A Wreath for Patriotic Holidays
One of my favorite Pinterest boards is "Wreaths for All
Seasons and Reasons." On that board, I pin wreaths I love as well as
anything else that might be appropriate for door décor throughout the year. I've
pinned several ideas for celebrating the Fourth of July and many others for
summertime fun. So, I've some of the creative ideas I've pinned to come up with
my own version of a pool-noodle, flip-flop wreath.
I love the dollar store! Most of the supplies are available
there, making this Pinterest-inspired wreath a budget-friendly project—and it
won't take long to make it either! You can substitute ribbon for that if you
wish—or eliminate it. The items purchased at my local Dollar Tree have an
asterisk* in the "Materials, Tools, and Supplies" list below. Add a
few more bucks and you have a custom-made wreath for between $20 and $25, plus
the fun you had creating it! Throw in a few more dollars for miscellaneous
supplies if needed.
Flip-Flop Hooray for
the USA Wreath
...a pool noodle wreath for the Fourth of July and other patriotic holidays—Flag Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day!
I've written this step-by-step tutorial so you can follow
along and make your own. When the shopping is done, the wreath making is done
and shouldn't take much more than a few hours! Follow along and yours will be
finished before you know it!
Although I made my wreath to hang on the door for the month
of July, you can adapt this to any other color scheme for other seasons. For
example, if you want to turn it into an Easter wreath, substitute plastic eggs
from the dollar store for the flip-flops and use deco mesh as a background for
the flowers. The possibilities are quite endless! You could make a wreath for
every season for not much more than it would cost you to pay full retail for a
custom-made one. Now that's what I call "bargain crafting."
Materials
* (1) 2-1/2"-diameter pool noodle, about 48" long
in desired color. I wanted white but had to settle on blue, which is fine for
this color scheme. Red would work, too! The noodle should already have a hole all
the way through the center, about 3/4" in diameter.
*1 pair of flip flops, medium in child's size or size 7 for
an adult; look for red-white-and blue ones or use your choice of red or blue (I
actually bought the ones shown on sale at JoAnn Fabrics for $1.00. they are definitely of better quality than the ones available a the dollar store and in the "dollar spot" bins at Target stores--plus I love the stripes! Consider "glamorizing" plain flip-flops with strips of colored Duck tape, glue-on jewels, decals, or painted motifs. Gussy them up a bit for more pizazz!
*16-20 or more multi-blossom sprays of assorted silk flowers (5 medium to large flowers on a spray). I used matching red and white daisies as well as a few sprays of a red mum and a white rose because I ran out of the daisies and there were no more daisies at my local Dollar Tree.
Note: I've also
made a wreath using multiple flower styles and a more random arrangement (a
photo of that wreath appears later in this tutorial). The number of flowers you
will need depends on their size and the density of coverage so the noodle
doesn't show—unless of course you want it to.
3"-long piece of dowel—the diameter of the hole in the
pool noodle, or as close as you can come
About 2 yards of 1-1/2" to 2"-wide grosgrain or
wire-edged ribbon for the hanger, more if you want to tie a bow in it
OR
A small bone or brass drapery ring OR the pop-top ring from
a soda can for a hanger if you don't want a ribbon one
Optional: Spray-on fabric protector
Tools and Supplies
Tacky craft glue
Clear mailing tape
Straight pins
Small sewing scissors
Measuring tape
Seam sealant such as Fray Check from the fabric store
Glue Gun and glue sticks
Assembly
1. Insert 1' to 2" of the dowel into one end of the noodle.
If it's not a snug fit, remove, put some glue in the opening of the hole and
slide the noodle back in place. Allow the glue to dry. It needs air to dry
thoroughly. Try drying it with a blow dryer to speed up the process.
Note: Since I didn't have the right size dowel on hand, I
raided my husband's workshop for a scrap of wood that would work the same way
as the dowel. That's what you see in the photo.
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Bring ends together, then force
together as much as possible.
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2. Bring the other end of the noodle around to the exposed
end of the dowel, put some glue inside the hole and insert the dowel, shaping
the noodle into a circle. Tape the ends together (allow it to spread a bit to
keep the circle round. You'll cover up this area later.
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Clear packing tape; there is a gap between
the two edges at the outer edge of noodle.
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Note: When I made my second wreath, I was in a hurry, so I
didn't use a dowel or lumber. I just cut off a few lengths of tape, then forced
the ends together as much as possible.
3. Cut a short length
of ribbon or other trim and wrap it around the wreath. Use the Tacky craft glue
to secure it. (I used a scrap of cotton strap webbing. Treat the cut end with
seam sealant (Fray-Check). Make sure it is securely glued and allow to dry
thoroughly. This is where you will attach the ribbon for the hanger.
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Glue ends in place and teat
exposed end with seam sealant.
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Use wire snips to cut
flowers from stems. |
4. Use a wire cutter
to snip two flowers from one of the floral sprays, leaving enough stem to tuck
into the opening of the toe thongs of the flip-flops. If you want leaves, push
them up the wires stems so they lie beneath the flower. Squirt a little tacky
glue into and around the hole before forcing the flower stem in place.
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| Flowers glued in place |
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| Glue flip-flops to noodle wreath. |
5. Position the flip-flops on the wreath as desired. When
happy with the positioning, glue in place with the glue gun. I glued the edges
of the flip-flops together too, so the lower one wouldn't tip into the center.
I also flipped the wreath over and put more glue in the back along the flip-flops.
6. Begin cutting flowers from at least ten of the floral sprays
to start, leaving enough stem (2"-2-1/4") to push into the noodle.
Test the stem length in the foam to make sure the stem doesn't poke through the
back. Stems should be long enough to anchor the flower, so cutting them a
little shy of the distance from the top of the noodle to your work surface
should work. Set aside at least 1 blossom for the ribbon hanger if you are not
making a bow in the ribbon. Cut more flowers as needed.
7. Arrange the blossoms around on the top of the wreath, but
don't push them into the top of the noodle until you are pleased with the
placement. Just lean them against the inner and outer edges of the wreath so
you can rough-out the placement. When you are satisfied, simply push the stems
into the noodle. You can remove and reposition them as you go, but don't re-use a previous hole as the flowers may fall out because the hole won't be as stable as with a single poke-through. If you don't like something after you are finished pushing all of the flowers into the top of the wreath, remove them one at a time and rearrange or reposition as desired.
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| First round of flowers, on top of wreath |
Note: If your wreath will hang on a door is that gets a lot of
use, it would be a good idea to glue the flowers in place with tacky craft
glue. However, I recommend waiting to do this after you've "lived"
with the finished wreath for a few days. You might see a few blooms that need re-spacing
or require a different angle to hide the pool tube underneath. Once glued that's not possible.
To glue, remove the blossoms one by one, insert a little tacky
craft glue into and around the hole, and then replace it. Depending on how many
blossoms, you've used, this will be a little time-consuming, but worth it.
If your wreath will hang indoors on a wall, gluing may not
be necessary unless they start falling out.
8. When happy with the front of the wreath, fill in with
flowers around the outer and inner perimeters to hide the wreath. Hold it up
against a wall and look at both side edges to make sure there are enough
blossoms to hide the wreath from the side. If you leftover leaves and stems,
these may be used as fillers.
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All flowers in place on inner & outer
edges and top of wreath
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Wispy sprays for movement
and visual interest
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9. For a less static look, consider adding wispy floral
sprays around the inner and outer perimeter.
10. To hang your wreath, choose one of these options:
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Tie a snug square knot; glue
with tacky craft glue.
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a. Loop color-coordinated
ribbon through the ribbon or webbing (step 3) and tie in a knot, then tie in a
bow if desired, or tie another square knot to create the length required where
you wish to hang it. Make sure the knot is secure and that both halves of the
ribbon are the same length.
Decide how long the ribbon tails should be and cut
the ends at a 45-degree angle. Treat the cut edges with seam sealant to prevent
further raveling. It dries clear.
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Treat cut ends with seam sealant after
cutting at a 45-degree angle. |
b. If you don't want a ribbon bow, sew a soda-can pop-top
metal ring to the ribbon or webbing on the back of the wreath so you can hang
it on a small hook or nail positioned on the wall or door behind it.
Note: Since the wreath is so lightweight, you might find it
safe and easy to hang it on your front door using a Command hook from 3M. Find
them at your grocery store. Locate on the hanging surface so the wreath covers
the hook-- "no visible means of support!" This type of hook can take
the place of an over-the-door-wreath hook when one that hooks over the top of
the door is too thick to allow the door to close. Pool noodle wreaths are
lightweight, unless you weight them down with geegaws! But, I always buy a hook
that will support more than the actual weight of the wreath. Don't skip the step of cleaning the
surface where you will mount it. I have, and the consequences are not pretty!
(A few framed pictures fell off the walls eventually!)
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Second wreath with more planned flower
arrangement; flip-flops at an angle.
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Easter wreath with plastic eggs from
dollar store adhered to foam
pipe-insulation tube
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After reading several posts that showed how to make a
"pool noodle" wreath, I stumbled on a site that suggested using
insulation foam tubes. That's what I used for my Easter Egg Wreath. These run $2 to $3 for a 6' length, which is way too long. I cut mine down to about 54"
and when all was said and done, the wreath still turned out larger then I wanted--I forgot about the "bulk" that the eggs would add. It is a bit "wobbly" with over 120 plastic eggs hot-glued in place (that's at least seven bags or 18 eggs each from the dollar store). If you want to use this
instead of a pool noodle, be sure to check out the post below shows how to
avoid an "unround" wreath when using this material. It definitely works, but I recommend cutting a 48"-long piece from it--it will be plenty big when finished! It won't take nearly as many eggs to cover it either, making this a truly inexpensive wreath!
For other wreaths featuring flip-flops, check out these web
addresses from some of my favorite pins.
You will need to click on the image of the
"Welcome" wreath to access the tutorial when you reach the link above.
I would love to see your wreath(s) if you make one from my directions. It would be nice to share your photos in this blog!
By the way, if you sew or quilt or both, be sure to check out my other blog, www.joyofsewingandquilting.blogspot.com
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Strip Happy Fat Quarter
Tote Bag
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I just posted about my latest pattern, the Strip Happy Fat Quarter Tote Bag.
Until next time,
Keep on pinning, crafting, and smiling
Barbara
