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Making your own grapevines wreaths can be both fun and rewarding. Several benefits to making your own are of course cost, plus making the size, fullness and shape you desire. There are several different methods that you can use, both I will describe in this article.
But first you need to gather your vines. The best place to find wild grapevine is in the woods, it generally grows, using trees as it’s support. Also try not to gather vines in the winter since they are dormant and not pliable at this time. You will also need a heavy pair of gardening pruners to cut the vines apart, some of the stems of the vine can be rather sturdy. Length is really not important, since you can use several lengths to make one wreath.
After you have gathered your vines, it is best to use them as quickly as possible, but if they are left sitting and loose their pliability you can just immerse them in a tub of water and let them soak for approximately 12 to 24 hours. They will then be ready to make into a wreath. You will also need to strip the vine of any leaves.
The first method is wrapped vine, with this method you can either use a spool of floral wire or a second strand of vine. With one hand, starting with the thickest end of the vine, hold it in place, then using your other hand, bend the vine into a circle, or oval, that is slightly smaller than the diameter that you wish your wreath to be. Keep wrapping your vine around this circle until you have reached the end of the vine. Use small pieces of the floral wire to fasten the loops together to make a sturdy base. Keep adding more lengths of vine until you have reached the fullness you desire. When finished wrap all the vines together using your wire, in about 4 or 6 places around the wreath. If desired, wrap a reserved piece of vine over your wire to hide.
The second method is a woven vine. This starts the same way, using the thickest end of your vine first make your base, but instead of using wire to solidify your base, take both ends of your vine and wrap it around itself, in both directions. This will hold in shape when finished. With your next vines, just wrap them around the vine base until you have reached the desired thickness. You may have to use a small piece of wire to hold the very ends in place.
I have also seen people that do not have strong hands take a board or piece of plywood to make a frame to wrap your vines around. Draw a rough circular diagram on the board in the size of wreath you want to make. Now take some rather large nails and pound them into the board at intervals around the circle. Now all you will need to do is wrap your vine around the nails. Then follow whichever method you desire for your wreath.
These grapevine wreaths make a great base to many different wreaths. While they do look attractive naturally, bows make a great addition to the base wreath. They also look really beautiful at Christmas time with mini white lights wrapped around. I also have several that I have made, adding dried flowers and bows, using hot glue, to just one side of the wreath. That way the natural beauty still shows through, but it is also serving as a base wreath.
Try making your own grapevine wreath next time you are in the market for a new wreath to hang on your wall or door.
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