By CraftingStepByStepPublished
Based on a video by This Southern Girl Can.
A pull-through wreath is exactly what it sounds like. You sandwich a wire ring inside a length of deco mesh, then keep pulling up small sections and scrunching them sideways. Every scrunch becomes a ruffle, and a few hundred ruffles later you have a wreath.
What makes it worth learning is the supply list. Most mesh wreath tutorials want ribbon, floral picks, a bow and a glue gun running the whole time. This one from This Southern Girl Can needs a frame, two rolls of mesh and a sign. The mesh does the filling on its own.
A wire wreath frame has several concentric rings. You are only using two of them: one nearer the outside and the innermost one. Working the second ring in rather than the very outer edge gives you a fuller looking rim.
A standard roll of 10-inch deco mesh runs about 10 feet, and one roll covers one ring on a 14-inch frame with a little to spare. Two rolls finishes the wreath. Mesh that changes colour along its length, orange and black into purple and black, gives you two tones without buying two separate products.
Deco mesh is plastic, so rain is not the problem. Sun is. A wreath in full afternoon light will fade over a couple of seasons, and hot glue softens on a south-facing door in September. Pipe cleaners or zip ties hold better than glue in that heat.
10 steps · about 9 minutes.Check off each step as you go and your progress saves automatically.
You need three things: a 14-inch wire wreath frame, two rolls of 10-inch deco mesh, and a lightweight sign for the middle.
That is genuinely the whole supply list. The pull-through method fills the frame on its own, so there is no ribbon, no floral picks and no bow to wrestle with.
Tip
A roll of mesh is usually 10 feet and covers one ring. Two rolls does a 14-inch frame comfortably.
Roll the mesh out flat and set the frame on top of it. Pick one ring to work around, then bring both edges of the mesh up so the wire sits between them.
Getting the first section started is the fiddliest part of the whole project. Once you have a few inches held, the rest goes quickly.
Tip
Work the second ring in from the outside rather than the outermost one. It gives the finished wreath a fuller edge.
Hold the two corners together, lift them, and flatten the mesh out so both sides are the same length.
Even edges here mean even ruffles later. If one side is running long you will see it in every ruffle that follows.
Tip
Deco mesh clings to itself, which works in your favour. It will not slide back through the frame while you set up the next section.
Pull up a small section of mesh, an inch or two, and scrunch it over to one side against the wire.
That scrunch is the ruffle. Everything from here is the same move repeated, so if this one looks right you are set.
Tip
Bigger pulls give you a fluffier, looser wreath. Smaller pulls give you a dense one. Pick a size and stay consistent.
Keep pulling and scrunching along the wire until the section between two spokes looks full.
Push each new ruffle up snug against the last one. Gaps are much easier to close now than after you have gone all the way around.
Tip
Rest a pair of scissors on the roll to stop it unspooling across the table while you work.
Carry on section by section until you are back where you started.
Keep the mesh reasonably snug as you go, but not so tight that you drag the finished ruffles back through the frame. One roll should just about carry a full ring.
Tip
Rest your wrists in your lap rather than holding your arms out over the table. This part takes a while.
When you get back to the start, secure the loose tail to the frame with a zip tie, then tuck the end down out of sight.
Trim the zip tie, but leave a little length. Cut it flush and it can work its way loose later.
Tip
Flip the wreath over and tuck any mesh that has drooped through the back before you call this done.
Now do the whole thing again with your second roll, working around the innermost ring.
If your mesh has two colours down its length, keep the same colour facing the same way on both rings. It is what makes the finished wreath look deliberate rather than busy.
Tip
The inner ring is a smaller circle, so you will use slightly less mesh than the outer one.
Sit the sign in the centre and push the surrounding mesh out and around it.
You want the sign nesting down among the ruffles, not perched on top of them. Spread the mesh with your fingers until it sits low.
Tip
Lightweight signs are the ones to buy. A heavy sign sags the middle of the wreath over a season.
Thread pipe cleaners through the mesh on either side of the sign, find a bare stretch of the wire frame underneath, and twist them around it.
Pipe cleaners hold a light sign perfectly well and they come off again without damage. Hot glue works too, though it can soften on a sunny door in early autumn.
Tip
Zip tie mounts glued to the back of the sign are the sturdier option if you plan to reuse it for years.
Keep going
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E6000
E6000 Craft Adhesive, Clear (3.7 oz)
The industrial-strength craft glue that bonds glass, wood, ceramic, metal, fabric, and concrete. The one adhesive most craft projects reach for.
Gorilla
Gorilla Dual-Temp Full-Size Hot Glue Gun
Dual-temp so it handles delicate florals and heavy materials alike. A precise nozzle and built-in stand make it the everyday craft-table gun.
OLFA
OLFA 18" x 24" Self-Healing Cutting Mat
The pro-standard cutting surface. Gridlines for square cuts, self-healing so blades never leave grooves, and big enough for paper, fabric, and leather.
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