How to Make a Christmas Garland
Christmas garlands grace many churches, homes and buildings throughout the winter holiday season. While today the tradition is closely associated with Christmas, ancient pre-Christian people brought fresh greenery into their homes in midwinter to celebrate vitality and new life. Reinvigorate your house and fill it with the scent of fresh evergreens by creating your own garland. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 6-inch lengths of mixed varieties of evergreen branches
- 10-foot length of twine
- Spool of #24 floral wire
- Scissors
- Small pinecones
- Assorted ribbons
- Ornaments
Instructions
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1
Arrange your twine in a straight line on a flat surface. Tie a loop at one end, and attach your floral wire to the loop. Leave the floral wire on the spool so that you can unravel it as needed. This will help ensure you don't end up with a tangled up mess of wire and greenery.
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2
Pick up a mixed selection of the evergreen branches and gather them together at the base, making sure to place the stems on the bottom. Put the bunch of foliage near the loop end of the twine with the stems pointing toward the opposite end of the twine.
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3
Loop the floral wire around the bottom of the branches three to four times, making sure the bunch is as close to the beginning of the wire as possible. Pick up another bundle and situate it along the twine so it conceals the first bundle's stems. Refrain from cutting the floral wire until you finish the garland to help reinforce its strength.
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4
Continue to tie the evergreen bunches to the twine, ensuring the stems point in the same direction. Attach the foliage as close together as possible to avoid gaps in the garland.
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5
Upon reaching the end of the twine, tie the twine and the floral wire together so your garland stays intact. Leave 3 to 4 inches of floral wire at the end so you can easily add to your garland or arrange it in your desired location.
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Embellish your garland with small pinecones, ribbons or ornaments by tying them to the finished garland with floral wire.
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Tips & Warnings
Suggested evergreen choices include juniper, pine, fir, redwood, oak and bay laurel. If collecting the greenery on your own, the tips of the branches make the best garlands. To extend the life of your greenery, soak the branches overnight in water before putting them into a garland. Try spray painting pinecones silver or gold and using coordinated metallic ribbons for an elegant look.
The evergreen branches can scratch and irritate skin so you might want to wear work gloves while creating your garland. Cut greenery can be flammable if it comes into contact with a heat source. Keep your garland away from candles, fireplaces and heaters.
