A Year of Wreaths: November Felt Holly Wreath Tutorial

UPDATE: my holly wreath tutorial is now available as a printable PDF pattern on my Patreon. 

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This month's wreath is nice and simple!

Perfect for crafting during a cosy winter evening in, or a lazy weekend, this bright holly wreath will add a pop of colour to your decor this winter or Christmas.

The yarn-wrapped wreath is decorated with a ring of felt holly leaves and red felt ball “berries”. 

I used bright red yarn to wrap my wreath for a cheerful look but this design would also look great on a pale background (perhaps a white yarn or strips of a neutral fabric?).

I love the 3D effect of the felt balls but you could cut small red felt circles, or use red buttons instead.

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A Year of Wreaths: November Holly Wreath

UPDATE: my Holly Christmas wreath tutorial is now available as a printable PDF pattern on my Patreon. 

Subscribe to get instant access to a growing library of PDF embroidery patterns and craft tutorials, and updates when I add something new!

Click here to see all 12 seasonal wreaths in this series!

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The penultimate wreath tutorial for A Year of Wreaths is now available!

November's wreath features felt holly leaves and felt ball "berries" in a classic festive design:

I used a cheerful red yarn to wrap my wreath, but I think this design would also look fab (maybe even more so) on a pale, neutral background to really make the colours and shapes of the holly pop.

Subscribe to my newsletter for a monthly(ish)( free pattern and visit my crafty tutorial archive for lots more free projects.

Something New

At the weekend I went hunting through some old sketches looking for a bit of inspiration, and ended up sewing this...

... I'll let you know what it turns into!

Happy Christmas! (also 365/128)

Yesterday I did some secret sewing for my mother-in-law while she was attending a carol service and then while she was around I started cutting my felt scraps into teeny little circles:
I'll explain why another time :)

I also made us a Christmas "tree" of holly branches...
... and added the leftover holly pieces and to the mantelpiece:
We also have a few baubles hanging from doorknobs and a piece of mistletoe in the hallway but I guess we are a little minimalist over Christmas!

365 / 100 - Christmas treats

Yesterday was day 100! Hurrah!

Last night's task was to finish my new Christmas-themed items so I could take photos of them this morning while there was still light to do so - I got up rather late today so there was only just enough!
I made one of the holly pieces into a brooch and the other into an ornament, and I finished both of the mistletoe decorations. The first one was made with just one piece of felt sewn on the back but it wasn't quite sturdy enough so the second has an extra layer in the middle. The slightly thinner one will get sold at a slightly lower price and I may adapt the design a little if I make some more but I am very pleased with how the applique turned out. It's one of those pieces where it's loads of work and it seems alright and then you add the finishing touches (in this case the white berries) and it all comes together. It has been suggested that I market the mistletoe with a line like "with normal mistletoe you just get a kiss, with this mistletoe you get felt", haha.

Here's a better shot of the holly brooch, and one of the mistletoe so you can see the scale of it
Today I was supposed to be cleaning the house a little and then settling down to do some sewing in the afternoon before we have guests for dinner but it's the middle of the afternoon already and I've done nothing yet! Ah well. The housework may have to wait for another day...