Welcome to my first post of 2020. This is a ‘no sew’ project using a selection of 5 different fabrics & a 12 inch wire wreath frame to create a fabric wreath.

I wanted a random selection of fabrics rather than choosing specific designs and searched ‘fabric bundles’ on the Minerva site. There are many different pack sizes & colours available & half of the pleasure is not knowing what you are going to receive.

A great way to get a random selection of fabrics is to order a lucky dip fabric bundle from Minerva. You can choose the colour scheme and you receive a random bag of fabric from ranges that have been stocked in the past. It is a gamble as to what you will receive. Each fabric piece in the pack will be at least half a metre long and the pack can contain any number of pieces in various lengths and widths to make up the total amount of metres.

I ordered three 2 metre bundles in shades of silver, grey & white and was really pleased with the packs.

These are great value at £4.99 per bundle. I received a lovely selection of two one metre pieces of silver satin, silver velour, white floral cotton & cream nylon. The white cotton has a pretty red floral pattern which I hadn’t envisaged but it added a nice pop of colour. The grey pack was good but not suitable for this project, one being soft furnishing weight with a loose weave, and it came undone once cut into strips. The darker grey fabric was a lovely piece of fabric, maybe slightly too dark for the wreath but a lovely piece of fabric & ideal to make a top.

To add some additional texture, I included some white cotton lace and a ribbon bundle.

Purchasing fabric bundles is a great way to decide on a project after receiving fabric rather than the other way round & also a good way to see how different fabrics handle.

The easiest way to cut the strips is with a rotary cutter & mat. My mat, being 60 x 44cm, is not big enough for dressmaking but ideal for smaller shapes.

I cut off the salvage and then cut 6”/15cm pieces before cutting 1” strips. I cut approximately 100 strips of each colour as I had no idea how many I would need, totalling around 500 pieces. I layered the fabric and cut the strips in layers of 4, although only layers of two for the velour as it was thicker and moved when trying to cut it. I used the width of the ruler as it was easier than measuring each piece. Heavier weight fabrics are best cut in thinner strips to make tying easier.

To make the wreath it is just a matter of methodically tying pieces of fabric around the wire. I did a random placement of colours and just made sure I never tied two of the same next to each other. There are lots of tutorials online, but the best way is by trial and error. I tied double knots as the satin & cotton came loose with just one loop, however one knot is fine (and quicker) if the fabric stays in place.

The back of the wreath is very effective & is helpful to spot any gaps from the back and add extra strips of fabric if required.

I love the effect of the different fabric, textures and subtle colours and the added extra texture with the cotton lace and thin ribbon.

The possibilities for colour combinations are endless and there are some beautiful examples of fabric wreaths on Pinterest.

Thank you to Minerva and to everyone for reading.

Helen @JustSewHelen

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