Simple steps for making a Christmas wreath will allow you to make a festive attribute using an accessible natural material - pine cones. Step-by-step instructions are schematically presented in the table. Cheap consumables and simple technology make the manufacturing process accessible to everyone.
| Events | Target | Consumables | Tools |
| Preparatory | Sketching the design, choosing the design and color scheme | Paper | Pencil |
| Making the base | Forming a base for attaching decorative elements | Wire of various diameters, cardboard, foam, threads, glue, paints, paper, tape | Pliers, brushes, glue gun, scissors |
| Processing of decorative elements | Preparation of the required number of parts of the required size and color | Pine cones, tinsel, candy, toys, ribbons, branches, glitter, paint, thread, varnish | Brushes, knife, scissors |
| Creating a layout | Arrangement of decorative elements based on | Ready-made decorative elements | — |
| Mounting a wreath | Fixing decorative elements on the base | Glue, knitting or transformer wire, threads | Glue gun, pliers, scissors, |
The History of the Tradition of Decorating Homes with Christmas Wreaths
In modern language, The patent for the inventor of the Advent wreath could belong to the Lutheran priest Johann Hinrich WichernThe pastor’s pupils – children from poor families – always eagerly awaited the arrival of the main holiday of the year.
To visually show the passage of time, and at the same time develop counting skills, the priest created a practical aid that allowed counting the days until the Great Feast. The wooden wheel was decorated with candles. Their number corresponded to the number of days remaining until the feast and decreased as it approached.
The last candle showed the kids that the long-awaited celebration would begin tomorrow. The pastor liked the idea. From that moment on, the tradition of decorating one's home spread throughout Germany, and later throughout the world. The beautiful attribute was approved by Christians of all denominations. The invention was creatively developed.
Today, there is a competition of ideas about what materials can be used to make a festive decoration. But the winners will always be wreaths made from materials created by nature itself.
How to choose cones
When making a Christmas wreath, cones of available coniferous trees are used. The most common are pine and spruce. Less common are larch and cedar, cypress and fir. The raw material is assessed during collection. Broken scales, asymmetry, rot are grounds for rejection. Cones can be of different sizes.
First stage of work:
- cleaning from dirt;
- boiling in water;
- drying;
- giving the raw material the desired color.
To paint the cones, use brushes, pieces of foam rubber, and spray paint. You can hold the tip and dip it completely into a container with dye. In all cases, when drying, the scales should be directed upwards. If you want to leave the natural color, but make it a little lighter, soak the cones in laundry bleach for 4-5 hours.
Cones decorated with glitter look spectacular. Such decorations are often attached to artificial fir trees before being sold. To achieve the result, PVA glue is applied to the tips of the scales. Before it hardens, the cone is sprinkled with glitter. Those that do not stick are shaken off for reuse. Aromatic additives or oils give the product the desired aroma.
Master class on making a wreath only from pine cones
Depending on the material used to make the frame, the fastening of the cones to the Christmas wreath is done in different ways. The most common options are wire and cardboard (plywood) bases.
In the first case, a frame resembling a cut torus (donut) is made from soft iron wire with a diameter of 2.5 - 3 mm. The diameter of the inner ring is 15-20 cm. The distance between the rings is 3 cm. Pliers are used in the work.
To give the structure strength, 4 rings are fastened together with stiffening ribs made of the same wire. The frame will be more attractive if painted green.
Next, the cones are laid out in 3 formed paths. The inner row is filled first. For fastening, thin wire (knitting or transformer) is used. It is threaded between the lower petals, fixed with an overlap and attached to the main frame.
It is important that the tops of the cones have approximately the same angle of inclination to the plane of the wreath.The second row, the one furthest from the middle, is filled in the same way.
By varying the sizes of the cones to place them as close to each other as possible, the space between the outer rows is closed. If desired, decorative elements can be added to the structure. For this frame, it is advisable to use pine (cedar) cones.
Wreath with fir cones
Spruce cones look attractive when placed on a flat surface - a ring (torus) with an internal diameter of 15 cm and an external diameter of 24. The presence of a sheet of plywood with a thickness of 3 mm and a jigsaw simplify the task. Their absence is not an obstacle on the way to the goal.
Christmas wreath made of pine cones, step-by-step instructions for making which using pine cones is simple and accessible to anyone who has pieces of cardboard, thread, and a glue gun.
Circles of the specified size are applied to a sheet of cardboard (old folders, packing boxes). Insufficient rigidity of the material used is eliminated by gluing several layers of blanks. The surfaces of the torus covered with PVA glue are combined and placed under a press (a stack of books, a pot of water) for 1-2 hours for better adhesion.
The finished cardboard ring is wrapped with thick threads or twine. The thicker the diameter of the threads, the less time-consuming the work will be. The braiding creates the necessary basis for applying glue and eliminates the unattractive appearance of the original material. It is allowed to paint the threads with waterproof paint of the desired color.
The next step is to mark the base for gluing the fir cones. The largest ones are laid out along the entire outer perimeter of the torus. The axis of the cone should be directed to the supposed center of the circle. Its lower part, about 1.5 cm long, is located on the base. When fixing with glue, the upper part should be raised relative to the plane by 10-15 degrees.
The procedure allows you to select the required number of cones of the required size to eliminate voids on the wreath.
Gluing is done with a glue gun. The fir cone is pressed to the base of the wreath and glue is squeezed out. Its volume should be sufficient for generously greasing a layer 1.5 cm wide at the edge of the torus and filling the voids between the scales at the bottom of the cone. After hardening, the subsequent elements are attached nearby in the same way.
For the second circle, use medium-sized cones. Before fixing, press them as close as possible to the first row. The angle of inclination should be 30-40 degrees. The cones in the final row are the smallest. Pay attention to the density of their adhesion to the fixed elements from the second circle.
A Christmas wreath made of pine cones, the step-by-step instructions for making which involve the use of additional materials (branches, flowers, sweets), has been made for decades. New materials and design ideas appear.
Wreath of pine cones with tinsel
Tinsel is divided into two main types:
- on wire;
- tinsel rain (fluffy).
Tinsel on a wire is used as the base of the wreath. In this case, the frame itself is a decorative element and does not require additional processing. Snowflake-shaped tinsel can be placed in the middle of the wreath, but its size should not exceed 2/3 of the diameter of the outer circle.
Fluffy tinsel is used to decorate a wreath of pine cones with a solid ribbon and cut pieces. Its purpose is to emphasize the beauty of the natural material. The tinsel ribbon is attached to the outer and inner border of the wreath with threads or a glue gun.
When preparing the cones for attachment, some of them are decorated with tinsel. Using a spatula, press out the scales at a distance of 1 cm from the base of the pine cone. Insert the tip of a piece of tinsel, wrap the cone around the circumference and use a spatula to secure the other end. The decorated cones are attached to the base at equal intervals.
Wreaths made from tinsel and with pine cones as decorative elements have become more widespread.
Wreath with pine cones and sweets
Candies combined with pine cones will decorate any Christmas wreath. The step-by-step instructions for making it are slightly different from those given above.
Candies in a wreath can serve as both the main element and decoration.
In the first case, the sizes of the candies and cones should be approximately the same. The volume of the Truffle candies matches the size of the pine cones. When making rows, the cones and candies must alternate at equal intervals.
Depending on the wreath base, the fastening is done with threads or double-sided tape. When using a glue gun, it is necessary to wait for the plastic mass to cool down to avoid deformation of the candies under the influence of temperature.
In the second case, preference is given to candies without wrapping paper, based on gelatin or marmalade. To decorate the wreath, the candies are connected to each other. A wooden skewer or colored thread (fishing line) is used. The elasticity of the candy material allows you to fix the candy columns by slightly moving apart the fixed cones of the wreath.
The "string" with candies can act as a dividing strip between the rows of cones, or lie on the wreath in the form of a sinusoid between the inner and outer borders of the circle. The natural beauty of the cones is harmoniously combined with candies in the form of raspberries.
Wreath of newspapers and pine cones
A Christmas wreath made of pine cones, the step-by-step instructions for making which stipulate the use of waste paper, is the most inexpensive in terms of cost.
Unneeded newspapers can serve as a basis. 40-60 sheets of periodicals are rolled into a tight tube, from which a ring is made. The ends are fastened with tape. To smooth out the unevenness, the ring is wrapped with toilet paper, and then with a medical bandage. The bandage is fixed with dotted inclusions of PVC glue.
The finished torus, about 7-8 cm in diameter, is painted in dark tones, dried and placed on a flat surface. The attachment of the cones with a glue gun begins from the inside of the ring. The remaining cones are pressed and fixed to the finished row. Their axis should be directed to the center of the "donut". Miniature Christmas tree decorations of bright colors will enliven the composition.
Wreath of pine cones and branches
Branches of pine or spruce with abundant needles, 25-30 cm long, are selected. The lower part of the branch, 15 cm long, is freed from the lateral shoots. 4 blanks are aligned along the cut and applied to the wire base.
On one of them, by means of wire fastening to the bottom of the scales, a cone is placed. The top of the branches is directed clockwise. The arrangement of the upper part of the coniferous branches is intended to hide the shape of the frame as much as possible. Fastening is carried out with soft, thin wire.
The next "quartet" of branches moves counterclockwise. Its needles hide the "bare" part of the preceding components. The base of the final bunch of branches is hidden under the needles of the first.
Wreath of pine cones decorated with glitter
Glitters are created to decorate various surfaces. Cones prepared for placement on the Christmas wreath are processed by applying PVA glue or colorless nail polish to the petals and then sprinkling with glitter. The upper part of the scales is painted.
Because of the drying speed, the varnish is sprinkled with glitter immediately after its application. PVA glue allows the procedure to be carried out more leisurely. Glitter that does not get on the surface with glue is shaken off and reused.
Marketers promoting products with elements of coniferous plants (small architectural forms, artificial pines and firs, etc.) using natural cones usually opt for decorating them with silver glitter. The natural beauty of cones combined with their natural noble color create a composition that is ideal for buyers to perceive.
Wreath of pine cones and flowers
Sometimes, on special occasions, fresh flowers are used to decorate the Christmas wreath made of cones. The step-by-step instructions do not imply any complicated elements in the work.
Best choices: calla lilies, carnations and roses. The stem of the required length is passed between the cones. No fasteners are used. Artificial flowers make it possible to make the wreath more durable.
Other ideas from pine cones
You can make a miniature Christmas tree from cedar and pine cones. An open pine cone resembles a ruffled chicken or a hedgehog. Minimal processing allows you to make angels from pine cones, a fun mini zoo.
There are no strict rules when creating a Christmas wreath, the main element of which is pine cones. You can change the size of the body and decorative elements. Step-by-step instructions are not dogma. Pine cones can be combined with fruits, berries, candied fruits, fur and even wine corks.
Author: Countryman
Article formatting:Natalie Podolskaya
Video about making a Christmas wreath
Video on how to make a Christmas wreath from pine cones (step-by-step instructions):
Did you like the version of the Christmas wreath made of candies, it’s perfect for kids?