. You can make loops, bows. etc. Just experiment with what you like best.
The ruffle technique and ribbon strips is one of the easiest technique for a beginner since the wreath comes out nice and even and so will the ribbon strips. Unless you do like we do sometime and get off on our measuring! If you have any strips that are a tad too long when you're finished, just snip them off and even things up.
Rachel cut the gold ribbon ends into points, chevron or dovetail cut and just angled the other ribbons. A cluster of ribbons using each one of the ribbons was secured to the wreath. The chocolate ribbon we used had a stitched edge. This ribbon would look good as just a loop instead of making ribbon strips too, since the edge is overcast. Just another option))
It's important when securing the ribbon cluster, to un-do the twist, make sure the ruffles stay in place, lay the ribbon cluster down and re-secure the twist now with three or four turns. Anytime you're adding your last layer of materials to a wreath, you can secure that twist with more turns. If you do not want the twist to show at this point, you can tuck them toward the inside of the wreath. We chose to let the ends show for a little contrast.
Sign: The sign was added last. That is just optional, you can add the sign before you do the ribbon strips also. This metal sign had a wire hanger and the sign was positioned and the twists on the wreath used to secure the sign in three places along the hanger. It helps to hang the wreath on the wall or something so you can tell better where you need to place your sign. You can put it directly in the center, angled, or off to the side.
You could also secure the sign directly to the work wreath frame with a couple of zip ties, chenille stems or floral wire. Just experiment with the method you like best and whatever hold your sign in place best. Sometimes you might even need to punch a little hole in a metal sign on the sides to thread a wire through. Each type of sign you add is different, but punching a hole in a metal sign is one way to secure if needed. If your sign is wood and doesn't have anything to secure it with, sometimes you can use tiny little eye screws on the back.
Clean Up: The last step is to fluff your ribbons, make sure they are all facing right side up, clip your strings and check the back of your wreath for any sharp edges. Sometimes were the twists are secured there can be sharp places that might scratch your door or wall. Cover them with tape if you need to, or take a pair of needle nose pliers and twist any sharp edges toward the center of the wreath. You might want to fluff your ribbons last, because if you turn if over and lay it face down to check the back of your wreath, you'll smash your ribbons))
You can make a hanger for your wreath using chenille stems, zip ties or floral wire.
This wreath measured about 26" to 28" in width. You could always add a bow if you like, there should be enough ribbon left for a nice bow or you could use remnants on another project. You should have just a little bit of mesh left over, not enough to do much with but you might could use it in a bow or something.
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