How to Make a Braided Cloth Christmas Wreath

Homemade Christmas wreaths of all types are nice holiday gifts.

Many people enjoy decorating their homes and places of business during the Christmas season. Some commonly seen Christmas decorations include holiday wreaths, which adorn walls and doors throughout this festive time of year. Although Christmas wreaths easily may be purchased from most home decorating stores, they can be made at home. A homemade, braided Christmas wreath is inexpensive to make and quickly comes together, making it an ideal gift.

Things You'll Need

• 1 yard each of three seasonal, contrasting fabrics
• Measuring tape
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Sewing pins
• Sewing needle
• Matching thread
• Several rags or fabric scraps
• Small dowel or similar stick
• Piece of cardboard
• White glue
• Christmas bow

Instructions

Fabric Preparation

1. Place one piece of fabric onto a work surface and flatten out any wrinkles. Mark and measure three strips of fabric, each measuring 7 inches by 36 inches. Cut out these strips of fabric.

2. Lie the three strips of fabric end-to-end, right side down across the work surface. Pin the ends of the fabric pieces together, creating a strip of fabric that measures approximately 108 inches in length. Sew a seam across the pins to permanently join the pieces.

3. Fold the strip of fabric in half along the length, right sides together. The strip should now measure approximately 3 1/2 inches by 108 inches. Pin the long, open edge together to keep it in place, and sew along the pins. Remove the pins, and turn the fabric right side out.

4. Create sewn fabric strips from the remaining two fabrics.

5. Tear rags or fabric remnants into many small pieces. Insert the small, torn pieces of fabric into the open end of each tube of fabric in order to fill out the tubes. Use a small dowel to help stuff the rag pieces into the tubes.

6. Fold the open end of each tube of fabric onto itself, then sew a seam across each end. This prevents the stuffing from falling out of the fabric tubes during the braiding process.

7. Stack the sewn ends of the stuffed strips on top of one another, and sew a seam through them in order to unite them. Spread out the three tubes of fabric, designating one as the left strand, one as the middle strand and one as the right strand.

Wreath Construction

1. Fold the left, outer strand of fabric over the middle strand. Fold the right, outer strand over the middle strand. Repeat this folding process to braid the entire length of the fabric pieces. Pin the ends together, and sew a seam across the pins in order to permanently tie together the braided strands.

2. Loop the long braid of fabric into a circle. Continue pulling the ends into a second circle layer to give the wreath two layers of braids. Make sure the ends of the braid meet.

3. Arrange the ends of the braid behind the wreath to hide them. Pin them into the wreath to keep them in place.

4. Cut out a wreath-shaped piece of cardboard slightly smaller than the braided wreath. Place the braided wreath onto the cardboard. Lift a small section of the wreath and squirt a strip of glue onto the cardboard. Immediately lie the wreath back down and press the section into the glue. Continue until the entire length of the wreath has been glued to the cardboard base.

5. Allow the glue to dry according to the suggested drying time indicated on the bottle of your particular product. Glue the bow to the wreath.

Tips & Warnings

• For the sake of aesthetics, attach the bow to the wreath in its least-attractive location. This hides any flaws such as seam marks or visible sections of cardboard.

References

• Craftown.com: Braided Plaid Wreath