How to make a wreath.

I never got around to start a fire in my stove yesterday. The cooler rainy weather never reached us and the night was actually warmer than most summer nights. But it´s much the same today as yesterday morning. Cloudy and foggy but rather warm.

We all know that there´s lots of viruses going around here in the Internet and most of us have one, hopefully good anti virusprogram in our computers. But I would like to say that You should never trust only one anti virus program. You should have At least two! I have one of the best anti virus programs there is out there through my internet company, but I also have a program called "Spy bot". It´s a free ware and can be downloaded from several places out on the net.

The first time i downloaded this program it found over 35 Trojan horses and several other viruses too (and I had one of the most used programs back then). Trojan horses can be used to reach Your bank accounts if You use an Internet bank like I do. This morning however I realized that I had forgotten to download this program in my new computer so that´s what I've been doing just now and then it searched through my computer. I´m happy to say that it didn´t find anything this time.

Now You might think that "I never visit places where there´s a risk of getting any viruses" and neither am I. But now days it´s enough to look at photos in our blogs or perhaps looking at photos of our favorite celebrities. Those photos can be infected with viruses too, but since You now know that I check my computer with two different anti virus programs and only show photos that I´ve taken myself my photos are safe to look at. But never take anything for granted, so get a second anti virus program now!

Prairie coneflower, Ratibida pinnata.

This is the biggest pumpkin I got and I don´t think it will have a chance to become any bigger. The frost has taken all leafs and even if the frost stays away this will ever become a big pumpkin.

I made a new wreath yesterday and took photos to show how I do it. If something is unclear with how I explain things just ask me so I can try to explain again :-) Now it´s time for a cup of tea and some breakfast I think.

Have a great day now!

This is the material I use to make a wreath. A frame of straw with plastic around, otherwise it would son start to mold in our climate), wire reels and straight pieces of wire of different thickness (You can use string too but it´s way much harder). But You can make Your on frame by twining branches together. Make it in the shape You like, why not like a horse shoe?

I went out and cut fern leafs to have on the wreath. But anything goes to be honest. If You want the wreath to stay green, choose something ever green. This one will soon trun brown. Oakleafs is another great thing to have on wreaths. I especially like the oak leafs that comes from the Northern read oak (quercus rubra). Unfortunaly for me they don´t grow here.

Cut what ever You have in the same size pieces. The longer the pieces are, the "fluffier" the wreath gets. These parts doesn´t look like good pieces to make a wreath, but You cover these with the top part of the fern leafs. 

Start by pushing in the end of the wire on the side You will have the leafs.  Spinn the wire one or two turns around the frame so it locks it self to the frame.

 

As You can see here the top of the fern leaf covers the parts I showed You earlier. I hold them towards the frame and spins the wire around the leafs and the frame one time. Pull hard so the wire keeps the leafs in place. The leafs are much tougher than You might think and won´t break. Now You´ll just do the same thing again with a new bunch of leafs. The next layer must cover the others so You don´t see the end bits. It´s a good thing if You cut all leafs before You start and You will need a lot more leafs than You might imagine. It´s also much easier doing this standing up, to sit and do this has never worked especially good for me.

 
 

Half way through now. Every now and agan I spin the wire two times around the frame to lock the leafs so they sit there even if You should dropp the wreath on the floor.

 

Now it´s time to end the binding. Just lift the top of the first bunch that You put there and place the last bunch of leafs benieth that. Spin the wire twice and push it benieth itself like You can see in the photo. Pull really hard so it locks itself and cut the wire.

 

I didn´t do it properly this time since I want to show You how to fill an empty spot. You can still see the plastic in this photo.

 

Now it´s time to use the straight pieces of wire. Just take some leafs and spin the wire hard around them. They can take it without problems.

 

I missed to take a photo of the next step. Anyway, Push the vire through the frame, this can be really hard when You are not used to do it. The thicker the wire is the easier it is to push through the frame. But the thicker the wire is the harder it is to spin around the leafs. To fill the empty spot You will have to stat benieth the leafs already there so they will cover the place the new leafs are cut. When the wire is through the frame pull real hard and lock the wire in the frame by pushing the end of the wire in to the frame.

 

No one will ever know that You´ve missed a spot or two :-)

 

Finished. A wreath is always a bit uneven so try to find a top and a bottom of it. The thinnest place should be placed as a top when it hangs on a door.

 

You really don´t need any decorations on the wreath, but I choosed rose hips this time too. Here You can see how I pushed the straight wire throuh them. I lock the end of the wire at itself so the rose hips are pulled together. When that is done You just do as when You would fill an empty spot.

 

You´ll need a hook in the wreath so You can haf it where ever You want to hang it. Use a thicker piece of wire and bend it like I show here.

 

Push it in to the wreath at the place You want as the top of it. This might have to be adjusted several times until You feel that it is in the right place :-) :-)

 

If You think this is to "fluffy" ferns are the easist leafs to cut with scissors. I tried to have some acorns in it too, but they sort of dissapered besides the rose hips :-)