LisaKramerArtLifestyle: I wanted to make new Autumn Wreaths for this Halloween; A how to fabric & wire wreaths

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

I wanted to make new Autumn Wreaths for this Halloween; A how to fabric & wire wreaths

I made two new wreaths this year... my old Halloween wreaths were getting shabby. Instructions on how to make an easy wreath.

Daytime photo above, nighttime photo below.

Note: For how to convert these Autumn wreaths to Thanksgiving, see blog: http://lisakramerartlifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/11/autumn-thanksgiving-wreaths-easy-how-to.html

Double duty for these easy wire wreaths, multiple holidays in one! Ta Da!

Supplies needed:

Two wire wreaths:

About 5 different fabrics in autumn or halloween colors, Here are the ones that I chose pictured in the above photo with my cat, Bagheera. I decided on two darker ones, and three lighter. My little helper fits in well with the holiday theme. Both cats loved helping me cut the strips, lol anything string like and they are right in the middle of whatever I am doing.

Pinking sheers.

Two wooden welcome plaques for halloween greetings (handmade by using acrylic paint on wood or store bought). While shopping at Kroger yesterday, I noted some very cute wooden welcome plaques for $2.59. They would work really well. I didn't buy them to show you, because I already had these two plaques ready to go.
Small halloween items like my 2 small candelabra's.

Any Halloween decore will work. Pumpkins, ghosts, black cats or go really scary. Whatever is your favorite type of "welcome".

Wire, see the wire holding the candelabra:

Some type of halloween garland. (Optional).

The garland I used can be made (It's just beads on wires and brown florist tape on the wire) or you can use store bought garlands of any halloween kind. ;-)

I took down my summer wreaths today and put up the new autumn ones.

First I had to pick out fabric that I thought looked like autumn colors. It does not matter what is on the fabric. What you choose is more based on color, or what you just have on hand. Hum, my shelf is messy, looks like the kids were in here. ;-)

I chose these three fabrics to start:

Take pinking sheers to cut out strips of fabric because the sawtooth instead of a straight edge will prevent fraying of the material. It looks like a small zigzag edge. I cut eleven inch strips. Basically a bolt of fabric cut horizontal and with that long strip, cut in half, making two strips.

See the fold in the fabric? Cut in that direction once, getting a strip of about 22 inches long, and then cut that in half is the easiest way to do it... but it does not matter how you obtain your strips.

I chose and cut three lighter shade fabrics of orange, yellow, and red.

Two wire wreath frames can be obtained from any craft store. I purchased these from Michaels:

Begin by tying strips onto inner circle. Starting with the smallest circle, use six strips for section. Just fold strip over like this:

Then simply tie it once, no need to knot it. Note the horizontal wire separating sections.

Six Strips, wire one.

Now all three colors are on the wire, repeating a pattern, each section has six strips, two strips of each fabric print. Alternate the three fabrics:

First wire, inner circle done. Now ready to move to second wire ring.

My other cat, Mooshu taking a break from "helping" me with the fabric strips. Cutting the strips with his whiskers in the way was a task, lol.

Seven strips, wire two.

Cutting darker two fabric's into strips so I can now alternate five differnt fabrics. You can use as many different fabrics that you chose, 1 to 10... there is no wrong way. Now I am ready to begin ring two. Alternating pattern with seven strips, (increasing by one strip per section because ring is getting bigger).

Begining with wire two:

Working on wire two I am alternating the lighter and darker fabrics into a consistent pattern. It does not matter the pattern you choose to repeat.

Wire two finished and starting to work on ring wire three; I will be using eight strips now.

Bagherra still helping. He looks so Halloween. I bought him a skeleton costume last year, but it was too small. Both cats have been on a diet due to the over weight factor, lol.

Eight strips, wire three.

Wire three finished:

I'm using the cats to break up the monotomy of this How-To. Lol, They are intermissions:

See those long white whiskers? While cutting the fabric strips, he would get his face right up to the sheers while I was trying to cut, --so that he could play or see what what going on, lol! Big helpers with most projects. Pets are fun.

Nine strips, wire four (outside wire).

Now on to ring four. Use nine strips:

Working on last wire in this picture above.

Finishing last wire four, see outside ring almost completed.

Back side of one finished wreath.

The next step is to poke all the strips to one side of the wreath, leaving the back side without all the hanging strips.

Now do it all again to a second wire wreath:

After poking them all to one side, you can add your decorations by using any type of wire. I used two guages; a thinner gauge for the candelabra, because the hole at the top was so small.

One of the plaques:

The candelabra, garland and plaque I used on the "Spook" wreath can all be seen in this one picture:

Bagherra intently watching the wreath process. He is wanting attention, a lap cat, lol.

Spook Wreath:

Picture more blurry in this one, but it is lighter... the candelabra and garland are more visible here:

Here are close up pictures of the other "Boo" wreath's decorations:

Boo Wreath:

Just wrap the garland around the wreath, securing wired ends inside the back of the frame:

These decorations can be changed after halloween --just take off whatever you added for the holiday, --leaving the autumn wreath decorations up until Thanksgiving. Add a turkey, pilgrim, horn, corn, or acorn, lol...yes, I'm in rhyme to be silly. Or just leave the wreath in simple autumn colors.

You can handpaint your own wooden plaque or buy one. Today I saw some adorable plaques at Kroger for $2.59 each. They would be perfect for this project. I already had these ready to go, so I didn't purchase them.