Making A Multi Color Deco Mesh Wreath

About

You Will Need (7 things)

Steps (13 steps, 120 minutes)

1. 1

   Here are the supplies I started out with to make the multi-colored deco mesh wreath for a baby shower. I used three different colors of deco mesh. Two of the rolls where the 21" wide version and one roll was the 10" version. I think that you get the most bang for your buck using the 21" wide deco mesh if you have a choice. Hobby Lobby regularly has their deco mesh on sale. Michaels and Jo Ann's do not put theirs on sale much but you can use a coupon to get it at a discount. Since I had three different colors, I did not use the whole roll of any one of them. If you want to use only one color, it probably will take all of the roll to make the wreath look full enough.

2. 2

   Wire wreath forms are also available readily in craft stores usually in the floral section. For most of the wreaths I make, the 16" or 18" is a good size to go with. It is big enough without being too big. Sometimes you can find pre-made wreath forms to attach deco mesh to but the colors are limited. This is a pain but please paint your wreath form with a couple of coats of acrylic paint in a color that is similar to the color of the first color of mesh you going to put on the wreath. The mesh is very see-through. Even with several layers of mesh, the dark green of the wreath form will probably show through. This paint job does not have to be perfect to help a lot in the finished project.

3. 3

   You will add pipe cleaners to at least 2 of the 4 rings of the wreath form. Again, it is much better to use pipe cleaners that match your deco mesh. These pipe cleaners (or chenille stems as they are called now-a-days) are what is going to hold the deco mesh to the wreath form. To add them to the wreath form, twist the pipe cleaners tightly two times on the wire of the frame. Leave the "open arms" of the pipe cleaners on the top side (rounded side) of the wreath form. Put them about every 8" on the outside wire and a little closer together on the smaller wires closer to the center.

4. 4

   You don't HAVE to glue the pipe cleaners down, but it helps the mesh not slip around on the wires while you are constructing the wreath and adds stability in the long run. To glue the pipe cleaners down, flip the wreath over on to it's rounded side. Keep the "arms" of the pipe cleaners to the front of the wreath form. Put a bead of hot glue on the backside of the knot of the pipe cleaner and on either side of the knot on the wire wreath form.

5. 5

   Now for the fun part...attaching the deco mesh! Leaving about an 8" tail of deco mesh, gather along the width of the mesh. I think that making tiny accordion-type pleats gives you a good and consistent "pouf" but whatever type gather works for you is fine.

6. 6

   Keeping the gather you have made tightly pinched, place the gather on top of a set of "open-armed" pipe cleaners then twist the pipe cleaner "arms" tightly around the gather to hold it in place.

7. 7

   Move down the roll of deco mesh, make another gather/pinch of mesh far enough along that when it is placed on the next set of pipe cleaner "arms" along the wreath form wire that is will make a "pouf" of mesh. Attach this gathered/pleated point onto the pipe cleaner "arms" and twist tightly again. Work you way around the wreath on the same wreath form wire (I like to start with the outer-most wire) making and attaching "poufs" until you get back to your beginning point. Try to keep your "poufs" about the same size. Sometimes I even use a ruler to measure along the mesh to keep the length of mesh I am using to make a "pouf" consistent. Complete the circle attaching a gather of mesh on top of the first gather you attached. I like to make a good base of deco mesh so I go on and continue that same first color onto an inner wire of the form WITHOUT CUTTING the deco mesh. Just continue to gather and attach on an inner wire.

8. 8

   Here's what the wreath looks like with one color added to the wreath form on two different wires of the form. There are still some blank spaces that could be filled in with ribbons, etc. or you could add even another circle of the mesh poufs in the same color. When you have finished adding a color of mesh, leave an 8" tail of mesh and pull it to the back of the wreath. You can secure it to the wreath form with a pipe cleaner.

9. 9

   To add another color of mesh, use the same technique that you did with the first color. Use the same pipe cleaners and just add the poufs on top of the base layer. For this second layer, you can zig zag the poufs between the outer and inner wires of the wreath form on top of the poufs you already have.

10. 10

    For the third color of mesh, I used a thinner deco mesh and added it in the same zig zag style of the second layer. You can decide how many colors or layers that you want. I also zig zagged some printed ribbon in on top of the third layer of mesh using the pipe cleaners to attach it also. When you are finished layering on deco mesh and ribbon, pull the ends of the pipe cleaners to the back of the wreath and twist them along the wreath form wires.

11. 11

    Another way you can add fun ribbon is to cut a length of it, push back the deco mesh poufs to expose a wire on the front of the wreath form, pull the ribbon under a wire, tie it in a knot, then fluff the deco mesh back in place. Cut the ends of the ribbon at a slant or in a fish-tail pattern.

12. 12

    You can add lightweight items to the wreath too. This little bear got a blue ribbon around his neck to match the wreath for fun. A pipe cleaner is wrapped around his neck from front to back and twisted in the back. Then the pipe cleaner is used to attach the bear to a wire on the wreath form.

13. 13

    Lightweight painted letters were hot glued onto the deco mesh poufs along the top of the wreath. These techniques can be used to make deco mesh wreaths in so many different colors for lots of occasions and holidays.