Burlap & Lily Spring Wreath

Burlap is all the rage, and I have to admit that these days I’m a sucker for anything made from the utilitarian material. Once spring had sprung, I knew I wanted to make a burlap wreath for our front door.

I’ve made burlap wreaths in the past, wrapping straw forms and pinning squares of burlap to them, but I wanted to use a different technique to achieve a different look for this wreath. I was going for the look of a polymesh wreath, but in burlap.

I spotted some 20-inch rolls of burlap mesh at a local store and online, but decided to go the more economical route and use inexpensive burlap yardage to make my wreath. I had about a yard and a half of natural colored burlap left from another project, so I laid it out on my kitchen table and cut it into wide strips. I didn’t worry if my strips weren’t even. It doesn’t really matter.

I bought this 24-inch twig work wreath as my base. I like working with this work wreath’s because they wire is always attached. My neighbor’s mom was a floral designer for many years, and she’s the one who tipped me off to these. You can find them online for about $7 each at Trendy Tree and Mardi Gras Outlet. The twig work wreath is a little rougher on your hands than the chenille stem ones that you would use for a polymesh wreath. But I needed a more rustic-looking form to match the burlap.

As you see from the photo above, I hung the work form on my French doors and built my wreath that way. I prefer make these kind of wreaths hanging, rather than on a flat surface, because I can see exactly where I need to tweak and fluff. Also, these wreath forms may have sharp wires that can scratch wooden surfaces or pick your clothes.

To assemble this kind of wreath, just grab a handful of burlap and twist the wire around it to secure it to the wreath form. Move down about a foot and pinch another width of burlap together and attach it to the next set of wires, creating a big bubble of fabric. Continue this process around the wreath. (The following video tutorial may help.)

Once I’d finished attaching my burlap to to the wreath, I thought it looked a little sparse. But I was out of burlap yardage, and I didn’t feel like going to the store to buy more. So, I decided to add some  six-inch darker burlap, which I’d bought in a roll at Michael’s for another project. I treated the darker burlap much like I would have ribbon if I was making a mesh wreath. It’s the filler to fluff the wreath, cover any holes and hide the wires.

It was such a pretty day, and my husband and son were in the backyard, so I moved outside to finish making the wreath. I left the tails of the darker burlap “ribbon” long.

As you can see, it fills in the gaps nicely. But the wreath still needs something….

Initially, I added a bow made of pink botanical mesh netting and this awesome “Some things just require cake” ribbon I bought at one of my favorite local stores, Total Bliss. I do love that ribbon and that bow, and think it would be perfect for this wreath when it’s somebody’s birthday. But this wasn’t the look I was going for for the spring front door. (If you like this ribbon, I found it online at Cherry Lane Keepsakes; there are other colors and sayings, too, and you’ll see some of those popping up in upcoming projects.)

No, what my wreath needed was a touch of spring — a beautiful stargazer lily. These are one of my favorite flowers. This one isn’t real, but it looks so real I can almost smell it.

And there you have it, my finished spring burlap wreath.

Here’s another view:

And a wider shot of the front door. I’m thinking I need to paint that wreath hanger so it looks a little more rustic, in keeping with the burlap.

Linking up to the following parties:

Countdown to Spring at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

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