Having A Go At Making A Dried Flower Wreath
29th December 2023 - New Experience Number 44.
December is usually the time associated with holly, mistletoe and berries, but instead of the traditional festive decoration, this year I had a go at making a dried flower wreath.
Making Wreaths
Trying fifty-two new things in the previous year, I had made my first ever festive wreath. As is the nature of real, live, foliage, it sadly only lasted for one season, but had hung pride of place on the door in all its wonky glory while it looked good. Making a dried flower wreath would hopefully last longer.
The two activities were similar, but I will say that the dried flowers were much less perilsome. I’m sure there are plenty of dried flowers with prickly bits, but the ones in the kit were all nice and soft. Using string to attach the flowers also provided far fewer skin perforations than the wire we had used on the live festive wreath.
Dried Flowers Through The Ages
I realised I’d never made anything with dried flowers. The nearest I’ve been is when I had a flower press when I was much younger, which probably ended up in the bottom of a draw as impatient little me got bored of waiting for the magic to happen.
Dried flowers have been used for centuries, with the Ancient Egyptians seemingly being some of the first people to have employed the use of them. The preservation of flowers in this way ventured to the western world around the 16th century. Whilst now we mostly enjoy dried flowers as decorative items, they were often used for medicinal purposes throughout the ages.
There are many different ways to dry flowers, and there’s a great write up from Amarante London if you want to delve much deeper into the subject.
Making A Dried Flower Wreath - The Kit
With everything included in the kit, and it all being instantly ready for assembling, this was a fairly quick and straightforward new make. Although having said that, it did take me a little while to get started.
There were two variations that could be made, the traditional flowers around the circle of the wreath, or a straight line across the centre. The instructions were not the clearest. There were three line drawings to show the steps, and some close ups of the knots to tie which took me a while to interpret. In the end I barely used those instructions and just found my way as I went.
The Make
Once I was over the fact I didn’t have much in the way of guidance to follow, I started putting everything together as best I could. Starting with securely tying the string onto the wooden ring. Placing individual dried flowers into position I fastened them in place by wrapping the string around both the foliage and the hoop.
I wasn’t convinced this was a very reliable way of attaching everything together, but as I added more flowers and fastened more string, it surprisingly firmly held together.
The Results
As with the festive wreath I had made the previous year, it was a little lop-sided. It’s definitely unique. It ended up looking much wilder than the picture on the kit which had a neat and tidy picture of the finished article. But hey, it’s good to be different isn’t it?!
I’m happy with my wreath. It’s hanging in the house bringing a bit of the outside in. I really like the dried flowers. They feel to me as though they capture a hazy summer evening, and it’s nice to look at them and think of that even in the cold, dark winter months.
Want To Try It Yourself?
I picked this kit up from the middle of Lidl when I was doing my shopping!
You can find lots of other dried flower kits. Take a look in craft shops, some stationers, supermarkets, and of course on-line.
Cost Of Experience
I bought this kit when it was on sale. Usually priced at £8, I paid just £4 which I think was a bargain.
- Kits will vary depending on where you buy them, and can range from £5 upwards.
- You could always buy the flowers, string and wooden hoop independently and have a go at making the wreath using just your imagination.
Recommendations
Don’t be worried if the instructions don’t seem too clear. You can have a guess at how it should go together and that will probably work.
This kit was quite an easy one to rectify any mistakes. Give it a go and if things don’t seem to be going well you can always start again.
This had been fairly quick to make. If you’re short on time but looking for something mindful and creative to try, this could be a good option.
Don’t forget to get some pictures of your brilliant floral creation.
- Let me know how you get on if you give it a go!