How to Make a Wreath

I love wreaths. Are you with me there? I can’t wait to have a front door (I live in a condo right now) where I can have beautiful wreaths on my door all throughout the year. I’ll proudly take on the title of ‘Crazy Wreath Lady’ on the street! For years I have wondered how to make a wreath form out of grapevines. I don’t know why I didn’t just get out there and do it because boy oh boy, it’s really easy. This year, it seemed like the perfect DIY fall decor project to take on. With so many perennials out in the garden starting to dry out I was inspired to get out there and learn once and for all how to make a wreath out of grapevines! Keep on reading for the simple step-by-step instructions on how to make a wreath!

This DIY Fall decor project was made using just materials from my garden. Take a look in your garden or your local garden centre (or even along the sides of rural roads) for drying out perennials like grasses and hydrangea. Always be careful when cutting plants to stick to ones that you are familiar with and that grow in abundance. I bet you too will find materials just waiting to be made into something beautiful!

In the mood for another DIY Fall Decor Project? Check out our Fall Planter Tutorial!

DIY Fall Decor – Materials Needed to Make a Wreath

• 25′ of grapevine
• thin wire
• pruning sheers
• dried flowers and plants

 

How to Make A Wreath – Part 1: Gather Grapevines!

Of course, the first step is to gather grapevines. Timing is key when it comes to cutting grapevines. You can cut them in the late summer when they are still green or the early fall when they are brown but not fully hardened yet. If you wait too long the grapevines harden and basically become sticks which are no good for bending.

In Ontario wild grapevines run rampant. Luckily for me, I had some growing right on my studio walls. However, I also went on a walk along the railroad tracks by my house and cut some because I knew there was a huge stand of them out there. To make one grapevine wreath used about 25+ linear feet of grape vine. If you aren’t able to get your hands on any grapevines to make your wreath most craft stores sell pre-made grapevine forms which are great!

1. Gather Grapevines
2. Remove all the leaves

 

How to Make a Wreath – Part 2: Form Your Grapevines

Now that you have your cleaned grapevines, choose your longest length of grapevine. Mine was about 5′ long. Form this length of grapevine into a circle that is the size that you would like your wreath. My homemade wreath is 12″ in diameter. With the remainder of the length of grapevine, twine it around that initial circle. This will build your wreath form to be bigger and stronger. The image above on the left shows what the wreath looks like with just one length of grapevine. Next, using another length of grapevine, do the same action and wrap the length of grapevine around and around your initial circle form. You may need to use a thin wire to attach your second (and any sequential) piece of grapevine at either end. I was able to just tuck each end into the wreath and it held very well. In the end all the grapevines seem to hold each other in place.

Repeat this wrapping motion with your grapevines until your wreath is the thickness you would like. As you add grapevines you can gently shape your wreath with your hands if it becomes uneven and you can also add more grapevines in areas where it is feeling thin.

How to Make a Wreath – Part 3: Pick Your Flowers

I went through my garden to pick flowers that I know dry well. I used hydrangea (2 types), astilbe, black eyed susans, and grasses which are all sure winners. Other garden plants that dry well are: thistle, rose hips, echinacea, lavender, crabapples, sedum, fallen twigs, and anything evergreen like cedar or pine. These flowers all dry out naturally on the plant in the fall so it is best to wait until they are dried to cut them.

How to Make a Wreath – Part 4: Decorate it!

Start with The Bulkiest Elements

To attach your flowers the the wreath you can either use thin wire, hot glue, or you can just stick them into the wreath and weave their stems around the grapevine to make sure they are secure. Hot glue is really easy but if you wish to use your form again in the future then the other methods are better so that you can easily remove the dry elements and start fresh.

Start with your bulkiest/biggest elements. In my case that was the 2 kinds of hydrangea – peegee (pink) and annabelle (green). I chose to put the focus of my wreath in the bottom right corner. I only had 2 green anabelle hydrangea so I put those in the focal area because they are bright and have a big bloom. Perfect focal element! I had quite a few stems of the pink peegee hydrangea so I used them to outline the shape in which I would add the dry elements. Again, I put the biggest blooms in the bottom right corner and let the blooms get smaller and fade out as they were placed around the wreath, radiating out from that focal spot.

 Add in the ‘Fluff’

I love everything to have a bit of whimsy so adding some fluffy elements is a must. The image on the left shows the addition of dried out astilbe heads from the garden and the image on the right shows the addition of grasses. These elements give your wreath more of a playful vibe.

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Do you Love Wreaths Like I do? Check out these Other Wreath Posts on Threads & Blooms:

• DIY Spring Wreath
• Halloween Wreath 
• Christmas Wreath Ideas

 

Add in Something ‘Sticky’

The final step is to add some very light elements that can float far off of your wreath. I used the black eyed susan seed heads but rose hips or fallen twigs would work great for this too.

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UPDATE: check out our video on how to make a grapevine wreath!

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So, what do you think? Are you ready to make your own grapevine wreath? Let me know in the comments what DIY fall decor projects you’re working on this year!

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