How to Make a Fir Bough Holiday Wreath
Christmas wreaths are as much a part of holiday traditions as the gifts that are presented to loved ones and traveling to visit family. There are many different types of Christmas wreaths that can be bought at stores, but creating your own unique fur bough Christmas wreath will ensure that your wreath is different from all of your neighbor's wreaths and also serves as a great family bonding activity in the weeks leading up to Christmas. These directions will help you to make a beautiful holiday wreath that will last throughout the holiday season.
Materials that will be needed to create a fur bough wreath:
1-2 bundles of evergreen fur (Douglas fur and spruce are great choices)
1 wreath frame (wire will hold up better)
Garden clippers
Wire cutter
1 spool of fine green florists wire
2 yards of wide ribbon (red is traditionally used, but any color can be used)
Additional decorations for the wreath (pine cones, Christmas ornaments and tiny wrapped boxes are a few examples)
Begin the wreath by taking the bundles of evergreen and clip them into six to eight inch pieces. Every part of the evergreen bundle can be used except for the central portion of the bundle, which will typically be very woody. The shape of the pieces doesn't have to be perfect because the irregular shape of some of the pieces of evergreen will add to the natural character of the wreath. Additionally, use the wire cutter to cut about twenty pieces of wire that are about 15". Make sure to keep the wire away from the cut pieces of evergreen so that they are not lost.
Next begin to arrange bunches of evergreen that will be placed on the wreath. Use the thicker pieces of evergreen near the back of the bunch since these will be covered up and won't easily be seen. The pieces of evergreen that were the farthest away from the branch should be toward the front of the bunch as they have more symmetrical tips and are more aesthetically pleasing than those pieces that were closest to the branch. Once you've formed a thick bunch of greens, they can be wired onto the wreath. Hold the bunch of greens against the frame with one hand and wrap a piece of wire over the greens with the other hand, winding the wire ends around each other tightly in the back of the frame to hold it in place. Clip the excess wire on the back of the wreath with the wire cutter. Continue to do this until the entire wreath frame has been wrapped with greens.
Once the entire wreath has been wrapped with the greens, it is time to make a beautiful bow for the wreath. The bow can be as simple as a shoelace bow or it could be as elaborate as a bow with many loops (similar to the bow that would be found on a gift). Once the bow has been made, it will be wired onto the wreath. To wire the bow onto the wreath, take a piece of wire and run it over the bow once. Tightly twist the two ends of the wire together on the back of the wreath and trim the excess wire from the back of the wreath.
The final step in creating a unique fir bough wreath is to decorate the wreath. This is done be simply wiring decorations that have been chosen for the wreath onto it. Smaller pieces of wire will be used for this step and children can help with this step as desired. There is no specific way that the decorations should be arranged on the wreath. Think of the green wreath as a blank canvas for creative minds. Additionally, make sure that there is a place to hang the wreath on the back. Use a thick piece of wire to create a hanger and attach it to the back of the wreath.
The resulting wreath will be as unique as your family, but will be far more memorable the the wreaths that are traditionally found at stores. At the end of the holiday season, the bow and decorations that were used on the wreath can be saved for the following year while the pine boughs can be sent along with the Christmas tree recycling program to be transformed into mulch that will be used in yards later in the year.
