Creative Guest: Wire Christmas Tree Tutorial

 

Hi! I'm Renate from DreamHomeDecorating.Com, and this is my very first visit as a creative guest on Ucreate. Thank you, Kari, for inviting me!

I studied design in London (UK), then stayed and married a wonderful man. Apart from writing about European interior styles and colors on my website, I somehow can't seem to stop making stuff. I'm always jotting down new ideas - the cheaper and simpler the better. My materials generally come from fabric, paper, paint & thrift stores, the back yard, and Ikea :-)

The little Christmas mantel decoration below is one of those super simple pieces you can spruce up to your heart's content. Enjoy!

Supplies:

 

1. LACE - I used 3 meters (3.28yds) of elasticated lace (actually, bra strap material from the haberdasher's :-) The thicker your material, the less you'll need of it. I could easily have threaded twice as much lace onto the tree for a fuller look, but, um, I'd only bought the 3 meters :-) Check out these alternative options:

• strips of burlap (or any other very loosely woven fabric),
• beads (make sure they're not too heavy for the wire),
• strips of colored tulle or cheesecloth (check that the holes are large enough so the wire goes through), or
• plastic tubing (I mean, worth a try!)

2. PLIERS & WIRECUTTER

3. Pliable but sturdy WIRE - I used about 1.5 yards of heavy-duty gardening wire (about 2mm/0.08in diameter). In my first attempt, I tried to make the tree spiral from a wire coathanger. Epic fail! The metal was way too stiff and unwieldy.

First, tease the wire into a spiral shape, starting from the bottom up. Keep pulling gently inward and upward, and when you're done, slowly pivot the tree around to make sure it looks straight from all sides.

Next, thread your lace onto the wire. It doesn't matter which side you start from.

When you're done threading, distribute the lace/ribbon evenly and cut off any excess wire.

With your pliers, form a loop at the top to stop the fabric from sliding off. (Alternatively, you could 'crown' the spiral with something eyecatching and glitzy).

Create a slightly more open hook at the bottom end.

Use the hook to connect with the 'oncoming' wire and form a base ring. This base ring helps to stabililize the entire structure.

And there you are!

Have fun making some lacy, fuzzy, woolly or glossy Christmas trees!