Welcome


Welcome to The Gingerbread Bunny! I'm Sarah, a textile artist specialising in crochet and felt based in Wigan in the North-West of England.

On my blog, you can find my day-to-day craft adventures and tutorials.

You can find details of my work for sale and workshops on my website - www.thegingerbreadbunny.co.uk

Thursday 21 November 2013

How to Crochet a Christmas Wreath

I've been super busy recently completing orders and getting stock ready for a few Christmas craft fairs I'm doing in Tarleton and at the beautiful Houghton Towers near Blackburn.

One of my favourite items to crochet are crochet wreaths. They are easy to make, look amazing and, best of all, can be made in any colour scheme to match your decorations. They can even be made for year round display if you decorate them appropriatley.

As part of my beginners adult education class I teach, some of the ladies are making their own Christmas wreaths and so I've written, what I hope, is an easy to follow tutorial for crocheting a Christmas wreath!

How to: Crochet a Christmas Wreath


Materials
 
A half polystyrene wreath base
DK yarn in your choice of colours
Items to decorate your wreath with e.g. buttons, bells and ribbons
4mm crochet hook
Darning needle


 Covering the Wreath Base

 


1. Begin by making a chain of stitches, in your chosen colour, that fits around your wreath when wrapped front to back.  If you are a tight crocheter, add a couple of stitches.  You are aiming for a snug fit!

2. Chain 2 and work 1 dc stitch into each row.  Continue to work in dc stitch (turning chain 2).  You are aiming for a dense fabric.

3. Work in rows, until you have created a rectangle that fits round the whole wreath.  For a striped wreath, change colour by working the last pull through of the last stitch of the row in your new colour. 

4. Fasten off.  Lay the crocheted rectangle over the wreath. Using the loose ends, use whipstitch to secure it together, weaving ends in as you go.  This will be on the back so won’t be visible.

 Decorating the Wreath 
 


This is definitely my favourite bit of making a wreath.  I love to add crocheted stars and holly, pom poms, buttons and jingly Christmas bells (you can get these on eBay). I also like to crochet a chain, attaching buttons and bells as I go, to make a mini garland to wrap around the wreath.



1. Once you've chosen your items, lay them on, pinning in place, until you are happy with your arrangement and then stitch securely onto the crochet base of your wreath.


2. Finally, attach ribbon, or a hoop, to the back of your wreath.  Hang and enjoy!
                             


There's lots of  inspiration out there if you're looking for ideas on how to decorate your wreath. Look on Pinterest for decoration ideas and Ravelry for crocheted shapes, such as holly and stars, to add to it.



I hope you've enjoyed my tutorial and found it easy to follow.  Please share any comments and thoughts about my tutorial and photo's of your crocheted wreaths!