How to make an asymmetrical Christmas wreath

Making wreaths is one of my favourite things to do in the run-up to Christmas. There’s something very mindful about getting stuck into seasonal crafts, and surrounding yourself with winter foliage is a guaranteed way to get in the festive spirit – especially if you pour yourself some wine and play some Christmas music at the same time! I particularly love creating asymmetrical wreaths, as they’re elegant, striking and perfect for my pared-back style. They’re also incredibly easy to do, as this step-by-step tutorial will demonstrate.

I’ve generally used fresh greenery to make wreaths in the past, but this time I opted for dried foliage as it will last for the whole of December and beyond. In fact you could even wrap your creation up in tissue paper, store it in a cool, dry place and use it again next year! All White Christmas and Shida Preserved Flowers both have great selections of preserved stems to choose from, or you could dry your own foraged finds in an airing cupboard for a few days. I like mixing things up with a variety of textures and shapes, so I used dark green nicoly leaves and some fluffy grasses from the garden, but you could stick to one type of foliage alone if you wanted a really simple, minimalist look.

You’ll also need:

• A metal or wooden ring (I used one from Strups, but inexpensive versions are easy to source via craft stores)
• Floristy wire, or any thin-gauge wire that’s very pliable and easy to cut
• Sharp scissors or secateurs
• Ribbon

Start by snipping the foliage into small sections and then arrange the sections into bunches, around the size shown here. If you’re using more than one type of foliage, make sure you have a balance of textures, colours and shapes in each bunch.

Attach the first bunch to the ring with a twist of wire, tucking the end in as close as you can so that there’s no sharp bit sticking out. Then trim away any excess stems.

Fasten the next bunch to the ring in the same way, positioning it so that it overlaps with the first one and hides the stems.

Carry on attaching bunches until you’ve covered as much of the ring as you want.

Hang the wreath up for a moment so you can check how the foliage sits – I always think it looks best when it’s slightly wild and swooshy, but still largely follows the curve of the ring. If any bits are sticking out more than you’d like, just use a short twist of wire to bring them in, positioning it so that it’s hidden behind leaves as much as possible.

Tie a length of ribbon in a bow over the bare stems of the last bunch to cover them. If you don’t want to use ribbon, you could hide them with pine cones, berries, baubles, wooden stars or flowers instead.

And voilà! A finished wreath which you can hang using cord or ribbon, or just balance on a nail like I’ve done here. I think they look wonderful dangling on doors, positioned above fireplaces or adding a festive touch to an otherwise blank bit of wall. You could even arrange several wreaths in a cluster for a simple but striking effect.

If you have a go at making a wreath then I’d love to know how you get on. And if you’d like to try your hand at other easy Christmas crafts, you’ll find my seasonal garland tutorial here.

All photography by Abi Dare