A wreath is hung to invite the spirit of Christ. It represents a crown of thorns on the Cross. The red berries symbolize Christ’s blood and green branches signify eternal life. We put in our best to come out with a beautiful wreath for Christmas.
Let’s look at the tools and supplies you will require to turn your imagination into the most attractive and welcoming wreath.
1. Wreath Frame:
First, you need to decide what type of Christmas wreath you want to make. It can be a wire wreath. For this, you will need a wireframe. The frame can be surrounded by decorative mesh or burlap fabric. To connect to the wireframe, you can use floral wire.
If you want to make a Styrofoam Christmas wreath, then you can use a Styrofoam frame. You can cover it with fabric or any other material. It has a strong base and generally has a classic round shape. On a styrofoam wreath, you can use glue to connect things to the frame.
2. Wire Cutter:
Wire cutter is an essential tool in wreath making. On many materials using scissors is not a good idea. It is mainly used to cut the floral wire and also thick stems of silk flowers used in the wreaths. An electrical wire cutter is the best option for this purpose. It is strong and durable. It can cut any length precisely as per requirement and at a particular angle. Wire cutters can also be used to cut greenery. It will be one of the most useful tools in making your Christmas wreath.
3. Greenery:
To give a natural look to your Christmas wreath, you can add a lot of greenery to cover the base. It can be in the form of six to twelve inches of sections of leaves of different plants such as Pine, Spruce, Holly, Magnolia, Cedar, etc. You can also use leaves of the rosemary plant for Christmas wreaths. The leaves of the same plant are also used in the Christmas tree. These leaves are generally used in green Styrofoam frames. You can add other decorations as per your choice to make your Christmas wreath attractive.
4. Glue Gun:
You will need a lot of glue to make your Christmas wreath. It is used to stick flowers and other decorative items and even fabric on Styrofoam wreath. Since you will require glue in abundant quantity, using glue from tubes and bottles is not a good idea. You will need hot glue, so you should use a professional glue gun. It would be an even better idea to use multiple guns simultaneously since heating glue takes time. To save yourself from the hot dripping glue, you should place a Glue Mat at your work area.
5. Bow Maker:
Bows are often used as a decoration in Christmas wreaths and also on Christmas trees. A red ribbon bow adds to the beauty of the wreath, especially a greenery wreath. There are numerous ways to tie a bow. If you are making a wreath for the first time, you will need a lot of practice to make a perfect ribbon bow. A bow maker will come in handy for you in that case. Even if you know how to make a good ribbon bow with your hands, the bow maker will make your job faster.
6. Staple Gun:
You will need staples to attach the wooden sign to your Christmas wreath. For this purpose, you will need a heavy-duty staple gun. With the help of staples and a bit of hot glue, you can attach the Chenille pipe cleaner to the back of the wooden sign. If the wooden sign is very thin, then you can also use the zip ties instead.
7. Floral Wire:
Floral wire is of two types: Stem wire and Paddle wire. Paddle wire is sold by weight and comes in spools. It has more colors than the stem wire.
Stem wire, on the other hand, is sold in straight lengths of 18 inches (approximately 46 cm). It is generally plain green colored, but you can also get it pre-wrapped in white or brown fabric. The fabric wrapped stem wire will not tear through, in case you are using a Styrofoam frame.
Thinner the wire, the higher the gauge. The 22 gauge floral wire is ideal for your Christmas wreath. It is thin and flexible but also stable.
8. Christmas Ornaments:
You can make a wreath from Christmas ornaments. Some greenery can be added to give it a leafy took. It is called ornament wreath.
Christmas ornaments come in various shapes and sizes. They can be attached to the wreath frame using Chenille pipe cleaners. For a 15-inch wreath, 75-90 shatterproof ornaments will be required.
The ornaments are placed on the outer ring of the wreath after it is properly wrapped.
For Christmas trees, figurals in the form of cars, grapes, etc., are used, but generally, golden, red, or white-colored balls are used for wreaths.
9. Green Pins:
Greening Pins are also called Fern Pins. They are used for the floral arrangement of the wreath. The pins anchor the natural, artificial leaves or moss to either foam sheets or styrofoam bases. They give a neat look to your Christmas wreath. As these pins are made of steel, it is very convenient to pin the leaves, etc., to the foam sheet.
10. Hole Punch:
Hole punch is also known as paper puncher. It is used to create holes in different materials. They are of many types, i.e., one hole, two holes, or multi hole. For wreath making, hole punch creating one hole is more useful. Some hole punches have the option to change the size of the pin, which gives the hole of the desired size. After creating the hole in the required material, we can attach it to the desired place in the wreath.
11. Floral Tape:
Floral Tape is an adhesive tape used to tie the stems of artificial flowers, floral bouquets, or other such materials. It is available in various widths like 0.25 inches (approximately 6 mm), etc., and runs in 60 yards (approximately 55 meters) or so. Generally, it is available in green, white, and brown color. Initially, it is not sticky, but after tying around the stem, it sticks itself. For your Christmas wreath, you can use it to snug your florals to the wooden picks. You can also use it to conceal the wires.
12. Flowers:
Different types of flowers are used to decorate the Christmas wreath as per your theme. You can choose from paper flowers, artificial flowers, dry flowers, and fresh flowers.
Fresh flowers bring positive vibes. Pick 3-4 different varieties for your wreath. Red roses will match Santa’s suit. Snowy white Chrysanthemum, Frilly carnations, Poinsettia are the most popular Christmas flowers. Other than that, Ivy and Mistletoe are also used in making wreaths.
13. Zip ties or Chenille Pipe Cleaners:
Zip ties are the most convenient accessory used for attaching various items of the wreath. Generally, zip ties are made of plastic and are white-colored. They are 3-4 inches in size. Zip ties are quite strong and firmly attach two items. Keeping the size of your wreath, you can buy them in bulk.
Zip ties provide stability, but you can also use Chenille pipe cleaner for the same purpose. The latter is made of thin wire and is covered with thread.
14. Ribbon Roll:
When you are making your Christmas wreath, the type of ribbon also matters. Deco mesh ribbon, burlap, sheer ribbon, satin ribbon, velvet ribbon are types of ribbon used in wreath-making. You can select one as per your choice. Ribbon with a wired edge makes it easier to move and bend. Style, color, and width of the ribbon depends on what you want to make out of it. Make sure that colors and patterns go well together. You can also make a bow with ribbon.
15. Pine cones and berries:
Pine cones smell amazing and give an exotic look. As these cones are available in abundance, they are used for bigger wreaths. You will need a wire to attach them to the wreath because they are big. You can color or silver paint them before attaching them. To regain their refreshing smell, you can sprinkle a few drops of your choicest essential oil after a few days.
Pine cones are used in combination with red berries. The berries are equally popular when making a Christmas wreath. They make a beautiful festive statement. You can use both natural and faux red berries for your wreath. However, natural berries require more care while attaching them using a wire.
Conclusion
If you have the basic tools and supplies, we can create a marvelous Christmas wreath. Let us make a most beautiful wreath which remains fresh till we take it down until the Sunday after Epiphany that is on 6th January.
