Dried Flower Wreath

So when someone gave me the simple request of making a dried flower wreath for them I had no idea these would be so popular, but within 10 minutes of her picking up the finished product, I already had four more wreath orders, just from people seeing her carry it around. Amazing considering that when I first started this wreath, I though it was pretty ugly. The flowers on the partially finished wreath looked like they’d been haphazardly stuck on there. But by the time I’d completed the entire circle, the wreath had come together beautifully. I guess it just needed to be fully flowered to make a show.  

You will need:

A straw wreath hoop

15-20 dried straw flowers (Helichrysum)

Several bunches of dried statice in at least three colors

6 stems of dried baby's breath

6-7 pieces of dried coxcomb flower

6-7 pieces of dried yarrow

A ball of yarn

A roll of 22-gauge wreath wire

Most of the flowers in this wreath dry pretty well using the air-drying method.

Start the project by tying one end of the yarn to the wreath. Gather a bunch of statice about 2 inches wide (all the same color) and place it on the wreath wrapping the yarn around it to secure it. Take a few straw flowers and put them next to the statice wrapping the yarn around them. Grab another bunch of statice (different colored than the first bunch) and yarn wrap that to secure it to the wreath. Repeat with another row, staggering the straw flowers and the statice so they’re not right in line with the first ones. Next add a piece of yarrow or a piece of coxcomb.

Repeat the steps above making another two rows of flowers then adding a piece of yarrow or coxcomb (whichever one you didn’t add the first time). Continue on in this manner, adding flowers and alternating the yarrow and coxcomb combinations. Also change the position of the flowers around: if one piece of coxcomb was on the top of the wreath, put the next piece towards the interior of the wreath and so on.

Every 4-5 inches, add in a stem of baby’s breath, allowing it to flail out from the wreath in an unruly manner. It adds charm to the finished wreath.

When the hoop is entirely covered by flowers, tie off the yarn. To make a hanger, take an eight inch piece of wreath wire and slip an inch of each end under several pieces of yarn on the back side. Bend the inch back towards the long part and wrap it around itself to secure it. You can also use u-shaped wreath pins to attach the wreath wire to the wreath as an alternative to slipping it under the yarn.

This wreath will last for years if it is kept out of harsh weather. It can also be sprayed with dried flower preserver to make the flowers less fragile.