While most of us do not decorate for St. Patrick's Day, it's fun to add a touch of green during the month of March! Remember this Burlap Bubble Wreath base I made a few weeks ago? For Valentine's, I added a removable red burlap heart. A shamrock for St. Patrick's Day will replace the hearts!
Supplies needed:
1 wire coat hanger or Aluminum Floral Wire (12-gauge)
1 yard Emerald Green burlap (found online HERE)
florist's wire, cut into 8-inch pieces
1 large safety pin
First, straighten out a wire coat hanger (the mere mention of those words brings Mommie Dearest to mind!). Start with a "stem," then form your shamrock. Don't stress over it being perfect. The burlap will cover and hide it.
Lay out the yard of burlap on the floor. The burlap from this particular store is 46 inches wide.
Fold it in half longways and cut the fabric in half,
giving you two pieces that are approximately 23x36 inches each. (The fabric they sent me was not a full yard, so the measurements I'm giving you are what they should be, not what mine actually are)
Cut one of the 22x36 strips in half longways, giving you 2 strips approx 11.5x36 inches each. (Keep other strip for another shamrock or future projects)
One more time, cut your 11.5x36 piece in half longways, giving you 2 strips that are approx 5.5x36 inches each.
You are ready to start your shamrock!
Keep in mind that I am not a professional, and oftentimes (like in this project), I "make do" as I go. Once you get the general idea of this project, do what works for you!
As seen in the photo above, I started my bubbles at the base of the shamrock "stem." Keeping the burlap from sliding off the coat hanger while I made my way around the shamrock was challenging. At the end of this post, I'll show you where I add an extra piece of burlap to the stem and secure it in a knot. Perhaps starting with a knot is the best way to go.
Gather the fabric to make the bubble, then flip the wire form over and tightly twist the florist's wire to the actual coat hanger base. More examples of this on the burlap hearts post.
Begin making your way around the shamrock, pulling about 4 inches of fabric for each bubble. If you prefer larger bubbles, pull more fabric for each bubble.
After securing each bubble and before gathering the burlap for the next one, spread the fabric out so the next bubble will be full.
Here you can see where I ran out of fabric and needed to start the second 5.5x36 piece. Secure the end of the new strip with florist's wire. No need to hide the extra fabric yet. You can go back at the end to cut, tuck, and hide.
Finish out the shamrock, cutting off and setting aside the leftover fabric.
Once the entire shamrock was covered in burlap bubbles, I realized the burlap continued to slip off the end of the "stem."
If this is the case for you, simply push the bubbles on the stem up a few inches, and using your leftover burlap, secure it to the very first bubble you made and make a couple more bubbles moving down. Tie a simple knot in the end of the fabric. *The tied-off end of my shamrock actually hangs off the coat hanger. I curved it once it was hung on the wreath.
Cut away any excess fabric and tuck it back into the knot!
With wire cutters and scissors, cut away excess florist's wire and fabric. You may need to secure a few places with more florist's wire to achieve the shape you want. Fiddle with it, poof the burlap, and even be willing to re-do a bubble or two if you need to!
Using a large safety pin, secure the shamrock to the burlap wreath base!
Enjoy your shamrock for a couple of weeks before you change it out for Easter:)
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Love,
14 comments:
C to the U T E!!! I wondered how to male a St Patrick's Day wreath.... Should have known you would show us!
I painted my letter aqua and added a colorful bow with ribbon of yellow, pink, green, and aqua. It will take us to summer for sure!!
You have gotten your mileage out of that wreath! Love it!
That is really clever! I love how you made the little bobbles by knotting! So many things could be made using this technique! Thanks for sharing and for stopping by Blue Sky Confections!
What a great St. Patty's project. I will be featuring this in the artist talent album on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Igottacreate/100573240032625?sk=wall
Thanks so much for linking up!
igottacreate.blogspot.com
"Kiss Me I'm Irish" linky party is now open!
So cute! Good job!!
Stopping by from the Pink Sundays Hop! http://queenofsavings.com
I would love for you to share your fun wreath at Bacon Time too, linky every fri-monday. I am also hosting a group giveaway and Go Green linky, that you can share st. patties post for a chance to win. Good luck.
Awesome wreath! I love it! I also put a link to this post on my blog post today. Check it out!
http://4you-withlove.blogspot.com/2012/02/getting-into-st-patricks-day-spirit.html
Have a great day!
Marilyn
This is so cute for St Patrick's day. We loved having you link up to "Strut Your Stuff Saturday." We hope to have you back again soon!! -The Sisters
Love this! Perfect for St. Paddy's Day! Thanks so much for sharing! Pinning this! Would love to have you link up to my {wow me} wednesday party going on right now over on my blog. :)
Ginger @ gingersnapcrafts.com
http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/2012/02/wow-me-wednesday-40.html
Cute idea, a little different. It's wonderful to have you be a part of Seasonal Sundays!
- The Tablescaper
Terrific idea! Love it and thanks for sharing :)
I love this project. I hope you will stop by and link up to my St. Patty's Day Project Parade.
This is probably the cutest wreath I've ever seen! I just love it! We'd really like for you to link up at our party! http://housewivesofriverton.blogspot.com/2012/03/riverton-housewives-round-up-8.html
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