Asheville Travel Guide

 

    

Biltmore How-To: Make a Ribbon Christmas Wreath
Also See: Biltmore Estate Overview | Christmas at Biltmore | Top 10 Asheville Holiday Outings

By Cathy Barnhardt
Biltmore’s Floral Displays Manager

Make the ribbon wreath as seen in Biltmore House’s Oak Sitting Room for Christmas 2009!

This is a great way to repurpose ribbons from past Christmases, making an elegant decoration for your holiday celebration. Coordinate colors with your Christmas theme or with your home’s interior design to create a festive and stylish seasonal design. Have fun and be creative!

You will need:

• A 14” straw or Styrofoam wreath form found at floral and craft stores

• Around 12 yards each of 4 different but coordinating ribbons of varying widths and textures

• A chenille stem to make the hanger, found at craft stores (looks like a pipe cleaner)

• About 50 to 75 fern pins, found at floral and craft stores (looks like a long staple or hairpin)

Note: Be sure to hang your wreath indoors unless you have used weatherproof ribbons.


First wrap the entire wreath form with a wider and simpler length of ribbon. Attach one end of the ribbon to the back of the form with two of the fern pins pushed at a slight angle through the ribbon and into the form to secure

Then tightly spiral the ribbon, overlapping slightly, and continue to wrap the form to cover, attaching the end with two more of the fern pins, securing tightly

Next, twist the chenille stem around the wreath to form a hanger

Now, create several bows of various ribbons, with the loops being about the same size. Leave the tie ends as single “tails” and cut the loose ends into a swallow tail. You may also create single loops and tails to fill in between bows
 

Pin the bows and loops and tails onto the covered wreath form with the fern pins, pushing the pins through the center point of the bow or end of the loop and tail

Continue adding bows and loops and tails until all but the back surface of the wreath form is covered. The closer the bows, the fuller and fluffier the wreath will appear, but don’t crowd them so much that the wreath looks stiff and tight
 

 
     

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