Painted Burlap Wreath Tutorial (In 10 Easy Steps)

I often see cute painted burlap wreaths in the boutiques and gift stores in Oklahoma...and more often than not - the price tag scares me!

Which is why I thought i'd break the process down into easy step, so you can create your own, cute wreath at a fraction of the price of the store-bought ones.

1. Draw your template onto freezer paper

When doing a painted burlap wreath, freezer paper is your friend. Not only is is great for drawing your template onto, but also stick it behind your burlap while you are painting and it won't stick!

To get a perfectly symmetrical design, fold the freezer paper in half and draw half of your design - then cut out...perfect symmetry!

Also, when transferring your designs - use a pencil. You will be painting right up to the lines and sharpies and pens can bleed through the paint.

 

2. Use acrylic paints.

They are cheap and easy to blend and durable.

 

3. Let it dry completely.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but let it dry completely. I will often leave my painted burlap overnight to ensure its thoroughly dry.

 

4. Seal it.

To give it added durability - I seal my wreaths with Valspar clear sealer.

 

5. Sew the wreath together.

I have seen some tutorials that suggest stapling or hot gluing the front to the back of the wreath. Through trial and error I have found that sewing directly onto the painted area (1/2" in from the edge) is the neatest way of attaching the front to the back and it makes it much stronger and more durable that stapling or hot glue.

As you sew, leave a gap of about 5" to stuff the wreath.

 

6. Stuff wreath with cut up plastic bags.

Again, I have seen other tutorials that suggest you stuff the wreath with tissue paper. If it is only going to be used inside, that is fine but if this is something that you will be hanging on your door, I would use plastic bags.

Another tip i've learned is to cut each plastic bag into three sections and stuff it with the smaller sections. This will mean you get less lumps and bumps.

 

7. Sew up the hole and cut around the wreath.

 

8. Use 14 gauge wire.

14 Gauge is strong enough to hold the wreath but pliable enough to bend using scissors.

The length of the wire is really up to you and how much curl you want at each end. I usually cut 15" of wire for my wreaths and bend about 4" each end into a curl.

 

9. Add a bow.

If you are wanting to add a bow, canvas, burlap or stiff ribbons are the best. Ones with wire in will be easier to fluff up and look nice - plus they will be more hard wearing.

I usually hot glue mine into the position I want and then hand stitch them in place.

 

10. Hang and Enjoy!

Get some girlfriends together and have a pinterest night painting your own wreaths or how about getting your kids to paint them for you? On a recent playdate, my daughters friend saw me painting some and asked if she could do one..

 

It turned out super cute!

How about painting a cupcake as a birthday wreath? Or a bauble for Christmas?

Don't fancy the painting part? How about an simple bunny silhouette for Easter

Or a simple cross::

Questions? Shoot me an email or leave a comment - I'd love to hear from you!

Comments

[Bobbie]

I have been painting burlap but have to use so many coats to fill the holes. Do you put anything on it prior to painting to help with that?

[Dee]

I don't put anything on the burlap prior to painting. I try and buy tightly woven burlap and that way it only needs two coats of paint max. Hope that helps!