August 30, 2012

How To Make A Curly Deco Mesh Wreath


When I saw the curly deco mesh wreaths on the Internet recently,
I knew I wanted to find out how to copy them.
They have a fun and festive look to them with the deco mesh
being cut in short pieces then rolled into spirals.
how to make a spiral deco mesh wreath

My local craft stores don't have a good selection of deco mesh
but I heard of a store about a thirty minute drive away that had
more to choose from.  I drove over to check it out. 

 The store did have about forty colors of deco mesh
and also lots of wreaths made up for sale.
I took a sneak peek at the backs of the curly deco mesh ones
to figure out how they were constructed.

My shopping cart was full of deco mesh rolls at checkout.
The store did have the official deco mesh "work wreaths" for 
sale but I found when I made some deco mesh wreaths a few
months ago that you really don't have to have them. 

A plain (and less expensive) wire wreath from the floral
section at the craft stores works just fine.

This one is a 16" wreath form and was $4 at Hobby Lobby.

Other supplies for the wreath were four rolls of deco mesh.
At the store I purchased these from, the plain colors were
$6 a roll and the ones with multicolors or metallic threads
were $12 a roll.  On most deco mesh rolls the mesh is 21"
wide and 10 yards long.

 An inexpensive pre-made little scarecrow
came home with me too as a wreath embellishment.

To make the spirals, use the entire width of the mesh and cut it
in 9" to 12" lengths (it doesn't have to be exact).  Tightly roll
the piece of mesh in the center and keep it pinched. 
The finished edges of the mesh will be on the ends of the tube.

Roll 4-5 mesh pieces this same way.  Try to keep them pinched
in the middle and collect the centers together.

Use a pipe cleaner (I think they are called chenille
 stems these days) to secure the centers together.
  Twist it as tightly as possible
to keep the centers rolled and secured together.

Here is what the spiral set will look like held together with
the pipe cleaner:

Place the spiral set on top of the wire wreath (the rounded
side).  Secure the spiral set onto one of the form's wires
with the pipe cleaner and twist it on tightly.

Take the left over pipe cleaner "legs" that are now on the
backside of the wreath form and twist them along other
wires on the form.  What you are trying to do with this step
is to keep the spiral set from moving along the wreath wires.

Here's how the wreath looks with the first 
 few sets of mesh attached:

The choice of colors is up to you.  I chose four fall colors but
you can vary that for the season or occasion you want. 
Your wreath might have more or less than four colors.

To look nice and full, it took about three mesh sets for
each section (where a vertical wire crosses over
the horizontal curved wire) of the wreath. 

Here's the wreath about half way around:
curly deco mesh  wreath


how to make a deco mesh wreath

At this point, I realized the wreath was going to be
bigger than I had thought it would be.
Here's the completed wreath from the backside:

Looks kind of like of like a sassy tutu!
  
Here's how my "no rhyme or reason" zig zag
 pipe cleaner attachment technique looked:

From the back, push the spirals in the middle towards the front of
 the wreath to add fullness. Another tip: to help the spirals regain
their tightness, roll the spiral around your finger, then release.


Here's the wreath on a 32" wide door:
how to make a curly deco mesh wreath

Yes, it is large but it is easy to see from the street
and makes a big impact.


  
Remember my original scarecrow wreath embellishment?

I thought maybe he looked too small on that big wreath.

I got a bigger scarecrow to try since he might be more proportional 
to the 120 spirals of Fall fun.  However, he did cover up more of
the spirals...which one do you like best?
 The total cost for this wreath was $35. 

If you want at little less Fall fun with a spiral deco mesh wreath,
try this exact same technique on a 12" wire wreath form...
it will still be impressive but a little bit smaller than this one.
how to make a spiral deco mesh wreath

 Other ways to make door decor with the deco mesh is to 
go around the edge of a circle or heart wreath form or to make
a pumpkin, Santa belly, or Valentine going across a wreath form.
Also you can string the mesh along a wire to make a garland.

59 comments

  1. This is an over-the-top fabulous wreath! I love how big and flashy and sassy and fun it is! Your door expresses a "BIG welcome" and lots of fun inside!!! Thanks for joining TUTORIAL TIPS AND TIDBITS with this great tutorial!

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    1. I love this wreath and you explained how to do it easier than most! Thank you for the tips! Have a great day!

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  2. Love It! This is sure to be a big hit in blogland! It is really gorgeous and different from the usual pouf and tie mesh wreaths. I'm also sure your neighbors will be quite envious, too!

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  3. OH HOW CUTE! Do you know I have never worked with that mesh stuff? Can't believe it myself. I think I need to find some of that and give this a try. Your wreath is just darling! xo Diana

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  4. Cute idea and I just pinned it to Pinterest.

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  5. The wreath is so cute, Kitty! Thank you for sharing your project at Potpourri Friday! Remember to enter the Home Depot Giveaway!

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  6. I love love love your wreath. I bought 4 rolls of 10"x10" mesh. Have you made one of these curly mesh wreaths with the 10" narrow mesh? If so, can you tell how many rolls I would need to do a wreath the size of your's above? I'm just started and only made the puff-style mesh wreaths. Thank you, Debra

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  7. Love it! I had seen one like this on Facebook and wondered it I could make it. Now I know how!! Will probably be going to Hobby Lobby or Michael's today.

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  8. I'm curious to know how you attached the scarecrow to the wreath without flattening the curls in the middle?

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  9. Thank u for this! I love your step by step tutorials. I love crafting, but have little skill for it! Love your blog too!

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  10. You are a life saver! Making one of these for Christmas!

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  11. Thank you so much for being generous with the details! Some people are so stingy with their instructions. You are a blessed giver.

    Sheri

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  12. Thanks you so much for giving directions on how to do this! I wanted to do it, but have had trouble finding out how. It is beautiful. I think the bigger scarecrow is in better proportion, but I would hang it either way! Great job!

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  14. I just made this wreath with red, green and gold metallic mesh ribbon. IT LOOKS FANTASTIC!!! Your tutorial was so easy to follow that my nine-year-old daughter and I made it. I cut the ribbon and tied to the frame. She rolled and "twisted" each piece. It was very easy thanks to your tutorial. Thank you for posting!!

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  15. How many rolls did the one wreath need? I plan on starting next weekend and I would like to know so I can plan my budget accordingly.

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  16. Love your wreath and the tutorial was dead on!!!! I've made a couple Christmas wreaths from this DIY post of yours!!! Thank you!!!

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  17. Did you have any trouble with the mesh unraveling, and if so, what would you recommend to stop the mesh from unraveling.
    ashleypekny@gmail.com

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  18. how many set did you make of the colors? I'm making a st patricks day and like the fullness of yours. please post or email: angiemky93@gmail.com

    thank you

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  19. how many set did you make of the colors? I'm making a st patricks day and like the fullness of yours. please post or email: angiemky93@gmail.com

    thank you

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  20. Finally someone who knows how to do these has posted a tutorial. Thank very much for showing it in detail. It is beautiful. I love it!!

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  21. Thanks so much! I used your instructions to make one in Mardi Gras colors! I love it!

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  22. https://www.etsy.com/listing/122497100/curly-deco-mesh-easter-egg-wreath <<<< That is the link to the curly deco mesh wreath I made for sale in my craft shop on etsy using your tutorial. Thanks so much for your instructions!!! I love your blog.

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  23. Love this wreath! Can you help me with something? You stated the wreath frame was a 16 inch.....I bought one and it was really small compared to yours....could yours have been a 20 or 24 inch? Thanks. ... Kimberly.

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  24. This is the first time I'll seen one of these spiral wreaths. Love it and my first choice would be the little scarecrow man. Very cute project!

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  25. Awesome!!!! I bought some deco mesh and was trying to decide how I wanted to do the wreath. I am so going to use this method! LOVE IT!!!

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  26. Hey! I love this wreath! I do have a question. Does the ribbon have wire in it?

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  27. Thank you so much for your great instructions. Very helpful. Can't wait to make

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  28. I bought the supplies and Hobby Lobby yesterday and made the mistake of cutting the strips too skinny and trying to tie them on. I wish I had found this sooner! This is great. Thanks! :)

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  29. WOW this is great very helpful and super easy diy. Thank you so much :)

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  30. Thank you so much for taken the time out and show us how it was done. Wonderfully Done… I like this kind the best!

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  31. The larger scarecrow is much better, the litter guy tends to get lost in all the spirals. Beautiful wreath!

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  32. I have been staring at this for days. I have also been searching for the deco mesh. I found some online. I need to order it so I can make it for a graduation gift. How long and wide do I need to cut the mesh? Also should I just order 3 rolls of each color? I apologize for being slow and late to the party.

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  33. Thank you so very much Miss Kitty for your help and your great instructions. I am slowly but surely getting them all done. I appreciate your complete instructions and how you don't leave anything out. I know I was late to the party. But I appreciate you and this site. One day I will get brave enough to try some of the others when I finish all of the five I plan on doing. Two down and three to go. :) Thank you! (Gee I know I am late to the party but am I the only one who seems to have graduations, birthdays all fall at once? Thank you!

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  34. Saw a comment of "over the top"... it really is and sooooo cute. Just love the colors you chose and the smaller scarecrow is too cute; the larger one covers too many coils but still looks great. Thanks for the tips and the post.

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  35. Thanks for sharing this step by step tutorial. I now know what I am going to do with my rolls I just HAD TO HAVE but never did anything with. Great instructions. I wish more people would show the back of their wreaths as I like mine to look nice (that goes back to my embrodry days). Yours look very nice. Thanks again. I will be pinning you.

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  36. Hi, I was wondering if you still do tutorials? I was looking for your Americana Wreath tutorial!

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  37. Beautiful wreath. On your question of which scarecrow I like best? I like the small scarecrow because it doesn't cover the mesh as much and I think the colors you chose are beautiful. I would want to show those off.

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  38. I love this wreath and am in the process of making a Halloween wreath for my daughter. A tip for others: Make sure you cut your mesh crisp and clean and straight as possible. I made the mistake of haphazardly cutting the mesh and the edges were frayed and when I started tying them on, the tubes did not look right.

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  39. I just finished my wreath. Your instructions were wonderful. I can't wait to make some wreaths for my family and friends.

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  40. I live in a senior village and I seen a deco mesh wreath in august and started doing them I got one on almost every door everyone loves them my biggest problem finding a place to put all my different holidays also I found a place on line to get the mesh cheap Paper Mart anyway I doing a spiral now thank for the directions its looking good

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  41. Every time if take my girls to their dentist, there would be a new wreath like urz just different colors. Asked who made. They said "one of the girls in billing" I asked if I could talk to her to find out how this is done. Guess what? She never talked to me! But I know how now! Thank you so very much!

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  42. I will have try something like for christmas, I'm already getting started for the season

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  43. Beautiful I love it
    I like the smaller scarecrow best but either way it's very
    Nice

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  44. Thank you, thank you. I have been looking for a tutorial from someone who gives really good instructions. I like the fact that you also like your wreath fuller than those you can buy. I have left over frames that I haven't used yet and wanted to try this. I too like the smaller scarecrow, but that's just me. Your wreath is beautiful. Thanks again.

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  45. I made the wreath..... I love it but, it is huge

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  46. What store do you get your mesh from? You mentioned its a great price so I was going to see if you can order online. Thank you and your wreath id fabulous!--Amanda from St.Louis

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  47. What store do you get your mesh from? You mentioned its a great price so I was going to see if you can order online. Thank you and your wreath id fabulous!--Amanda from St.Louis

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  48. I love it, I do like the bigger scarecrow.

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  49. HOw many rolls of Mesh did you use?

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  50. This is the best Tutorial I have seen yet! I'm excited to make my first one! Thanks so much!

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  51. Do you think the mesh and wreath in general will handle rain? I am considering doing a couple for our gates that open at the end of our long driveway for Christmas but dont want to risk it if the rain will do some damage.

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  52. What did you do to cover your pipe cleaners -mine are showing and it’s driving me nuts, lol

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  53. This tutorial has been helping people for 10+ years. I just completed my first one. Just need to know how you keep the mesh from unraveling. I had a hard time with that. Your wreath is beautiful and you did make it much easier to learn than most. Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. I know it's over a year later and this blog post is very old. Use a wood burner tool or rotary cutter to cut the mesh. It still will fray a bit but less than using scissors.

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