For as long as I can remember I have been making and gifting braided fabric wreaths. When my child was in the early years in grade school, he would enjoy helping stuff the fabric tubes and braiding the tubes for the wreaths. Most of all, he enjoyed talking about the role he played in its creation!
For friends who celebrated Christmas there were wreaths made of Christmas scene patterns braided with a solid red or green. Friends who didn’t celebrate Christmas were happy to receive wreaths that were suitable for hanging year round.
You will need to sew up the fabric tubes and the bows for the wreaths on a sewing machine, but children can help with the other parts of the wreath making.
Materials for One Wreath:
3 strips of Fabric (assorted/solid colors) cut 72 inches long by 10 inches wide
1 strip of a solid color/print for the bow cut 60 inches long by 10 inches wide
1 circular wire ring 12 inches in diameter (a large clothing hanger will do – bend to shape* )
Thread to match the color of the fabric
Sewing needles for hand sewing
Use of a sewing machine to make the strips into tubes for stuffing
2 bag of 100% Poly-fil for stuffing -20 ounces
1 long stick about 1 and ½ inches wide to use for pushing the fiber-fil into the tubing
Cutting Directions:
Cut 3 strips of fabric 72“long by 10” wide
Cut one strip of cloth for the bow – 60” long by 10“wide
Sewing Directions:
Wreath
- Turn 3 strips (tubes) to be used for the wreath to the wrong side, pin or baste stitch one ½ inch from the edge. Leave openings every 12 inches to make stuffing easier. Machine stitch to openings (every 12 inches, leaving 4 inches open for stuffing, machine stitch for 12 inches, leave 4’ open…repeat until finished.
- Turn tubes right side out, begin stuffing, use stick to help position stuffing in the tube, stuff each open section then hand stitch closed until you finish each tube.
- Secure 3 tubes with a pin or stitch together at one end. Begin to braid until the 3 tubes have only 4 inches to the end ( use this to join with that part of the wreath that is held together with a pin or stitching)
- Shape into a circle, join beginning and end of wreath together, hand sew.
- Mount on wire ring by sewing wreath tubes to the wire at a few inch intervals
Bow
- Turn bow fabric wrong side out, baste ½ inch from the edge, machine stitch the long side and one short side, turn inside out, press, hand stitch or machine stitch the open end closed.
- Tie bow around the wreath at the point where you joined the top and bottom of the wreath , be sure to include the wire