Happy New Year! I know you must be feeling that New Year motivation, I know I am! I always want to undertake mass renovations at this time of year. It doesn’t take a huge financial outlay or days of your time to update a space and that post-Christmas decorations time is just asking for a little interiors tweak. Today, I am sharing how I made my pampas grass wreath. It took less than an hour too! Let’s jump right in.
What do I need to make a pampas grass wreath?
You can make your wreath in any size you wish. I wanted a large wreath as a feature, so I used a Rahyer 50cm powder coated wreath ring. A large full wreath needs a significant of pampas grass. I used five very large plumes and 4 smaller ones for filling gaps. I need a few more small plumes to fill out the top a little more – which I will do at a later date. Pampas grass is hugely popular and can be found with a google search, it’s even better if you have a neighbour or a friend who can help you out with some cuttings. To create my wreath I also used 0.35mm florist wire and a pair of craft wire cutters. A little cruelty-free hairspray is really handy for plumping out the flowers at the end for a beautiful feathery texture.
Getting started
To begin I cut my florist wire to 5 inch lengths. It can be quite fiddly holding bits in place and trying to cut wire so this step is invaluable. Although 5 inches is pretty long it’s a versatile length that is easy to work with one handed. I used 15 lengths but this will vary on your amount of blooms and wreath size.
The largest blooms were laid out around the ring to get an even spread. I ensured that the end and beginning of each bloom overlapped by about a quarter.
Attaching the stems
I trimmed the stems to half an inch long and laid the first stem on the wreath, using the florist wire to tightly attach it and using a twist on the back. Take care to feed the florist wire around the stem, leaving the feathery fronds free. This may take some teasing – the wire should not be visible from the front.
It’s worth noting that the larger stems are more rigid, particularly if they’re dried like mine were. These will need to be attached with wire in more places to get them to bend to the ring, otherwise you’ll end up with more of a 50p shape.
The start of the next stem should be overlapped by the feathery ends of your first stem, again taking care not to trap the flowers under the wire. Once giving the wire a firm twist or two, I would turn the wreath over to ensure the wire was tight.
Your pampas wreath is complete
Once you’ve covered your wreath all the way around and tightened all the wire, lay your wreath down and start to look for areas that appear a little less full than the others. Here you will need to use the smaller blooms to fill out the gaps, using the same technique to attach them into your arrangement.
Once happy you can flip over your wreath and trim off any excess florist wire. How quick was that?
Where will your pampas wreath go?
Wreaths are not just for doors and beautifully placed vintage shutters. Hanging from peg rails or arranged as a wall display are other striking choices. My wreath was custom made to go over my bed. My bedroom is an eclectic mix of industrial inspired black metal softened with natural wood and basket textures and gallery white walls. The 50cm size works a treat and I love how it softens the space. I’m delighted with the result, it was so easy and quick to make. I may fill out the top section with more small blooms, but for now I will revel in my crafty success.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this quick and easy pampas grass wreath tutorial.
Love,
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