11/18/09

Hi friends! It's Mandi again.
Have you been noticing all of the gorgeous wreaths floating about in blogland these days?
And it's not just wreaths either, kids. Danielle Thompson created these really fun plush pumpkins that together with this wreath inspired me to create my own hybrid plush wreath. And I did it all with mostly reused and repurposed items.



S u p p l i e s :

- 1 knit sweater or Tshirt (I used a waffle knit striped T.)

- 1 wreath form (You can find junky old wreaths at the thrift store and strip them for your purposes.)

- A bunch of batting (I gutted an old ugly pillow I had.)

- Fabric flowers, buttons, or anything pretty you have laying around the house


T o o l s :

- Pinking sheers

- Thread

- Needle

- Sewing machine (not necessary, but convenient)


Time: approximately two hours.

Difficulty: easy (If you can do a basic stitch, you can do this!)



S t e p 1 :

Cut the arms and side off of the shirt so that you have two even strips of fabric. One from the front, and one from the back of the shirt. The width of your strips will depend on how fat you want your wreath to be in the end.



S t e p 2 :

Stitch your fabric together at the ends so that it is one long strip. I found that one shirt was long enough to wrap an entire wreath after the length was doubled by stitching the two lengths together. The nice thing about knit fabric is that it will stretch. This helps limit the lumpiness of the wreath in the end.



S t e p 3 :

Surround a small portion of your foam wreath form with batting. Then, begin stitching the fabric closed around the batting and the foam. This is a long and tedious process, but it's worth the effort!





As you continue along the wreath, add more stuffing to the areas that have been stitched. The more stuffing you add, the less lumpy your wreath will be.



S t e p 4 :

When you come to the end of the wreath, close the ends the same way you closed the entire length of the fabric. But be sure to leave an opening long enough to add the last bit of stuffing to even out the wreath. Then, when you're done stuffing it, stitch the opening completely closed.



If your hands are anything like mine, your fingers will be a bit soar by this point! But you still have work to do. Your wreath is probably very lumpy. But it's okay, because the next few minutes or so will be spent massaging the lumps out of the wreath. It helps to have knit fabric that will move about with your fingers so you can maneuver the batting more easily.




S t e p 5 :

Now delve into your collection of pretty things and stitch or glue them onto your finished plush wreath. I actually didn't stitch or glue my items. I used straight pins, so that I can easily remove them and repurpose everything after the season is over.


S t e p 6 :

Use leftover fabric or a piece of ribbon to hang your wreath. You can use any method to attach it to the back of your wreath: stitching, staples, pins… whatever holds it in place. Unless you're hanging the wreath on a glass door, nobody will see the back. Once it's hung, massage the last few lumps from the wreath, and step back to enjoy what you've created!



This is the first time I've ever made a plush wreath, and there are a few things I will do differently next time.

Next time I will cut the knit fabric a bit smaller than it needs to be. When it stretches out, I think it will help smooth out the lumps. The second thing I will do differently is before wrapping the batting and fabric around the wreath, I will sew a loose stitch along the length of the fabric. Then, after the wreath is wrapped, I will pull the threads of the loose stitch to gather the center of the wreath. I think this will accomplish a more even gathering of the stripes at the center, and a more tailored look to the entire wreath.


This wreath was definitely a learning experience for me, and I hope you've been inspired by the process! If you've made any holiday wreaths recently, be sure to link them up in the comments section so that all of us can see!


42 comments:

Anna said...

um this is awesome! i am doing this asap. and i love the flower bling you added.
wreaths make my house look happy :)

Lesley said...

so cute! love it.

RachelDenbow said...

I love the striped effect and the colors are brilliant! Great tutorial!

Jamie said...

Gorgeous!

Emily said...

hey... don't know if this would work, but there is fusible batting out there now- maybe you just iron on the batting to the fabric- so it will stay put and then could stitch ends up the fabric shut, that way the batting wouldn't be lumpy or sticking out everywhere ! it's expensive tho, like $20 per bag..
but cute project, will def give it a go. ~Em

Lexi said...

That is way FAB!! LOVE it!!

Mandi Johnson said...

Ooooh, fusible batting? I'll have to check that out! I definitely want to make another one of these wreaths, but still have to figure out all the ins and outs.

Emily said...

got some @ Michael's- and you can print their weekly coupon online to lessen the price!

Unknown said...

LOVE this! Great job, Mandi!

Jeanee said...

LOVE the stripes.

I just made my 1st wreath too. It's for a charity event.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweetnee/4108126696/

elizabeth kartchner said...

LOVE this!!

Tiffany Harper said...

gasp!!! I love this!

Lauren @The Little Things We Do.... said...

this is amazing. totally making this. i'll credit the idea to your awesomeness when i blog about it.

16 windows said...

Absolutely love it...i need to find a black and white t now....

Anonymous said...

Love this love this love this. the stripes with florals! so cute.

welshgrl2 said...

Oh, pretty!

alyssa johns said...

i would never have put black and white stripes on a wreath- what a cute combo it turned out to be. nice work!

www.reworkedart.blogspot.com

Imene said...

I love the black and white stripes and flowers combination. Thank you for the tutorial

Jen said...

so friggin cute!!!

Vivi said...

So lovely and you make it seem so easy that I actually think that I might give it a go! But if I do damage to myself in the process of unsupervised scissor use - it's on your head! :)

Erin said...

what a great idea. i love it.

Cassie xo said...

Brilliant! I love the black and white stripy fabric. I'd probably use hot pink and black stuff to decorate mine :)

Julie Ann Rachelle Interior Design said...

So cute!!!
xoxo,
ja

sistv

Emily said...

Very cute! I'm looking for something fun to decorate the doors inside the house. This fits the bill!

Rubyellen said...

wow! i want to do something like this for christmas! such a nice change from the traditional!

jackie said...

this is fantastic!!!! thanks for sharing.

Geek+Nerd said...

This is so adorable. I'm so inspired by Katie Runnels wreaths. Her Flickr account is such a treasure trove of eye candy! Thanks for the tute - I love the colors that you chose!

Trains and Sewing Machines said...

Wow. This is the most amazingly awesome wreath I have ever ever seen! I love it. Wow.

Anonymous said...

where did you find those fabric flowers? they're beautiful!

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

Ooh this is SO pretty! I love the stripes. Thanks so much for this, I'll be linking.

Unknown said...

I love the black and white...so graphic! I made the book art wreath that was on "One Pretty Thing" a couple of weeks back. Here is the pic.

spins and needles said...

This turned out so well - I love the contemporary feel of it. I'll definitely be making one!

Unknown said...

I love it - I use the kind that come in sheet the size of a blanket . because I make many.
yours is beautiful.

Unknown said...

Now that's wat i call CREATIVITY !

Bonzie said...

I gasped when I saw your finished product! Absolutely the best wreath...ever.

daniel john said...

Such a nice post, it is really interesting

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davidbieber80 said...

Cut the arms and side off of the shirt so that you have two even strips of fabric. One from the front, and one from the back of the shirt. The width of your strips will depend on how fat you want your wreath to be in the end.
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Unknown said...

Just plain awesome!!! Adorable!

Unknown said...

Just stopping by to let you know that I linked to your fab wreath today!

~ The Speckled Dog
http://thespeckleddog.blogspot.com/2010/10/halloween-ribbon-wreath.html

SparklePaw said...

this is so dang adorable! thx for posting!

Anonymous said...

Love this! I made my own version for Christmas-

http://piesandsweaters.wordpress.com/2010/12/03/wreath-love/