Jewelled wreath tutorial

• Galvanised wire about 1-2mm in diameter (available from hardware stores or garden centres)
• Silver-plated or copper wire about 0.5 or 0.6 mm in diameter, available here or here
• Green beads to act as leaves, I had a bag of glass peardrops in olivine: they’re here
• Red and/or white beads to act as berries: I used freshwater pearls from here
• Wire cutters and pliers, available from hardware stores or here.
• Something to act as a circular former around 7cm in diamater. I used the top of the squeezy tommy ketch bottle. A narrow jar would do just as well.

Step 1


Cut a length of galvanised wire about 80 cm long. Bend the wire twice round your former leaving one long and one short end (short end should be just a few cm long):

Step 2


Remove the wire and bend the short end round and round the circle to secure.

Step 3


Bend the long end into a loop and secure by twisting round the circle as before.

Step 4

Cut a length of silver-plated or copper wire around 80cm long and twist firmly two or three times round the top of the circle, near the loop.

Step 5

Now the prettiness begins. Take a green/leaf bead and thread it onto the silver-plated/copper wire. Push it up to the circle of wire, hold it firmly where you want it with your thumb and twist the wire firmly once or twice round the circle to secure it:

Step 6

Add another leaf bead, push up to the wire circle, hold it where you want it with your thumb and twist to secure in the same way.

Step 7

Once you’ve mastered attaching the beads like this you’re away! I’ve used the following pattern:

Three green leaf beads
Two white ‘berries’
Three green leaf beads
One red ‘berry’
Repeat the above.

The beads can be moved and adjusted very slightly once they’re attached so you can perfect your arrangement.

Step 8

You will start to run out of fine wire around half way round. With a cm or two to go twist very firmly round the wire circle three or four times, snip off the excess and squeeze the end with pliers to prevent scratchy bits.

Cut another piece of wire, twist round two or three times round and begin again.

Step 9

Continue with your chosen pattern until you reach the top loop again. When you have closed the circle twist the wire firmly three or four times, snip off all remaining ends and squeeze with the pliers to prevent sharp ends.

Step 10

You’re finished!

Hang it on your tree/in the window to catch the light/on your ear if you’re feeling a bit Pat Butcher-ish.

Have a nice cup of tea.

I will return tomorrow with more colour for December. Thankyou so much to all who are joining in – it’s serious fun. The Splash of Colour Flickr pool is looking STUNNING. Have a peep here.