Looking for an easy tutorial on how to make a burlap wreath? I have just the thing for you! This wreath is gorgeous any time of the year, particularly if you're partial to the farmhouse aesthetic. I have however given it a little bit of a Fall, Thanksgiving or even Halloween vibe so it would work really well for these seasons too!
To make it easy for you (and me!), I've gone with a rustic rag-style wreath. This style of wreath makes it a simple fall craft perfect to greet your guests at the front door. If you are a lover of wreaths too, I had a lot of fun recently making this simple dried flower wreath. This would totally suit a farmhouse or Fall vibe too.
In this article on how to make a burlap wreath, I'll walk you through how I create a simple yet beautiful wreath for fall, and I'll sprinkle in some creative ideas on how to showcase it, especially if you're a fan of farmhouse decor like me.
Check out the video tutorial below or scroll through for the full article and images.
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Table of Contents
Supplies
- Burlap Fabric (see notes for measurements below)
- Plaid/Gingham Fabric (see notes for measurements below)
- Wire Wreath Frame 30cm/12″
- Black satin ribbon 2m/79″
- Floral embellishments
- Pine cone embellishments
- Scissors
- Hot glue gun
- Measuring tape (optional)
Usually, I would take a beautiful photo of all of the materials and tools that I have used however today there are a few missing. I went off the cuff with this craft but you'll find everything I used listed above.
Since the fabric you use may be a different width, I'll give you the dimensions of what I used so you can work out what you will need. The width of my burlap fabric was 120cm/47″. Given I used about 130 strips, the length of fabric I used was approximately 60cm/26″ in total.
The width of the plaid fabric was 148cm/58″. For this fabric, I used roughly 58 strips making it approximately 20xm/8″ in total.
How to Make a Burlap Wreath
Step 1: Cutting the burlap strips
For this craft I'm sticking with inches, I just find them easier for my eyes to focus on instead of mm and cm markings on the tape measure!
Begin by cutting strips from the burlap fabric (step 1 below). I would suggest folding the fabric in half first. This isn't necessary however it does make this process quicker. Here you'll need to cut long strips 1″ / 2.5cm wide. Once you have a heap of these long strips (step 2 below), cut these into smaller 8″ / 20.3cm long strips (step 3 below). Cutting two strips at once will speed up this process. You can also use a rotary trimmer to cut the fabric if you prefer.
To give you an idea, I used approximately 130 burlap strips for this whole project. You may need more or less depending on the size of your wreath, your cutting and placement.
Considerations + Alternatives
You may be able to find burlap strips to make this process easier, however, they are not easy to source in my part of the world! I used fabric by the metre and have included the width sizes above so you get a better idea of how much you'll need if you're buying fabric.
Your cutting doesn't need to be perfect to size. Once I got going, I went by eye rather than always measuring. Some of mine were closer to 1.5″ wide. I do have to say though that I noticed a difference working with the 1.5″ strips over the 1″ strips! The thinner ones were definitely easier to work with when tying to the wire wreath.
If you have a bigger wreath, you could also use thicker or longer strips. However, I recommend testing it out first. I found that if you're going to make your fabric strips wider then you should also be making them longer for easier tying.
Step 2: Cutting the plaid strips
The next step in how to make a burlap wreath is easy. With the plaid fabric, cut it into strips of the same size as we did above. So that's 1″ / 2.5cm wide by 8″ / 20.3cm long. To give you an idea, I used approximately 58 plaid strips for this whole project. You may need more or less depending on the size of your wreath, your cutting and placement.
Step 3: Attach burlap to your wreath
Once you have cut a decent amount of burlap and plaid fabric strips, you can now begin attaching them to the wreath! Start by tying burlap strips to the outer wire row/ring of the wreath (image 1 below). I'm not sure that you could call it a row but it's certainly not a column! As there are four wire rings, we will refer to this as row/ring 1 from the outside. The most inner row/ring will be number 4.
With your burlap fabric, tie around the second wire row/ring. When it comes to tying the plaid fabric, you will need to leave a section on the 2 inner rows. With that in mind, decide where you will be placing the plaid on row 2 and leave that free of burlap fabric (image 3 below).
We will complete the burlap strips before moving on to the plaid ones. So carry on with rows 3 and 4, leaving a space for the plaid. Although the 4th row will still be burlap, it will be easier to complete later.
Step 4: Attach plaid strips to your wreath
In this next step on how to make a burlap wreath, we can tie the plaid strips to the sections in row/ring 2 and 3. I decided not to complete the entire space that I'd left and will go back to fill it in with burlap in the next step.
Now you simply fill in the last (4th) wire row with the burlap fabric plus any spaces you have near the plaid fabric. I quite like to pull through the burlap fabric into the plaid so that it shows through a little.
Step 5: Hanging your burlap wreath
The way you choose to hang your wreath is up to you. The plaid fabric would look nice, however, I found a long piece of satin ribbon in my scraps that I thought would look good. I decided to bring the ends down below the wreath as well. However, I also think a nice big bow would look lovely too! Where you hang your wreath will probably determine the way in which you do this and obviously how much ribbon, fabric or fishing line even that you might need. The ribbon I used was approximately 2 m long.
Attaching the ribbon is simple. Find the top of your wreath and part the strips. If you would like strips hanging below as I have, allow for these then tie them off. I started by creating one length of ribbon to hang behind. Then I wrapped it around the wreath and made the large ribbon loop at the top. When you bring the end of this loop down, tie it in a knot to the wreath leaving a long tail for the second length to hang behind the wreath.
Step 6: How to make a burlap wreath with embellishments
Now we get to add our embellishments. The pinecones were an online purchase, and it was that old ‘chestnut' (so to speak) where I thought that they were actually going to be bigger. I was going to put them in the plaid fabric, however, they would’ve just gotten lost. I thought about abandoning them completely but came up with a different idea.
Play around with their placement before you glue them down. I was going to use 5 flowers but I realised it was too much. The flower embellishments are totally up to you. At this point, I actually thought the wreath would have looked amazing even without them. I figured I had already photographed them in my supplies so I would stick to the flower plan! I'm often a more-is-more kinda gal when in actual fact I probably should be focusing on less-is-more!
Once you're happy with the placement, the last step in making a burlap wreath is to use a hot glue gun to attach your embellishments. Now you're all done!
Creative Display Ideas for Your Burlap Wreath
Now we've covered how to make a burlap wreath I thought I'd include a few additional ideas for how you can decorate your home with it.
- Front Door Warmth: Hang your burlap wreath on the front door, welcoming guests with a touch of warmth and charm. Consider adding a custom wooden sign for that extra farmhouse flair.
- Above the Mantel Magic: Elevate your space by placing the wreath above your fireplace mantel, creating a cozy and seasonal focal point. Pair it with rustic candleholders and lanterns for added ambience.
- Window Wonder: Showcase your wreath in front of a window, letting the natural light dance through the burlap's texture and the vibrant fall foliage.
- Farmhouse Elegance: Embrace the farmhouse chic vibe by pairing your burlap wreath with other rustic elements. Think distressed wooden furniture, mason jar vases brimming with sunflowers, and charming checkered throw pillows.
- Tabletop Charm: Lay your wreath flat on the dining table, and in the centre, place a large pillar candle or a vase bursting with fresh fall flowers. It's a delightful and unexpected table centrepiece.
Summing up how to make a burlap wreath
I hope you now have some great ideas on how to create a burlap wreath. It's a beautifully simple fall craft. Whether you choose to adorn your front door, feature it as a centrepiece, or incorporate it into your farmhouse-themed decor, this wreath will infuse your space with the cozy, rustic charm of the season. Let your creativity shine and relish in the warm, inviting ambience it brings to your autumn decorating!
I just love making wreaths. I'd love to know if you've made a wreath before, particularly a rag wreath! Comment below to let me (and the other readers!) know your greatest tip.
Other Resources You May Like:
FREE PRINTABLE: Thanksgiving Printable Table Decor
FREE PRINTABLE: Craft Supply Labels
ARTICLE: How to Make a Dried Flower Wreath
ARTICLE: 37 Christmas Wreaths to Make
FROM MY SHOP: Thanksgiving Games + Party Printables
