On the Christmas tradition of wreath making

Wreath making has both pagan and Christian roots. As we near midwinter, we naturally bring greenery into our homes to remind ourselves that spring is not far and to give ourselves hope of new life. The wreath shape we sometimes arrange our greenery in suggests eternity, the circularity of life and renewal.

At Christmas we open the doors of our homes to friends and family as we come together to celebrate, and so we decorate our front door with a Christmas wreath as a symbol of hospitality.

Making your own Christmas wreath is such a creative and rewarding activity, I highly recommend doing it with at least one other person. It is surprisingly easy to make a wreath that looks impressive if you adhere to a few simple guidelines.

Wreath making tips and guidelines

1. Decide where your wreath is going to live - if it is going to hang on your front door, work out how you are going to hang it (see hanging tips below).

   
   

2. Think about a theme and colour palette - do you want your wreath to be rustic/natural, modern, whimsical, understated or maximalist? Answer the question: bow or no bow? If incorporating different colours try to limit the total to about three where one colour is the ‘hero’ which should dominate, a second colour supports it and the third is an accent colour, to be used only minimally to add interest.

   
   

3. Overlap materials - this is partly to hide wires and the cut ends of your stems, but partly because overlapping materials creates a fuller, more lavish wreath. It should look like the stems are actually growing naturally out of your wreath.

   
   

4. Use odd numbers - while even numbers create symmetry and predictability, odd numbers create interest and energy by encouraging our eyes to move. Consider this design rule when deciding which embellishments should go where - choose three, five or seven (if they are small) and space them out on your wreath accordingly.

   
   

5. Make bunches - cut your foliage into hand-sized pieces stems and arrange them in fan-shaped bunches before you tie them to the wreath. This way you can group them by type of foliage, colour and structure. You can lay these out in a circle in front of you to help you decide which should go where on your wreath.

   
   

6. Create variety - for the same reason that we are using odd numbers, we create interest by varying the way in which items are positioned. Allow some stems to protrude more than others, and use different angles when positioning stems, while making sure the whole base is covered.

   
   

7. Take breaks and step back - have a sip of tea or coffee now and then to give you a break. Not only does this give you a minute to breathe, but it also allows you to step back and look at your wreath from a distance (as well as other people’s wreaths, if you are doing it with others). As with everything I design, I find that it helps me to look at the mirror image of what I’m creating. Your eyes/brain get so used to looking at what you are working on, they become kind of blind to it. If you flip the image over, you are allowing your brain to register what you’re seeing as something new - you look at it ‘with fresh eyes’ - and you will be able to assess where you might make small adjustments to improve the overall design. You don’t need to carry a mirror around with you - just take a photo on your phone and flip the image horizontally to get the mirror image.

   
   

8. Know when to stop - don’t be tempted to add more and more foliage and embellishments to your wreath, even if there is a lot available. Overloading your wreath can make it too heavy - both visually and physically. The perfectionist in you might also come through in moving things around on your wreath until you have found the perfect position, but be careful not to unsettle your creation by loosening sprigs and wires. I could have gone on fiddling with my wreath yesterday, but I just got to a point where I felt I just wanted to say 'yes' to it.

Materials you can use for a Christmas wreath - forage everywhere!

From the woods:

• Moss

• Pine

• Conifer

• Holly

• Ivy

• Sprigs of berries

• Pinecones

• Nuts

• Acorns

From the garden:

• Dried flowers - hydrangeas, yarrow, thistles, strawflowers or lavender

• Seed heads from flowers like poppy or nigella, lunaria or lotus flowers.

From your craft cupboard:

• Ribbons and bows

• Burlap

• Twine

• Hessian

• Paper embellishments (only for indoor wreaths)

From the kitchen:

• Dried/dehydrated oranges, limes or lemons (you can either dry them in slices, peel off thin strips of zest and then dry the whole fruit for a bauble-like embellishment)

• Bundles of cinnamon sticks

• Star anise

From your loft or garage:

• Twinkly lights can make a wreath stand out at night.

• Christmas ornaments like small baubles or wooden decorations.

• You can also add items that are personal to you like old jingle bells or small baubles handed down to you, though I would caution only to add items of sentimental value if you know the wreath is safe where you hang it.

Some notes on foraging

The first thing to bear in mind when foraging anything is that you may need to obtain permission from the landowner - we often assume that nature is there for the taking, but every field and piece of woodland with a public footpath through it does belong to somebody, so it’s a good idea to find out what you can and can’t do first.

The best way to forage sustainably is to do it while going for a walk rather than gathering everything from one plant or location. Carry tools with you such as a pair of sharp secateurs, so that when taking cuttings you can do it without hurting the mother plant. You should only pick from plants that look healthy and old enough to recover and that aren’t rare.

Take only what you need and leave enough behind for wildlife.

If you are using foraged plants, place them in a bucket of water in a cool space before you need them - this gives the plants an opportunity to drink up plenty of water, preventing any foliage from drooping as it dries out. It also gives any insects hiding in the leaves a chance to make an exit - shake branches and twigs lightly before using them for that same reason.

Tools and other materials

• Secateurs - to cut your foliage to size

• Wire cutter - this is optional (if you have good secateurs that you don't want to damage)

• Floristry wire - this is used to attach the foliage to the wreath base by wrapping.

• Mossing pins - also called floral U-pins, these are U shaped metal brackets that you can insert into a straw wreath at the end to add embellishments or to fill out the wreath where you feel it’s missing something.

• Gloves - when working with pine/conifer stems, it helps to have a pair of gardening gloves on, because the stems can be prickly and they also release wax which can stick to your skin. Holly leaves can also be vicious.

• Apron - especially if you are working from a moss base, which has bits of soil in it and can be quite damp, an apron is useful to protect your clothes and you can also wipe your hands in it.

Which wreath base should you choose?

Wire/moss base

All you need is a metal/wire frame, and some moss from your garden, or the woods (see notes on foraging above). Pile the moss on top of the wire base and wrap floristry wire around it to keep it in place.

The moss (and the soil it comes with) provides moisture for your foliage to stay fresh, but the downside is that moss can make your wreath quite heavy, and it also makes the whole activity a rather messy affair.

Straw base

A straw base can be cost effective if you can make it yourself, but it is a bit trickier than making a moss base. I haven’t actually attempted this myself, but I imagine it is not easy to get it into a perfect ring shape, and to apply enough force to make sure it’s tight. A straw base is re-usable, so if you did make the investment of buying one, it will serve you for many years. It is also light in weight, and will hold foliage well by pinning.  Straw wreath bases should be dried out before being stored to prevent them from going musty.

A potato

Although this will not make a wreath, I thought it is worth mentioning this for being easy to obtain and low-budget: you can use a large potato as the base for your foliage. It is excellent at keeping the foliage hydrated, is easy to pierce and holds embellishments well.

Tip: If you ever buy a ready made wreath, always save the base for future use. Once your wreath is no longer needed, put any foliage onto your compost heap, and save any re-usable materials for next year.

Why attend a wreath making class?

Some might say wreath making is not that difficult so why attend a workshop? While you might already have all the knowledge and skills to make a wreath without any help, I would still highly recommend going to a wreath making class for two reasons:

• The class organisers will provide the space, tools and materials for you, as well as setting and tidying up, which is a huge time saving.

• This is a bit subjective, but to me it’s more cheerful making a wreath while mingling with other like minded people - it’s a lovely shared experience. I went with some friends yesterday and it was great fun.

How to hang a wreath and aftercare

Unless your wreath already has a hanging wire on it, attach this first: insert a piece of wire through the wire or straw base, loop it round and twist it a few times to make sure it is secure.

You should also protect your door from scratches by adding a piece of fabric or felt to the underside of your wreath. Cut the felt into a ring shape and pin it to the wreath base with mossing pins.

If hanging your wreath on your front door, you can buy a wreath hook or hanger that goes over the top of your door, but be mindful when buying one of these that there is a small gap between the top of your door and the door frame. If there isn't, it is better to use a ribbon that you can attach with strong adhesive tape, or even better (if your door is made of wood and you don’t mind making a small hole), a decorative screw or hook on the inside of your door.

If your wreath starts looking like it’s about to dry out, gently mist it with a spray bottle once in a while to provide hydration.