Monday, December 14, 2015

Beaded Wreath - Christmas Ornament Tutorial


Today I'm sharing with you a tutorial for a beaded wreath Christmas ornament that I devised by adapting my design for a silk macrame bangle - please excuse the fact that it's displayed on a laurel bush but my Christmas tree is not up yet. For this ornament I've used 15mm organza ribbon and 10mm glass pearls but you can literally use anything you like to create an ornament that suits your own decor...ribbons, cord and even fancy knitting yarn can all be combined with fun and funky results...just let your imagination run wild.

Materials
To make the ornament as I have you will need:

1  1/4 coils of memory wire
48" length of 15mm organza ribbon
12" length of 15mm organza ribbon
16 10mm glass pearls
1 10mm jump ring
1 charm or beaded dangle - I used ceramic birds from Blueberribeads
Round nosed pliers
Memory wire cutters
Scissors


This design is worked with a simple macrame square knot but the nature of the ribbon I used makes it a little tricky to see the technique so if you need clarification you can find a diagram here.

Step 1
With the round nosed pliers turn a loop at one end of the memory wire.


Step 2
Take the 48" length of ribbon, find the centre and tie it around the memory wire adjacent to the loop.


Step 3
Thread a bead onto the wire.


Step 4
Create the first part of a simple macrame square knot by taking the right hand ribbon and passing it over the memory wire which acts as your core. Then pass the left hand ribbon over the right hand ribbon and under the core wire and pull though to secure the bead. Don't pull the ribbon too tight - you want to aim for it to drape nicely around the bead.



Step 5
Add another bead. Create the second part of the macrame square knot by taking the left hand ribbon and passing it over the memory wire then pass the right hand ribbon over the left hand ribbon and under the core wire and pull though to secure the bead ( the reverse of the process in step 4).


Note
Because memory wire is springy this process can feel a little awkward at first but once you have a few beads in situ it becomes easier. I found I got more control by tucking the free end of the wire under my little finger.


Step 6
Repeat steps 3 - 5 until all the beads are threaded and the circle is completed. Tie an overhand knot to secure the ribbon.

.


Step 7
Make sure the beads are snug up to the first loop then trim the spare end of the memory wire and turn a second loop.



Step 8
Thread one of the ribbons tails through each of the loops pull together gently to close the wreathe then knot to secure.




Step 9
Wrap the tails around the loops a couple of times to hide them and then tie in a bow.




Step 10
Attach your charm to the large jump ring then take the shorter length of ribbon and pass it through the jump ring.


Step 11
Place the ribbon and charm under the bow and bring it up around the front and back of the bow making sure to centre it carefully. Knot the ribbon so that it creates a neat finish (not too tightly) to the bow and knot again to secure.


Step 12
Tie the shorter ribbon at the ends to create a hanging loop.




Step 13
Trim the tail ends of the bow and there you have your finished ornament.



I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and are inspired to have a go at creating some ornaments of your own.

Happy holidays.


4 comments :

  1. Thank you for sharing this tutorial. I'm always on the hunt for something special to attach to my family Christmas gifts and this is just right!

    ReplyDelete

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