Here’s how to make my latest Christmas deco mesh wreath

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I am so happy to be one of several bloggers invited to participate in the 12 Days of Handmade Christmas Tutorials . My latest Christmas wreath is the perfect choice for a written tutorial and I was happy to include it. October is a GREAT time to get your Christmas crafts going so there is no rush when the holidays roll around. Check out all of the tutorials!

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Here are the instructions for making this beautiful Christmas deco mesh wreath. I tried using “window pane” mesh (a first) as the base for this wreath and LOVE the result. Combining some ruffles to give it fuller coverage absolutely turned this wreath into a work of art. Here is what I used to make the wreath (I show a few things I decided not to use):

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15″ Lime Green Work Wreath

1-21″ Roll of Red Window Pane Mesh

2- 10″ Rolls of Deluxe Deco Mesh (one red, green, and gold striped, and one green)

2- 2.5″ Rolls of Wired Ribbon (cut to 13″ lengths) in two different prints

A variety of filler: sparkly snowflakes, presents, Christmas ball ornaments, and a big MERRY CHRISTMAS sign

Here we go!

Take your window pane mesh and start attaching it into the first twist of the outer ring. Treat it just like any ordinary deco mesh. We are using the “pouf” method here.

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Measure out 15″ for your next pouf.

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I ALWAYS measure to be sure all of my poufs are the same size. A 13″ pouf may have been the better choice, because 15″ is really full. After measuring your pouf, gather it section in your hand and place it into the next twist.

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Continue this around the outer ring, making sure your poufs are as uniform as possible.

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When you get to the last twist on the outer ring, pull the mesh tight across to the inner ring and place it in the closest inner twist. Don’t make a pouf here. Just act like this is how you started on the outer ring. Start making poufs around the inner ring. At the end, clip off the mesh from the roll, and tuck the tail into the wreath form.

Here’s how to make the ruffles

Take your two 10″ rolls of mesh and place one on top of the other (this way you can cut two at a time). christmas-deco-mesh-wreath-8

Measure out 12″ and make your cut. I used two ruffles per twist, and since there are 18 twists, I made 18- 12″ cuts. A rotary cutter makes this so much easier!

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To make your ruffle, lay the cut mesh flat on your surface and start to gather the mesh in the middle. You’ll come up with what looks like a bow tie or a butterfly.

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Attach the ruffles one at a time into your twists. I alternated my ruffles in each twist- one with the strip on top and green on bottom, one with green on top and stripe on the bottom, etc.  Be sure you open the twists and place your ruffle right next to the window pane. You will run out of room if you don’t do this.

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I did both ruffles one after the other in each twist and worked my way around the wreath filling every twist with two ruffles.

Now for the ribbon

Cut your wired ribbon into 13″ lengths. To give it a nice finished look, “chevron” the ends. To accomplish this, fold your ribbon in half.

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Then fold the ends lengthwise.

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Cut a diagonal cut from the folded side to the open side.

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This cuts both sides at the same time, and voila!

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Insert the ribbons into every twist (this is why you open every twist before adding the next element. We’re really loading them up!). I stack the ribbons on top of each other and insert them both at the same time.

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christmas-deco-mesh-wreath-21Separate the ribbons after they are in the twists. I also alternated these as I went around.

Now for the extras!

Regular Christmas balls work great for mesh wreaths. I just dip them into my glue pot and stick them in open spaces on the wreath. Use a variety of ornaments for more visual interest. I also added some sparkly snowflakes, gluing them randomly around. Some little sparkly Christmas presents were the perfect addition.

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Finally, I added a “Merry Christmas” sign in the middle. This sign came with a string attached, so I pulled it up through the mesh and attached it to the frame with zip ties.

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I added some floral wire to pull the bottom of the sign in a bit and attached the wire to a twist. Sometimes when you attach a sign using a hanger at the top of the sign, it tends to pooch out at the bottom. Adding the floral wire to the bottom of the sign pulls it in and gives it a more even look.

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I love how this wreath turned out! I hope you try it!

If you’d like to see me actually making this wreath, here’s the video tutorial!

Don’t forget to check out 12 Days of Handmade Christmas Tutorials!

 

 

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