Um, yeah, so I started a blog, and then I had baby #2, so life got in the way.  But I really want to start posting regularly because I’ve got a million projects in my head, and I need a way to keep me focused on actually getting them done.  So I’m thinking, if I make myself finish just ONE project each week to post to the blog, it’s more than the ZERO projects I’m completing now.  Yes, this will work!

So I’m just going to dive right in.

Fall Leaves Wreath Tutorial:

What you’ll need:

wreath base (pipe insulation or a pool noodle); duct tape; fabric for wreath base, cut into strips (mine are about 2 inches wide); felt for leaves (less than 1/4 yard per color – I used 5 colors); sewing machine + thread; hot glue gun

1.  Make Wreath Base

I don’t have a photo of this first step because it took several days to get it right.  I went to the hardware store to buy pipe insulation to make a wreath base.  (I’ve seen this all over Pinterest and DIY blogs – how hard could it be?)  Well, there are different sizes and thicknesses, so if you can, you want to test these out before you buy.  I bought two kinds, both of which did not make circular wreaths, but wonky almond shapes.  Experiment until you find what works best.  (I’ve also heard pool noodles work really well.  Couldn’t find those, so I don’t know.  Sounds like a good idea.)  So once I got it right, I duct taped it closed and moved right along.

2.  Cover Wreath Base with Fabric

You could use anything, really, as long as the frayed ends look good.  I used some leftover linen-type fabric that I ripped into strips.  I didn’t want to worry about tucking the ends under, so this fabric worked well with the fringe sticking out.  Hot glue one end of fabric strip to base, wrap strip around, and hot glue the other end.  (You may need to trim the strip a little so that the end is on the backside of the wreath, so as to not be seen.)  Continue gluing and wrapping until entire base is covered.

3.  Cut Felt into Leaves

I totally freehand cut these, so they aren’t uniform size or shape at all.  I cut many more, but I only used about 10 leaves of each of the 5 colors.  Depending on the size of your wreath base, you may need more or less.

At this point, I just took the leaves and started playing around to see how I would arrange them – randomly, in a pattern, curving in, curving out.  This wasn’t quite the look I was going for, and they weren’t really looking like fall leaves, so I decided to add a little stitching to them.

4.  Add Stitching Detail to Leaves

I loaded up my sewing machine with brown thread and stitched a line down the middle of the leaf.  The first time, I backstitched both ends to keep the thread from fraying.  Then I looked at my stack of leaves to sew and made the executive decision to just sew one after another in a line and let the threads hang loose.  Saved lots of time, and I don’t mind imperfection.  (Well, sometimes I don’t.)  After sewing them along in one line, I just snipped the threads in between each leaf.

5.  Attach Leaves to Wreath Base

No pics here, because it’s tricky to photograph yourself hot gluing little pieces of felt to a wreath.  And I like my fingers unburned, thank you very much.  What I ended up doing is hot gluing two leaves together in a pair, then overlapping those pairs when I glued them to the wreath (see below).

I really like how it turned out – simple and pretty.

I tried several methods of hanging it on our metal door, and what finally worked best was using another strip of fabric over the door and attaching it to a 3M hook on the back of the door (found this idea on Pinterest).

And I had a bunch of leftover felt leaves, so watch for another fall leaf project coming up in a few weeks!