Autumn Wreath

• Bronze Powertex fabric hardener (universal medium)
• Powercolor pigments (I use Burnt Sienna, Yellow Ochre, Orange and White)
• Easy Varnish
• Flat brush
• Fabric strips and lengths of t-shirt yarn, ric rac, string etc Use what you have
• Leaf shapes in various materials such as clay, fabric, card and heavy paper
• 3d balls in small and medium

Optional materials such as:

• Stone art to make your own clay
• Daisy leaf mould
• Small fabric flowers
• Autumn inspired embellishments

You can use a pre-made polystyrene base for your wreath or a piece of tubing. I chose to make my base from a piece of t-shirt yarn. It’s lightweight and I can make it the size I want.

I massaged Bronze Powertex into a length of t-shirt yarn to create my frame. Once it was all coated I laid it out in a circle on a non stick mat to dry. Notice I overlapped the ends to create a loop at the top for hanging. Just press the ends into place to secure them.

I created a pile of embellishments to use while my frame was drying off. Leaves can be die cut or hand cut using stiff card or heavy fabric. I like hessian for this.

Some small clay leaves can be made using the Daisy leaf mould and Powertex Stone Art clay. These leaves have a lovely spiky shape that looks amazing when painted. Stone Art clay leaves need time to air dry thoroughly.

Coat all the card leaves with Powertex and sprinkle on some Stone Art powder for texture. Brush off any excess. Paint the leaves again with Powertex when you apply them to wreath.

I also made a tiny cornucopia or horn of plenty. These are a symbol of abundance and thanksgiving and they are easy to make. You could make them in different sizes too.

Coat a triangle of hessian with Powertex fabric hardener and roll into a cone shape and press the edges together. A few small and medium balls painted with Powertex fill the cone. Paint tiny fabric flowers with Powertex Bronze and trim the stems short enough to tuck into the cone. Leave to dry. (If they want to uncurl, use a pin to keep in place until dry.)

While the embellishments are drying, wrap strips of fabric around the frame in spirals. Ensure your strips are well coated with Powertex, especially if you want to display your wreath outside.

I started with strips of hessian about 1- 1.5 inches wide and wrapped them loosely around the hardened frame. Then I wrapped more t-shirt yarn, raffia, string and ric rac (coated with Powertex) until I was happy I had plenty of texture. We’re going to use these strips to secure the leaves.

Add your leaves starting with the largest first and work around the whole wreath. Tuck one end of each leaf into the wrapped spirals on the frame and press them into place. Use dabs of Powertex if you need a little extra glue. Keep adding leaves until you’re happy. Varying the sizes makes it more interesting to look at. Add small details to create more interest, such as the small cornucopia and groups of small 3d balls for berries. Leave to dry.

Choose your autumn Powercolor pigment colours. You will mix them with Easy Varnish to make a dry paint. I used Burnt Sienna, Yellow Ochre, Orange and White for mixing. Start with darker colours first, add highlights last using your palest colour. Use a flat brush, wipe excess paint onto kitchen paper first and then keep your brush flat as you brush over the textures. Build up layers of colour slowly for the best results but be bold!

Use the loop at the top to string or hang your wreath. After three weeks it’s weatherproof and safe to hang on your front door. I’m already planning my seasonal winter wreath!