How to Make a Colonial Apple Fan
Apple fans are associated with Colonial Williamsburg, although they originated much later, in the early 20th century. By the late 1930s, Louise Fisher, who was in charge of Christmas decorating for the once capital of Virginia, had implemented the fresh-fruit-embellished outdoor decorations. Inspired by 15th-century sculptor Luca della Robbia and 18th-century wood carver Grinling Gibbons, these swags and wreaths graced front doors and windows and started an annual Christmas decorating contest. Using real fruit, greenery and simple crafting material, create your own apple fan in time for the holiday season. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Wire swag frame, 48 inches by 12 inches
- American or English boxwood or Japanese holly clusters
- Magnolia leaf clusters with pods
- Floral wire
- Wire cutters
- 1 whole pineapple
- 2 to 3 dozen apples
Instructions
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1
Squeeze each end of the wire swag frame together until it is 12 inches wide, while leaving the middle of the frame 18 inches wide. The bowed frame will give your finished apple fan a curvier appearance.
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2
Wrap floral wire around the stems of three to five full, fresh sprigs of boxwood or holly to make larger clusters, until you have at least 40. Attach the clusters to the wire swag frame with their stem ends facing its center point. Begin 3 inches left of center -- and work to the left until the entire left side of the frame is covered with foliage before returning to the center to work to the right.
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3
Poke 10-inch lengths of floral wire through magnolia leaves with attached pods, just above their stem ends, until you have 40 to 50 wired leaves. Bend the wires into a "U" shape and twist them together around the stems.
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4
Wire magnolia leaf clusters to the top edge of the frame -- beginning at the far right side of the swag frame -- as if placing tail feathers on a turkey. Overlap each magnolia leaf "feather" by at least 1/3 its width as you work toward the left.
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5
Cut an 18-inch length of floral wire. Poke one end into the right side of the neck of the pineapple and out through the back, just below the green crown. Bend the wire around so that you can poke the other end through the left side of the neck of the pineapple and out through the back.
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6
Wire the pineapple to the swag frame so that its green crown sticks above the magnolia-leaf "feathers" by at least 2 inches. Bend a 24-inch length of floral wire into a "U" shape with a 4- to 6-inch base and poke it through the bottom portion of the pineapple and out the back. Twist the wires in back until the pineapple is snug and does not slip or wobble if you try to wiggle it.
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7
Turn your apples so that the stem end faces you. Bend 12-inch lengths of floral wire into "U" shapes with 3-inch bases. Poke both ends through the stem end of each apple and out the bottom.
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8
Wire three to five apples in a column on each side of the pineapple, beginning at its base and working toward the top of the green crown. Wire the same number of additional columns of apples on each side of the pineapple, with each column gradually getting shorter, until you reach the ends of the swag.
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Hang the colonial apple fan above your front door to welcome holiday visitors.
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Tips & Warnings
Wreaths and swags in Williamsburg typically use American or English boxwood as the primary greenery, according to Libbey Hodges Oliver and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, although greenery such as Japanese holly is used if boxwood is not available.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
