How to Make Your Own Decorative Fabric Wreath for Year Round Decorating

That wreathes add the finishing touch to holiday decorating is a pretty well-known idea, but many people overlook their use for the rest of the year. With these instructions on how to make two different types of decorative wreaths, you’ll find they aren’t just for the front door at Christmas.

Use these wreathes alone all year round, or use the seasonal accent instructions to personalize your wreath for the holidays and seasons.

Wired Strips
For this project, you will need three yards of cotton or cotton/polyester blend fabric to match your room’s décor, pinking shears, a wire coat hanger or an equivalent gauge wire, and wire cutters.

Cut the fabric into strips 2 inches by 6 inches with the pinking shears.

With the wire cutters, remove the hook from the hanger, including the twisted section. Bend the rest of the hanger into a round or oval wreath shape.

Tie a fabric strip around the wire with an overhand knot. Continue tying the strips and pushing them close together until the entire loop is covered.

Tufted Squares
This project will require three yards of fabric, pinking shears and a crochet hook. In place of the pencil, you may use a knitting needle or a chopstick, as well. These instructions on how to make a decorative wreath are so easy, you may think you’re missing a step or two.

Cut the fabric into 2-inch squares with the pinking shears.

Place a fabric square on the foam wreath and use the eraser end of the pencil to push the fabric into the wreath about 1/2 inch. Continue placing and pushing squares into the foam, closely together, until you have covered the entire wreath.

Seasonal Embellishments
Personalize your fabric wreath with holiday or seasonal additions to dangle in the center of the circle. Make a special embellishment for each month.

For January, make a bead snowflake with wire and blue and clear bicone crystals. Cut three 6-inch lengths from 20-gauge wire. Cross them to make a star shape and wrap the center with 24-gauge wire to secure the snowflake. Thread the beads on the wire arms, alternating blue and clear crystals to create the pattern you like. Make a closed loop at the end of the wires with chain-nosed pliers.

For the remainder of the year, use coloring book or greeting card pictures as patterns for a heart, shamrock, umbrella, flower, flip-flop or bare foot, flag or firecracker, sun, autumn leaf collection, and a double-sided pumpkin; on one side, add a jack-o’-lantern face. For December, choose a symbol that matches your personal holiday choice.

Enlarge or reduce the simple design on a photocopier; pin it to a double layer of cotton fabric and one layer of fleece. Cut out the design from all three layers.

Place the cotton pieces with right sides together and top with the fleece. Stitch around the edges with a 1/4-inch seam allowance, leaving 1 inch open at the top.

Turn the figure right side out. Place the ends of an 8-inch piece of 1/8-inch wide ribbon, folded in half, in the opening. Hand-stitch it closed. If desired, quilt the layers to add texture to the piece.

To add the seasonal embellishments, stitch a button or a small hook to the back of the wreath’s top. Hook the ribbon loop over the button and center the decoration in the center.

With the instructions on how to make a decorative wreath, you can have that extra touch of charm and polish for your decorating plans.