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,
