Floral designer Jacqui Owen of Jacqui O staged this masterclass at Elizabethan Churche’s Mansion in Nantwich to show Cheshire Life readers how to create a Christmas wreath.
She says: ‘A Christmas wreath adorning your front door is the perfect way to welcome your guests. The key is gathering your favourite seasonal ingredients and adding a sprinkle of Christmas spirit to your creation.’
Here’s how
Ingredients
• 12-inch copper wreath ring
• 1.5 stub wire or fishing line for loop
• 0.56mm reel of floristry wire or string
• Sphagnum moss or moss gathered from your lawn
• Your chosen foliage – here we used blue spruce and skimmia Japonica
• Decorations of your choice, such as dried fruit, pinecones or ribbon
• 0.90 stubb wires
Equipment
• Scissors
• Wire cutters/pliers
Method
1. To hang your wreath, you first need to make a wire/fishing line loop and attach
it to the copper wreath ring.
2. Fasten one end of the reel of wire/string to the outer ring and tease out the damp moss and lay a generous bundle on top
of the wreath ring. Start to wrap the wire around the moss and frame. Keep the wire taut and continue working the wire around the ring, adding more moss bundles until complete. Keep the wire attached.
3. Prepare the blue spruce. Cut them roughly to the length of your hand. Strip the base of needles about an inch to reveal the stem. Take 2-3 stems to make a small bundle and then place them on the moss following the same direction. Wrap the wire to secure the stems in place. Continue to overlay your chosen greenery so there is no moss visible and until the whole ring is covered.
4. Tie off the wire with a few extra
wraps around the frame and insert
the wire end into the moss.
5. Add the finishing touches, such as orange slices, pinecones or a bow on
a wire. To add a wire to a pinecone,
wrap wire near the base between the scales, leave 1/3 wire one side and
2/3 wire the other. Pull the two wire
ends together and twist so it’s secure.
Thread each decoration in turn
through to the back of the wreath.
The wire is pushed through the moss
and then doubled over as a hook and pushed back into the moss, so there
are no sharp bits sticking out and the decoration is secure.
Your wreath is ready to adorn your door, or you can use it to decorate your table.
Jacqui offers wreath workshops, private masterclasses, and wreath workshops in a box, or you can buy from her Christmas collection at jacquio.co.uk
