2017 Snowflake Wreath Tutorial

Supplies: XX750427 24" White Pencil Wreath RE104141 21" White Silver Wide Foil Deco Poly Mesh RE1301R1 10" White Foil Mesh AP0085 Let it Snow Banner X535709-01 1.5" White/Silver Fuzzy Ribbon R3704267 2.5" RAZ Snowflake Ribbon RG0120701 2.5" Beige Polka Dot Ribbon (sold out) RG1279AN 2.5" Mint Green Ribbon XY821599 Assorted 12" Metal Snowflakes (sold out, but other styles are available) Note: The items used in this tutorial were not placed in a wreath supply kit, but individual items can be purchased while supplies last. The tutorial will be left up even after some or all the supplies have sold out since the basic instructions can be followed and other similar product chosen. Summary: Wreath: We used a 24" white pencil wreath for this project. You could also use a silver, white iridescent pencil or work wreath. Our 24" work wreaths measure 15" across the widest metal ring, but with the addition of mesh, ribbons and other products, you wind up with a finished wreath measuring 24" or more. This one measured out at about 26-27" Mesh: We chose two styles of mesh for this project. The base mesh was a 21" white with silver wide foil mesh. This mesh is 21" in width and 10 yards in length. It did not take the whole roll. The 21" mesh was used to make poufs around the wreath frame. The poufs were 10" and we started on the outer ring. You can attach the mesh by folding the end under a couple of inches, or just leave it raw and tuck to the inside and secure it later with a zip tie to keep it from popping out in your wreath. Just attach the mesh in one of the twist, measure 10," gather the mesh and secure in the next twist. Just work all the way around the outer ring in this same manner. Once you get to your last pouf, just open up the first pouf where you started (making sure the first pouf stays in place) and secure the last pouf in the same twist. Re-secure the twist. Now you are ready to move up to the inner ring. Just pull the mesh up snug to the next closest twist and secure. This is your starting point. Continue around the inner ring with the same size poufs of 10". You can make your poufs anywhere from 10" to 14" it just depends on the look you want. Anything larger than 14" tends to get loose and floopy. Just do keep the poufs the same size as you work around the inner and outer ring. Once you get to the last pouf, just open up the twist where you started and last the last pouf down and re-secure. You can cut your mesh off at this point leaving a tail of 3-4". Tuck the raw ends to the inside of the wreath and secure to the metal ring with a zip tie. The next mesh we chose was 10" white mesh for ruffles. The 10" mesh is 10" wide and 10 yards in length. We cut the mesh in 15" lengths for ruffles. There are 18 twists typically on a 24" wreath, so we cut 18 pieces for ruffles. There was mesh left over from this roll. The tools we used for cutting were a Fiskars 60mm Rotary Cutting Stick and an Omnigrid Self-Healing Cutting Mat. We don't sell these tools on Trendy Tree but we can share our affiliate Amazon link for you. Also the blades in the rotary cutter can be changed. Both these tools are extremely helpful when working with mesh. Our cutting mat is several years old now along with the rotary cutter. Make the ruffle by letting the mesh roll up naturally on the table, smooth it out with selvage edges to the sides and scrunch up or gather up through the middle, starting on the cut edge. Pinch up the ruffle to look much like a bow. Secure the ruffle by opening up a twist and laying the ruffle on top of the pouf. Place a ruffle in each twist around the inner and outer ring. Snowflakes: We attached two of the metal snowflakes by placing some thin floral wire around them and securing to the wreath frame. One one positioned to the upper right and one to the lower left. You may want to hang the wreath on something to practice where you want your placement. The snowflakes are available in white, silver or light blue and are very glittery. The snowflakes we used in this wreath are now sold out, but we have other styles available. Banner: The banner is a canvas banner with wooden dowel at the top and bottom. It also has a burlap string for hanging, but we just tucked that to the backside. We inserted a small piece of floral wire through the canvas seam in the back and secure the banner to the wreath frame. We left it loose at the bottom, but you could secure it there as well if you wanted to. Bows: We chose four different ribbons for this project and made a version of the Terri Bow. The Terri Bow was developed by Terri Marshal of Mil & Dil Designs and she has a great tutorial that you can see on YouTube for free. Here's a link to a recent video we did with a version of the Terri Bow just using four ribbons. The original instruction calls for six ribbons, but you can make adjustments and still come out with a great looking bow. Using six ribbons is just perfect for using up scrap ribbon too! We positioned the bows on the left side of the wreath, but you could make more bows or move them around. There was ribbon left over after we had made these three bows for sure. Finishing: Check the back of your wreath for any sharp edges and clip all your strings. All mesh ravels, so just know you will have to clip some strings. It's better to clip than to pull. Fluff your bows and you're ready to go! Merry Christmas! Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook where we do live videos.