How to Attach Character Embellishments to Wreaths

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Working in the wreath business for many years, I’ve come across some very talented wreath designers.  I would like to introduce one of them to you today, Rhonda Nickerson of Rhonda’s Creative Corner!  Rhonda has enlisted the help of her mother Khenemet Matthews to help with the embellishments of her wreaths.  Her hand sewn embellishments have become so popular in the wreath industry that she started listing them in her Etsy Shop (etsy.com/shop/sewhappydolldesigns).  Now other wreath designers can purchase her beautiful handmade character embellishments for their own wreaths.  In this tutorial Rhonda shows you how to attach character embellishments to wreaths giving you a festive wreath.  This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

This tutorial is written and photographed by Rhonda Nickerson and she has given me permission to include the tutorial on my blog.  Follow along Rhonda’s instructions on how to attach her mother’s wreath embellishments to wreaths.

How to Attach Character Embellishments to Wreaths

Start with a character set. For this example, we’re using a pilgrim set.  This set consists of a hat, arms and legs.

Step 1 Prepare the Hat

After you have completed your wreath base of deco mesh and ribbons, decide where you want the hat to go.  In this example, Rhonda chose not use the top pipe cleaners her mother attached with the hat, but instead cut them off and added new pipe cleaners in a different position.

Because of the positioning, Rhonda needed new pipe cleaners added to the middle of the back of the hat. She took a floral pick and attached it to the end of a pipe cleaner.

She used scissors to make two small holes in the middle of the back of the hat.

She then thread the floral pick in one hole and out the other thereby threading the pipe cleaner onto the hat.  Remove the wooden floral pick after pipe cleaner is threaded.

Rhonda places the glue gun tip inside both of the holes to permanently secure the pipe cleaners to the hat.

Step 2 Prepare the Arms

Rhonda’s mother makes the arms and sleeves separate in order to give you the choice of making the arm as long as you would like.

Take the sleeve and place it where you like on the arm and then hot glue it permanently into place.

Then cut the remaining sleeve length off but leaving enough to hide the pipe cleaner on the back (see below).

Step 3 Attach to the Wreath

Now that everything is prepared, it is time to attach the pilgrim to the wreath.

Beginning with the hat, place the hat into position and pull the pipe cleaner through.

Wrap each pipe cleaner securely around the work form and hot glue it to make sure it does not move.

In this example Rhonda used a cornucopia filled with flowers as the centerpiece of the wreath.  She suggests placing your centerpiece first so that you know where you want the Pilgrim’s arms to be positioned as well as how long they need to be.

Find the best placement for the arms and stick them into the mesh.

Wrap the wire that is attached to the arm around the work form.

Confirm your placement once more and then permanently hot glue the sleeve over the wire to hide it.

Find the location where you want the legs to be positioned.  Stick the pipe cleaners through the mesh and pull the legs as far as possible (were the waist is hidden).   Wrap the pipe cleaners around the work form, check placement and then secure permanently to the work form with hot glue.

The final step is to place the hands permanently on the centerpiece (if you are using one). Because Rhonda likes to make sure that all of the embellishments are secure, she also adds pipe cleaners to the back of the hands (follow the same instructions used for adding pipe cleaners to the back of the hat). Once added stick the pipe cleaners through the mesh and tie them around the work form.

Place the pilgrim’s hands in the position and hot glue them permanently to the centerpiece. After hot gluing hands to centerpiece, hot glue the pipe cleaners to work form.

Step 4 Finish off the back of the wreath

You can then take leftover silk flower leaves and cover up the pipe cleaners if you want.

Rhonda’s Finished Pilgrim Wreath

I hope you enjoyed Rhonda’s tutorial.  Let me know if you have any questions and we can get Rhonda to answer them for you.  To purchase your own wreath character embellishments, visit this Etsy shop etsy.com/shop/sewhappydolldesigns and if you don’t see the pilgrim set listed, feel free to ask for a custom made set just for you.

Also make sure to visit Rhonda and her mother’s shop on Etsy and Facebook:

Rhonda’s Creative Business Links – Rhonda’s Creative Corner:

facebook.com/rhondascreativecorner/
etsy.com/shop/RhondasCre8iveCorner
instagram.com/Rhondascreativecorner

Rhonda’s Mother’s Creative Business Links – Sew Happy Doll Designs:

facebook.com/sewhappydollclothes/
etsy.com/shop/sewhappydolldesigns

 

 

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like:

How to Make a Deco Mesh Wreath eBook

How to Make Pumpkin Centerpieces Video

How to Add Ribbon Streamers to Deco Mesh Wreaths

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