Christmas and New Year wreaths along with the decorated Christmas tree are symbols of the upcoming holidays. The custom to create such compositions came to us from Europe, today and in our country such a decoration does not surprise at all, but rather, it has a New Year mood. How to make a Christmas wreath with your own hands - we will tell in a detailed master class with beautiful photos of the process, throw some ideas and give practical recommendations.
A bit of history
Christmas wreaths originate in Hamburg of the Middle Ages of the last millennium. Lutheran theologian Johann Hinrich Wiher, who brought up several children from very poor families, came up with a kind of "waiting calendar" for Christmas. It was an old wheel, which the priest decorated with coniferous branches, and put candles on it: 19 small red and 4 white. Their number showed which day before the holiday is now and how much is left. Every day, Johann and the children lit one red candle, and on Sundays - one white. So the guys easier to bear the expectation of the holiday.
Today, a wreath of coniferous branches in Russia is associated only with the New Year, the symbol of Christmas is still characteristic of the Catholic Church.
Symbolism of the wreath:
- A circle with candles is associated with the globe and the four cardinal points.
- The circle itself is the infinity of life.
- The green color of the evergreen needles is a symbol of all life.
Candles in Christmas wreaths fill the house with light, similar to how the world is illuminated during Christmas.
You can buy a traditional Christmas wreath of cones and branches in a store, but will it be so symbolic and attractive? Oddly enough, such a souvenir rarely has pre-holiday magic, such items are purchased for offices and places far from home. Even in the age of high pace of life, most people find a couple of hours to make a Christmas wreath with their own hands.. This is completely uncomplicated, fun and means such a decoration is much more than just a symbol.
Wreaths of cones and needles are traditionally located on:
- At the front door;
- Over the fireplaces;
- On the table like a table decoration.
Accordingly, the design and method of attaching toys, jewelry and accessories will be different.
To clearly demonstrate that it’s not difficult to make a Christmas wreath with your own hands, the designers made a fascinating master class with a photo so that everyone could try to create their own Christmas decoration, while only enjoying the process and the result. So, New Year's wreath: mk with step by step instructions.
Master class from creative designers
So many variations of decor come up with bright heads of designers, and the basis always remains traditional - green branches of conifers. You can decorate a fir wreath with anything:
- Christmas balls;
- Tinsel;
- Cones;
- Toys from felt;
- Beads;
- Feathers;
- Beads and so on, just do not list.
Our artists came up with a few ideas:
- Christmas wreath of cones and oranges;
- Wreath with cotton ears, feathers and New Year's toys;
- And many more interesting combinations that you will see later.
What do we need
So, what we needed to create Christmas and New Year wreaths:
- Fir, pine, fir branches. They can be gathered in a forest belt or in a park. Choose beautiful young twigs with good uniform needles, it should withstand a month and a half in excellent shape. Of course, you can use artificial needles, but the effect will not be the same, and there will be no such smell, and this is almost a mandatory wish;
- Fir cones. You can take cedar, pine and generally any that you like. Try to choose fresh ones - old ones quickly crumble in a dry and warm room;
- Multi-colored Christmas balls. Take those that do not plan to hang on the tree, so you can also save. Choose small toys for placement on the branches themselves, for suspension you can take a larger ball;
- Colored feathers of birds are sold in decor and hand-made shops, we took several varieties;
- Satin ribbons for bows;
- Rowan branches with berries are an unusual solution, but organically fit into the theme of a real winter tree.
Do not be afraid to use food products - gingerbread, sweets, fruits. The main thing is not to take perishable ones and watch their expiration dates.
- The highlight of the program is the rings of orange. They will add brightness to the finished jewelry and will exude a fragrance. The smell of citrus and pine needles in the aggregate in any person is associated with winter holidays.
- Tools: scissors, pruner, rope, hot glue with a gun.
- The basis for the Christmas wreath is a carved circle made of thick cardboard. You can use newspapers, a hoop, a section of a wide pipe - any round product.
Sequence
Now we’ll tell you how to make a wreath on the door with your own hands in stages, because one of the components of successful work is the correct organization of the work process.
Stage 1: preparing the foundation
This is the most crucial step, the quality of the finished wreath and its strength depends on its implementation. We took a thick cardboard, cut them into it round blanks with a diameter of 30 cm from the outside and 25 cm from the inside. The width of the wheel turned out to be 5 cm. We wrapped the blank with a wide gold-colored ribbon - this solution will conveniently fix the branches and decor, and random gaps through the needles will not be striking as something unfinished.
Instead of cardboard, a wreath of newspaper tubes at the base also holds its shape well. Creative minds even manage to create an independent composition by twisting the sheets of the old press into cones and tubes, fixing them on the basis. But this is not our case.
Stage 2: securing the branches
It’s easy to attach branches independently:
- Insert them into the pockets of the tape at the base of the workpiece and tie it with a thread;
- Bind with other branches;
- For mounting, staple brackets or wire are suitable.
Pre-prepare the twigs: cut off the extra shoots and shorten the main one to the desired length. Work out the entire perimeter of the ring.
Let some branches be with their own cones, this will facilitate the decoration process.
Stage 3: decoration
This stage is the most creative and interesting. Here we include all our imagination and create.
We used cotton cobs for decoration - the natural theme is always relevant, and such an unusual solution will definitely transform a handmade wreath.
Imagine in advance the appearance of your product and select compatible items for decoration. Let them be unexpected, then there should not be a lot of them.
While the branches are not covered by decor, strengthen them with a thin thread: it will pull the greens to the base and visually decorate the product.
If the hand reaches for the mountain ash branches - do not deny yourself. Fortunately, they can be collected until deep frosts.
Cut the prepared branches with secateurs to the desired length, remove ugly and spoiled berries. Insert the branches into the pockets of the workpiece and bandage them like spruce.
Now we fasten tasty material - orange slices. It is better to fix them to the composition with the help of ordinary threads - the brackets will tear the delicate structure, and the glue simply will not grasp with liquid juice. Fragrant reminder for the new year and the simultaneous remembrance of a sunny summer.
Feathers are best fixed with hot glue. Why hot? - He instantly grasps and does not have to wait long for drying. In addition, it is colorless and will not make itself felt.
Do-it-yourself decoration of the wreath with Christmas balls is as exciting as decorating the Christmas tree. We placed on the branches small balls in the same gamut. It is better to fix them with threads, using a crochet hook through the branches.
Well and how without different trinkets and toys?
A Christmas wreath on a door may contain a reminder of winter and snow. For this we use "liquid snow" in the form of an aerosol. With its help we put frost on the tips of the needles.
The manufacture of a New Year’s wreath cannot be entered into the same framework - there are as many decisions as hands begin to make this symbolic accessory.
One example of what we did.
More ideas
It is not necessary to make a Christmas and New Year wreath from living branches, you can make a composition from any materials for needlework:
- A wreath of felt;
- A wreath of beads;
- A wreath of paper;
- New Year's wreath of tinsel.
The choice of material is limited only by the scope of imagination.
The video reflects the work process, which is very easy to repeat.