Snowman with Twig Hat Wreath Tutorial

10/29/15 Due to popular demand, this 2014 tutorial is being re-posted with some updates. Some items are sold out and no longer available, but alternatives have been suggested throughout the tutorial. Have fun! Supplies XX167926 10" Silver Pencil Wreath (Other colors can be used - here's a link to all the 10" Pencil Wreaths) XB94610-01 White Iridescent Snowball Mesh 10" This item is on order and arriving Dec 2015 - other styles of 10" mesh can be used. (Also we just posted a new tutorial showing how to use 21" mesh for a ruffle technique. See it here!) Here's a link to all our 10" mesh products. X7855 Large Iced Twig Snowman Head RA1367 1.5" Natural Loose Weave Burlap Ribbon 804009 2.5" Natural & Red Herringbone Ribbon - Sold out, no longer available RG180624 1.5" Natural Burlap Red Polka Dot Ribbon Alternative Ribbon Suggestions: X525640-01 Natural and Red Santa Face Ribbon X426140-15 Natural and Black Stripe Ribbon RG180627 Natural and White Polka Dot RG180602 Natural and Black Polka Dot RN481224 Natural and Red Chevron 860838 Chocolate and Tan Herringbone X521440-15 Natural and Burgundy X526009-12 Faux Burlap Red Cream Stripe X561840-15 Faux Burlap Red Black Plaid RG1708TH Deer Print with Snowflakes RN500824 Natural and Red Let it Snow Ruffle Technique This wreath was made using the ruffle technique. Strips of mesh were cut 10" in length from the White Iridescent Snowball Mesh. We use a 24" x 36" self healing Omnigrid Cutting Mat and a 45mm Omnigrid Rotary Cutter (these are available at Amazon and we have included our affiliate links.) This mesh is 10" in width and 10 yards in length. It is not recommended to split 21" mesh to make the squares. The more cut edges you have, the more raveling. All mesh products ravel. 10" strips were gathered up through the middle (selvage edges to outside) making a ruffle. Three ruffles were held pinched together in the center and place in one of the twist on the Pencil Wreath. You could use a White Pencil Wreath also for this project, we were just temporarily out of the white at the time of the tutorial. Close the twist tie with only a couple of turns right now, because you are going to add additional products later. Continue working around the Pencil Wreath laying down a cluster of three ruffles in each twist. It doesn't matter if you start on the inside ring or outside ring. Ribbon Strips Assorted ribbons were cut 12" in length. The ends of the ribbons were taped into a chevron cut by folding the side of the ribbon together and cutting at an angle. Cut from the folded side. Once the ribbons were cut, they were attached to the wreath alternating styles. Some were stacked two ribbons together and some were placed as single layers. The ribbons were pinched in the center, the twist opened up and the ribbon laid down on top of the mesh, the twist then re-secured with 3-4 turns. Snowman Head The snowman head can be attached by inserting a wooden floral pick or short dowel in the head from the bottom (put a bit of hot glue in the opening) or use a liberal amount of hot glue and attach to the wreath. You can secure the wooden dowel with zip ties. The head sort of rests on the top of the wreath, just push the ruffles to the sides to make a place to secure the head. If you have difficulty securing the head on the top of the wreath, you may have to drop it down in front of the wreath a big and run a wire through the back of the head, then secure to the wreath form. The Iced Twig Snowman Head comes in two different styles. The head is made of a crinkled paper and twig. The nose is laid over to the side and it's very lightweight making it a good choice for adding to a wreath. It's very pretty with its combination of white sparkly material and the natural twig and burlap. Second Version of the Snowman Wreath Next we took this same basic wreath, removed all the burlap ribbons and snowman head and started over! This wreath was created using different ribbons and a different head. The head was basically the same except it had a black hat instead of the twig hat. This snowman head is on order and arriving in 7-10 days. Ribbons included a combination of 1.5" and 2.5" in width and different colors. Ribbon strips were cut the same - 12" in length and ends trimmed with a chevron or fish-mouth finish. Ribbons were alternated around in the twists, some singles and some doubles. Alternative Ribbon Suggestions: X516140-21 Black Chalkboard with Snowflakes X525240-13 Red Black Brushed Plaid X527740-01 Red Black Buffalo Plaid X528140-21 Black White Red Ho Ho Ho X527240-21 Red Black Linen with Dots X430840-17 Emerald Red Two Sided X420940-01 Red Green Christmas Plaid R3527717 Red Black Plaid These are adorable wreaths and measure about 20 -21" in width and 26" or so in ht. You can make a basic white wreath like this, strip it down again and re-purpose it for another occasion too....just hang on it and add some silver/gold/black for New Years.....Red/Pink/Purple for Valentine's Day and so on! Save