How to make a Christmas rag wreath for under £5

I am not known for my crafting abilities but my six year old is.  Erin loves nothing better than being surrounded by pots of glue, piles of stuff to stick and things to colour. This Christmas I have decided to embrace two popular looks, tartan and homemade. This activity explains how to make a Christmas rag wreath for under £5 which is a bargain but also means that you can make lots of them to decorate every room in the house!

Why do we hang a Christmas wreath?

The wreath was meant to represent the crown of thorns worn on the cross, with the red berries meant to be Christ’s blood. The use of evergreen branches in a wreath is to signify eternal life. By hanging one of these on their door, Christians were inviting the spirit of Christ into their home.

A tartan rag wreath

The shops are full of tartan and I have decided that we will make some homemade decorations with winter.  I know Erin will be a willingly volunteer and it is something for us to do together.  Our first project was making a rag wreath.  I have seen these before and always thought they look great.  The rag wreath will also replace the rather sad and tired looking one that we have used for goodness knows how long!

Here is my finished rag wreath, I am so pleased with it and it has inspired me to make more handmade and natural decorations. They really add a special touch to decorating your home.

Here is how to make a Christmas Rag Wreath for Under £5

1. Buy a copper wreath frame, mine was under £3 for ten 10 x Flat Wire Rings 10″ (25cm) Diameter I got 10inch but would like to do a bigger one now as well. These are also available 5 x Flat Wire Rings 12″ (31cm) Diameter.

2. Buy (or use material from home, old pillowcase etc) material.  I bought the tartan 4″ (10 x 10 cms) Christmas Fabric Patchwork Squares.  It is good to have different colours of materials, I used five different tartan patterns but you could use whatever colours you want.

3. Cut strips about 2cm wide by 10cm.  I used half the material doing this.  I simply ripped it in half and then got Erin cutting strips which gives her scissor practise too.  Using tartan was a clever idea here as it has lines which made it easy for Erin to cut and follow but there are plenty of designs available and the strips do not need to be perfect anyway.

1. Knot each strip around the copper frame.  I started with the inside as it seemed easier.  Every so often I turned the frame over just so my knots were not all facing the same way.  This helped puff it out (good technical terms there!).  Make sure you use a strip from each pile in a pattern to make the wreath look symmetrical.

1. Push the rag knots close together to give it fullness.

1. Tie a piece of string or ribbon and then hand it up.  It is such a simple craft and looks really effective.

This Christmas Rag Wreath cost me under £5 to make and I have seen them selling for £15+. Next up we need to decide what other decorations we are going to make with the rest of the tartan material.  I am thinking something to hang on the tree.

If you are short on space then consider creative alternatives to Christmas Trees.

In addition to the rag wreath I have also made a stunning Rainbow Wreath for spring. There is a step by step tutorial on my family blog and costs approx £10 to make but again looks much more expensive. If you are looking for more hoop wreaths then the welcome wreath is perfect.