Wreaths are as much a part of the holidays as Christmas
trees and gift-giving. Making a wreath is also a great family
activity (for some a Holiday tradition), and something that
doesn't require a lot of time or skill. In an afternoon, you
can easily clip and wire pine onto a frame and produce a wreath
that's ready to hang. Your kids will love working with the
fragrant greens and being able to make wreaths even prettier
than store-bought ones. So clear a large space in your living
room, put some Christmas music in the CD palyer, and get ready
to be immersed in the Christmas spirit.
Tips
Adorning the Wreath
After the hard work of tying on greens, it's time to
decorate your wreath. You and your kids can wire on all sorts of
adornments: pinecones (plain, painted or glitter-covered),
acorns, small bells, Christmas ornaments, seashells or toy
soldiers. You can also use ribbon to tie on decorations--such as
cookie cutters--or wrap the wreath with a special garland.
Consider the wreath your palette and decorate it in whatever
style suits your family. I let my kids decide for themselves, and
every year the final products are different.
To hang the wreath, slip thin red ribbon around the top of
the wreath frame (a bit of green wire is less conspicuous), and
hang it from a screw, nail or hook.
| Prep Time: About 2 to 3 hours | |
| What you need: | |
| 1 to 2 large bundles of hemlock, spruce, Douglas fir or a
combination
1 bundle of holly 1 wreath frame (metal or Styrofoam) Garden clippers Wire clippers Spool of fine green wire 2 yards of wide red ribbon | |
| Seasons: Christmas | |
| Materials: wire | |
| Instructions: | |
| 1. | Preparing the greens. Take the large boughs and cut the
limbs into many 6- to 8-inch pieces (kids old enough to handle
clippers can help). Don't worry about trimming irregularly shaped
pieces--you want a natural look and can use nearly everything
except the thick central branch. You may want to cut the holly,
too, but keep it in a separate pile. It's expensive, so use it
sparingly. Also, cut about twenty 15-inch pieces of wire and put
them nearby (I suggest a parent do this job). Watch out--they're
easily lost as the clutter spreads.
|
| 2. | Begin to make bunches of evergreens. Use the sturdy pieces from the base of the branches for the back of my bunch; they provide support but are fairly well hidden. You'll see that the tips of the branches are symmetrical and prettier because they haven't been cut. As you gather, say, four or five pieces for your bunch, place these sections near the front where they will be the most visible. Better yet, offer them to your kids because they look so nice and work with the less desirable pieces yourself. |
| 3. | Wiring the wreath. When you have formed a nice, thick bunch
of greens, hold them down against the frame with one hand and
take a piece of wire in the other. Place the greens in position
and lay the wire across the bundle, about two-thirds of the way
from the top. Now, holding the bunch in place with the wire (one
end in each hand), carefully turn over the frame and tighten and
twist the wire. That is the tricky part for kids--it can result
in moans of frustration, so be ready to help. If you are using a
metal frame, clip off any excess wire. With a Styrofoam frame,
you can simply press it into the Styrofoam.
|
| 4. | Adding the holly. Attach the second bunch of greens in the
same way, except add a sprig of holly in the front where it can
easily be seen. You can create your own patterns with
holly--adding it to every bunch or every two or three. (I don't
recommend forming bundles entirely from holly; it's prickly to
handle, costly, and the result will probably not be as full as
your bunches of evergreen.) Place the bundle in the same
direction as the first one; the second overlaps the first so that
only about a third of the underlying bunch is visible. If kids
put the bundles farther apart in their haste to cover the frame
quickly, they'll end up with a thin wreath that has an uneven
circumference.
|
| 5. | Closing the circle. Repeat steps 1 to 3 as many times as
needed to work my way around the wreath. A frame 16 inches in
diameter will require about 12 bunches. Where my last bunch meets
up with my first, there is often a spot that is less full than
the rest of the wreath. It's an ideal place to tie a ribbon.
|
| 6. | Folding the bow. I like a bow with many loops because it shows up well and hangs naturally. (Pre-tied bows are also available in craft stores.) Take 2 yards of red ribbon, about one to two inches wide, and loop it back and forth, pinching it between thumb and forefinger at the middle to retain the loops. |
| 7. | Wiring on the bow. Take a piece of wire, run it once around
the bow and wrap the two ends around the wreath, twisting it in
the back. Older kids can try this step but may need some help.
You can reuse the same ribbon year after year--just remove the
wire, iron the ribbon and start again.
|
© FamilyFun. All rights reserved.
