Journal

Making a Midsummer Wreath

Celebrate the midsummer and all the different varieties of grass by making a classic grass wreath. Unlike flower rings, wreaths made from grass don't droop, they simply dry out and will last from year to year if treated well.

They are a wonderful way to highlight the tapestry of all the different shades and shapes of grass, particularly the purple, grey and pale green tones

You need

• 2 copper wreath frames - I find that using two together makes the finished wreath much stronger without adding much weight. Use whatever size frame you like - remember that the larger the frame, the more grass you will need.
• Fine florist's wire - the thinnest weight of 14-16" stub wire works best.
• Dry grass - preferably a variety of different types of grass, though a single variety like wheat or barley will work well too. You will need a lot of stems - I used about 40 bunches each with 20 stems.

Step 1

Join the two copper frames together by wrapping florist's wire round them in 4 places - try to get the copper joining pieces evenly spaced round the ring as this will make the frame stronger.

Step 2

Arrange your grass into bunches of about 20 stems and wrap each bunch twice with florist wire. You want the bunch in the middle of the wire with the free ends out either side. Trim the stems to about 2 cm below the wire.

Step 3

Use the free ends of wire to attach the bunches to the copper frame. Overlap the bunches to cover the stem of the previous bunch as you go.

Step 4

Keep going round the frame, overlapping the bunches and keeping a nice curve. Eventually you will come back to the beginning and need to carefully tuck the last bunches under the first ones. Take your time and just move the first bunches slightly to one side so that you can slot the last ones in, then carefully move them back.

The aim is to make the join invisible.

Step 5

Hang your wreath on a wall - this is a really light wreath so easy to hang. I made a small hoop out of florist wire and attached it to the top of the copper frame at the back of the wreath - then I used a drawing pin to pin it to the wall.

You can also simply hang it from a hook.

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