How to Make a Christmas Door Wreath (or join my workshop, see below !)
Ingredients (this is the bit where readers will get stuck as you can never find the ingredients, soooooo below is the free range option …)
Wire ring 12inches diameter (if you can’t find one, a smaller one is fine too just make the ingredients have a longer stem when you add it.
Sphagnum moss & reel wire
Ferns, Senecio, Dried Spirea, Dried Hydrangea heads, White spray roses, dried honesty, dried limonium (ingredients for the one in the photo above)
Festive ribbon or raffia
OR you can decide on your own mix , the Free Range option e.g. go out into the garden or a friend’s garden or the market place and look for
a focal flower ,e.g. a rose or an amaryllis they are available at xmas, NB If you choose a flower then you need to have a water tube or replace the flower when it starts to fade. Or use flowers such as white carnations or roses that will last for a long time.
something evergreen, find about 3 different shapes and textures e.g. ferns
then look for the detail items such as red or white Poinsettia leaves, twigs, cones, dried chillis , dried lemons oranges , chillis or cinnamon sticks .
try to keep the same colour scheme so it doesnt look too random
Method
Take the wire ring and add a loop of twine at the top of the wreath (this is so you can hang it on a nail)
Next take the reel wire and wind it round a small section of the outer wire of the ring to secure it
And then grab handfuls of moss and make them into balls and using the anchored reel wire start to wind it round the outer and inner wire of the frame. It will feel a bit of a mess at first but keep going. The good thing is you can add more if you dont think its thick enough.
Keep adding handfuls of moss and wind round the reel wire until you have made a nice firm circle of moss.
Go around again with the wire if there are any loose bits, test out the density of the moss by pushing a stem of foliage into the moss and see if it is well anchored.
Next add foliage to cover the wreath and make sure you add some to the edges put the stems in the same way so they form a spiral and you have the stems at 45 degreee to the wreath all the way round . Nothing pointing in the opposite direction.
Divide the wreath into three areas and begin to add a focal flower e.g. a cluster of roses , say 3 small ones, then some hydrangea and senecio. If the stems aren’t strong enough say on the dried material, make a little bunch of chosen material and wind some wire around the bunch and leave a stalk of wire that can then be pushed into the moss.
If you can make 3 focal points on your wreath with material ,the spaces in between can be filled with smaller material such as lunaria or small green leaved foliage .
Here I have added ferns at the back to add extra texture
For an alternative, slice up lemons, oranges and dry them in the oven, add dried chillis, cinnamon sticks and seeds pod heads.
Finish off with a ribbon or raffia tied in a bow at the top .
And that’s all there is too it! Oh yes…you’ll need to hang it on the door!
Please join me at my studio in Balsham, Cambridge for a Christmas Wreath Making workshops
click on this link for tickets See you there !
Merry Christmas x
Or if are preparing for a wedding why not join my DIY Wedding Flower workshops, or if you fancy a go at floristry try my Sustainable Floristry Workshop for Beginners.