Mesh Ribbon Pumpkin Wreath Tutorial and a Girls Night Out

This craft is really very simple to make.  It will take 3-4 hours to complete, depending on how much crafty experience you have.
My girlfriends and I got together and made these as our Girls Night Out activity, and it was sooooo fun!  The project is kind of mindless so talking didn't distract for the work and we laughed, ate, laughed some more, and left with a cute fall wreath!

You will need the following supplies:

• 18" Embroidery Hoop (see notes at the bottom of this post for supply adjustments if you would like to make a smaller wreath)
• Hemp string (around 2 yards)
• Latch hook rug backing
• 4 rolls 5 1/2" wide ( 30ft. each) orange mesh ribbon
• 2- 12" pieces bright green mesh ribbon (5 1/2" wide)
• 2- 12" pieces black or brown mesh ribbon (5 1/2" wide)
• Approx 75 orange pipe cleaners, cut in half
• 5 lime green pipe cleaners for little vines (optional)
• 1 orange poster paper sheet
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Wire cutters
• Glue gun & glue

Cut a piece of the latch hook rug backing into a square that is slightly larger (about 2" wider) than your hoop.  Using your hemp string, "sew" the rug backing onto the embroidery hoop like this picture.  This does not have to be perfect, just secure.

Now before you attach the backing to the frame, you will want to also cut your poster paper into a square that is about 2 inches larger than the hoop.

Cut 3 rolls of orange ribbon into 10" strips.
Use the instructions in this photo collage for the next steps in making the wreath.

Repeat these steps until you've rolled all of your cut ribbon pieces.
Starting in the middle of the hoop, push the pipe cleaner through the mesh, using two separate squares next to each other.  Pull the pipe cleaners down tight, and twist them together 3 times.
Work from the center outward, You don't need or want to fill every open square in the frame.

I am holding the frame of an 18" wreath

Once you have attached all of the rolls, you will want to cut additional orange ribbon into the 10" pieces to finish up and fill in any gaps (I cut an additional 20 strips and used them all).
Don't worry if you can see through the mesh a little in spots. You will be using the poster board to cover the back of the wreath and it will close up those "thinner" area's.

Using your wire cutters, occasionally, stop and trim the pipe cleaners down to where the twists end. Once in a while stop and pull the orange roll ends up so that they are not trapped under other rolls.
Once you've filled your wreath with the orange rolls you will go on to the leaves and stem.
Using 1 piece of 12" green mesh ribbon, roll the ribbon up on an angle to create a long thin roll with pointed ends.

 Tie the leaf about 1/3 of the way from the end.

This will give you the appearance of 2 leaves in different heights to place next to the stem of the pumpkin.  Repeat this step with the other piece of green ribbon.

For the stem, I used black mesh ribbon, but I think that brown would be really great too. 

Take the 2 pieces of black ribbon and stack one on top of the other (I did this to make the stem more dense and noticeable). Roll these up like you did the orange ribbon.  Use a pipe cleaner to tie the ribbon into a 'stem' shape, then attach it to the top of your wreath.

Make sure you tuck the small end of the roll down inside under the orange ribbon so that it is hidden.

Wire on your stem in the same way as the orange ribbon,  and then leaves in the same way, placing them close to the stem. I like to put the shorter end next to the stem, and then the longer end next to the stem on the other side.

If you want, you can make the cute curly vines to add to your wreath.  Simply twist green pipe cleaner around something small and round (I used a ChapStick tube).  Straighten a little bit of one end of the pipe cleaner, thread it down through a whole in the frame, bend it and bring it back up though a whole right next to the one going in, twist the 2 together a couple of times. and it's finished!  
If you would like a few of the vines to be longer simply twist 2 pipe cleaners together, bend the twisted section down and wrap it around the pipe cleaner,right where the 2 pipe cleaners come together.

2 pipe cleaners twisted together

This is a close-up of the section where I twisted them together

Believe it or not, we're almost finished!
You will need to make a hook to hang the wreath, and here is how I did mine.  I used a pipe cleaner, bent it into a large circle and then attached it behind the stem in the exact same way I attached the vines.  I did give it a few extra twists together for added strength.
Last step!!!!!
Using your glue gun, attach the poster paper to the back of your wreath, placing the glue on the hoop and pressing the paper on.  

Monica, with her 14" wreath

Trim the paper to close to the hoop and...

YOU ARE FINISHED!!!!!

In the top left photo is my daughter Chelsey, sitting on the couch, on her phone.  She claims to have helped us.  Whatever-lol

Tiffany, with her 14" wreath

My crazy friend Katie had foot surgery a few days before our party and she has to use this little scooter thing to keep her foot elevated while she hobbles around.  She made a 12" wreath.

Kylee made the 14" wreath

My wreath is the 18" size

Julie & Beth Anne

Finally, my friend Beth Anne likes to think outside our box, so she did a slightly different take on our wreath, but with using basically same steps.  This photo on the right was her inspiration.  It's adorbs!

I purchased all of the supplies for my wreath at my local Hobby Lobby Craft Store.  You can find the latch hook rug backing where the yarn and embroidery supplies are. I calculated the cost of my 18" wreath at $35.00.

• For a 12" size wreath, you will need a 12" embroidery hoop, 2 rolls of orange ribbon and 50 pipe cleaners.
• For a 14" size wreath, you will need a 14" embroidery hoop, 3 rolls of orange ribbon and about 60 pipe cleaners.
• All the other supplies remain the same.

Craft source:  Fleur De Lis and Football