How to Make a Braided Velvet Wreath
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I keep seeing these elegant, braided velvet wreaths for sale this season and I'm really struck by their design. The simplicity of the wreath style comes across as very high-end because of the velvet. I love the look, and decided to try making my own braided velvet wreath.
I got a simple, rounded foam wreath form (12 inches) and some "velvet" fabric. I say "velvet" because real velvet would be far too stiff and expensive for a project like this. I found a rich, burgundy colored velvet-look material that was soft and flexible and quite affordable.
The first step was to wrap the form with the fabric to create a base. To do this, I cut the velvet into a 5" wide strip and hot glued one end to the wreath form.
Then I wrapped the material around and around until the form was covered, adding additional 5" strips as needed. There's no need to hem the edges or worry about perfection on this step, because most of it won't even show later.
With the base made, the next step was to make the plush braided design that will go on the front of the wreath. It's actually not really a braid; it's more complex than that. The look is actually a single chain of crochet loops! Fortunately, you do NOT need a giant crochet hook to do this. You can "hand crochet" it because the material is so thick and the scale is so large.
I cut my fabric into 12" wide strips and sewed them together, end to end, to create a piece about 6 yards long. (You may need more or less depending on your form size.)
To do the hand crochet, I started by making a large loop at the end. Then I reached through the loop with my left hand...
...then pulled the length of fabric through the loop...
...pulling just enough through to make another loop.
I pulled it gently to tighten the stitch and repeated it over and over, all the while doing my best to keep the fabric with the velvet facing side out, twisting as needed.
I kept going until I had a piece long enough to cover my wreath. Then I took a few minutes to pull and tuck the fabric to adjust anything that needed it.
Then I used my Ryobi hot glue gun to attach the crocheted top to the wreath form. I trimmed the excess and tucked in the edges where the two ends met.
I used a wide velvet ribbon to make a simple bow and added a strip of ribbon to hang the wreath. The wide ribbon does a great job of covering those unsightly ends.
I love all the luxe texture this wreath brings with just simple design. And once I got going, it was quite easy to make.
2 comments so far:
Hello--Do you really need 6 yards of fabric to make this wreath? Could you cut 12 inch strips and sew them together to get a 6 yard strip to "braid?"
Christine, you need a piece that's about 12" wide and 6 yards long, so yes, you can cut strips and sew them together. (We've updated the tutorial to make this clearer... thanks for pointing out the confusing instruction!)