How to make a Proddy Rag Wreath

These proddy wreaths are so much fun to make - easy to do with just a little preparation time, and the best thing is, you can make them from recycled shirts too!!

So, first of all, find yourself a polystyrene wreath - the choice of size is up to you.  The bigger the ring, the more fabric you will need.
You will also need PVA glue, a paint brush, and your fabric.

I would say half a meter of fabric for a 250mm ring to work 4 rows.

Cut the fabric up into 2.5cm (1") squares - you don't have to be too fussy as the finished look is 'raggy', but keep them roughly the same size.

Take a paint brush (the handle end) or an old knitting needle, dip into the PVA glue and make a hole, not deeper than 1cm, into the centre of the wreath ring.

Now, take a square of fabric, position it over the hole, dip your brush back in the glue and poke the centre of the fabric into the hole.

Add another piece a centimetre away..... and another.....

Continue adding the rags at one centimetre intervals all the way around.

Add a row inside and an row outside the original row.

You might want to add more rows if you wish, and even cover the whole ring, but as one side will be against a door or wall, there isn't really any need.

Add a ribbon loop to hang and there you have it - a beautiful rag wreath with not a lot of effort.

Fun wasn't it?

If you prefer to watch a video of this tutorial, you can find it over on my You Tube channel HERE.

How to make a quick Yarn Wrapped Wreath

These Wreaths are so easy to do, yet look so beautiful on display.

All you need is a styrofoam wreath ring and some scrap yarn, and as simple as it sounds, wrap the yarn around the wreath.

After wrapping this wreath once in yellow, I went back over it in pink, leaving small gaps for the yellow to show through.   Then I added some wired daisy embellishments to make it all spring like and cheerful.

Let me know if you make one for yourself.

What is that at the top of my garden?

"Hubster!!....... HUBSTER!!"  I yell in complete indignation as he rushes down the stairs wondering if the sky was going to fall in.

"There is something at the top of the garden"

(most people say bottom of the garden, but my garden slopes upwards, so it's the top)

"What", he says.

"I dunno, you will have to go and look.   It looks like bread.  BREAD!   A neighbour must be feeding the birds and has thrown it into our garden".

Now, as much as I don't mind feeding the birds, actively encourage it in fact, I don't want Ruby Pup eating rubbish.  Certainly not mouldy bread, or that amount of bread at all.  We have just got her flatulence under control, thank you very much.

"You'll have to go and have a word" I demand as he pulls his boots on to go and check out what indeed is up, at the top of the garden.

I watch from the conservatory, almost like an owl trying to spot a mouse.  I am still mad at the neighbour for daring to chuck bread into my space, still planning what Hubster is going to say to them.

I watch him bend down, then stand up smiling, half laughing.  His smile turns to a kind of 'Oops' grimace as he bends down to pick up another piece..... of 'bread'.

He walks back to the house.

"What is it?" I demand.

"Polystyrene" he answers.

Eh??  Ppolystyrene  Who would throw polystyrene over the fence?  And why?  Doesn't make sense,

"It might not have been the neighbour", he explains as he hands me a piece of ribbon.

"It might have been someone closer to home", he adds as he glances at......

RUBY !!!!

Yes, she has mastered that guilty look well.  This particular one was after chewing my boots.  (she did get a biscuit for posing though  :) )

So, what did she steal and destroy you may be asking......

This, my lovely Ribbon Wreath.  Which is now in a thousand pieces at the top of my garden.

And her reaction when I told her off?

She laughed at me  ;)

Ribbon Rag Wreath

I have been working on this raggy ribbon wreath this week.   Made from strips of Christmas print fabric, there is no sewing or glueing, just cutting and knotting.

Just looks a bit 'different' don't you think?  I wasn't sure when I only have a few strips on, but as it grew I liked it more and more.

Of course you can use any fabric, but I think the Christmas print one just adds to the Christmassy feel.

I have put these together in a kit form, which includes a polystyrene wreath form, 5 different prints of Christmas theme fabrics and a sparkly red ribbon to finish it off.  If you can tie a knot, you can make this wreath :)

You can find the kit HERE - limited supplies as I bought the last of the fabric in Hobbycraft  ;)

Pom-Pom Snowball Wreath

I did a demo this week in Hobbycraft of a Pom Pom wreath.

Charlie, the assistant manager there, provided me with a big bag of pom poms, all lovingly made out of a thick fluffy off-white yarn - and they were rather large pom-poms, think "big orange" size.

So a big wreath form was needed.

I cut a large ring out of an old cardboard box - around about 2 feet wide.

Then I glued the pom poms with a hot glue gun to the cardboard ring, pressing them down well so they would get a good grip.   

Round and round I went, sticking pom-poms  :)  Luckily he had made plenty.

Ta dah!   A big fluffy ring of snowball squidgyness.

I thought it needed something else, so I got some little ready made pom-poms and popped them in-between the big ones.

I also stuck one to my nose, just because.  It was hot - don't do it!

This is Rebecca showing the scale of the wreath.  To reward her for letting me use her photo I said I would send you to her website - here it is, off you go and have a look at her lovely things   :)

www.rebeccahollanddesign.com

And here is the snowball wreath on display - huge isn't it?

Try it yourself, all you need is a wreath form (styrofoam or cardboard), some pom-poms and a hot glue gun  (just stay away from your nose!)

Crochet Bubbles Wreath

I was wanting to do a new wreath as a sample for when I go to do workshops, but I wanted to steer away from flowers and leaves as most of my others seem to be just that.  I wanted something different to show people so that they have plenty of inspiration when making one themselves.

BUBBLES !

No idea where that idea came from, but I decided to run with it anyway.

I made an aqua blue base cover for a styrofoam wreath shape  - it only JUST fit. In fact it didn't really, I had to stretch and cajole it into fitting, but we got there in the end.   Another couple of rows would have been useful though.

The "bubbles" are little crocheted balls, they took about 6 minutes each to stuff and make.

I got a pack of yarn free on a knitting magazine, all different shades of blues, so I used that.  (Right, I want you to imagine the sound of popping as new bubbles appear - ready?

(1)  POP !

(12)  POP POP POP !

(24)  Your turn!

(36)

(48)  (I can't hear you 'popping')

(60)

(72)  Are you still "popping"?

(84)

(96)     Oooo bad photo.

(108)

Yep, 108 little balls - 6 minutes each to make, 3 minutes each to attach = 972 minutes (16.2 hours) just for the 'bubbles' alone.

Still, I'm quite pleased with it. Although glad it's finally finished :)

Crochet Wreath class

A great day was had by all last Tuesday as I held a crochet wreath class at Hobbycraft, Carlisle.

The day just flew by, we could have done with a few more hours actually, five just was not enough  :)

Three lovely ladies on the workshop, Marie, Karen and Stacey.

Here is Karen, busy with her hooky lovelyness.

Stacey and Marie quietly working away, as all good hooky people should  :)

Marie decided to concentrate on her flowers, producing the most gorgeous colour palette of a sunny yellow background with pinks, whites and lilacs to adorn.  This is going to look amazing when it is finished.

...and just check out those perfectly straight edges, fabulous work, especially as Marie has only been crocheting for a short time.

Karen decided on roses, each with a pearly bead centre.  Don't they look great?  she really worked hard and fast and got her wreath form covered in record time.

Stacey went for a Holly Wreath, she used a variegated yarn so here leaves were coming out in all different, glorious, glittery shades.  Teamed with red and purple berries, I love it.  She did have a little help with the wreath cover so she could concentrate on her leaves.

I was very impressed with the work these ladies produced, they are all going to be stunning wreathes and I cannot wait to see them finished.

Next time though, I might use a slightly smaller wreath form for this class as I would have liked to have seem them completed in class.  It's hard to work out how long things will take sometimes, but not a bad 5 hours work I would say.

Holly Wreath

Finished this a couple of days ago.  Not very in season I know, but in good time for next year  :)

An everlasting holly wreath.

First I covered the styrofoam wreath form with a strip of brown crochet  (for the wood) then added 60 single holly leaves.

Doing another wreath soon, called "bubbles", hope it works out like it looks in my head!

All my crochet wreaths to date are in an album on my SoozintheShed Facebook page  :)

Crochet heart wreath

I don't usually do sweet and twee, I never buy Valentine cards or barely remember the day -  totally unromantic.  So I surprised myself a little when I picked up this heart shape styrofoam form from Hobbycraft.

What to make?  Well, why not go the full Valentine hog and do something hearty and rosy?

So I did.

A long strip of double crochet.  Long enough to wrap around the heart.

Then sewn up.

Next, roses, I did the strip method, there are loads of free patterns out there.  Try HERE for some nice ones.

Then they get sewn up into cute little rose buds.

Finally they get attached to the heart for a big Voilà moment!

I bashed up another little bluey lilac heart too, and added it to a pin to make a sweet little brooch for the Birthday Blog Box  :)  (only 9 days to go!!)