diy: halloween mesh wreath

If you have been on Pinterest or visited any craft or home decor store, I am certain you have seen a mesh wreath.  For whatever reason, this style is insanely popular right now.  Perhaps it is because the material is inexpensive, or because they are pretty easy to make.  Whatever the case, I felt like I needed to jump on board and give you a tutorial so you can make one of your own!

When you type in "diy mesh wreath tutorial" on Google, you get 688,000 results.  Whoa.  The one I used to get started is here.  She does a really nice job of explaining each step and has tons of photos so you can follow along.  I will go through the basics here, but if you need more details definitely check out the other tutorial.

Basic Mesh Wreath Supplies:
Wire wreath frame (whichever size you choose)
Mesh material (found in the floral dept.)
20+ pipe cleaners (to match the mesh color)

As it turns out, these are really simple to make.  It also turns out, there are several ways to make them.  My stepmom and I were each making a wreath (you will see a little corner of her orange wreath in some of the photos).  She found one tutorial that she liked while I found a different one.  We each made our wreaths according to the tutorials, and each one used a different method.  At the end of the day, I don't think you can tell the difference.  Whichever way makes most sense to you will work!

There are essentially two methods (or maybe more that we haven't discovered!): the "one ring at a time" method and the "inside-outside" method.  You can either go all the way around the inside of the frame, then all the way around the outside of the frame.  Or, you can alternate, one poof inside, one poof outside.  I stuck with the "one ring at a time" method.

First, you wrap one pipe cleaner for the inside wire and one for the outside wire in each section.

Then, you start making your "poofs", as I call them.  Sort of bundle the end of the mesh and wrap a pipe cleaner around it to secure it.  Then you let out some of the mesh, pinch it together and wrap the next pipe cleaner around.  The bigger the poof, the more mesh you let out.  You will have pipe cleaners sticking out everywhere for the first part of this project.

Here is what my wreath looked like after just the inside was completed:

Try to make all of the poofs approximately the same size.  If you secure the poof with the pipe cleaner, then realize it is too small or too big, you can gently pull on the fabric to adjust the size before moving onto the next poof.

Once you have completed the entire inner ring, you can move onto the outer ring.  Your first poof will be sort of stretched diagonally across the frame like this:

Then, you continue the same way around the wreath until the entire frame is covered.

Now, after going around both the inner and the outer rings, I still had a lot of leftover mesh and was worried you would be able to see the wire frame through the mesh, so I decided to add a third layer to the middle ring.  I was very happy with the way it turned out, so if you have extra mesh fabric you may want to do the same.  My wire frame was one of the smaller sizes (14" maybe?), so if you choose a larger size frame you will probably have just enough mesh for two layers, not three.

This is what the wreath looked like with all three layers secured:

This next step is optional...

If you want to add a second color of mesh, or a ribbon throughout the entire wreath, this is the time to do that.  You can keep using the pipe cleaners that you have already attached for the mesh fabric.  I decided to add some bright green mesh ribbon.

Once you have the mesh and ribbon secured, you need to hide your pipe cleaners.  Flip the wreath over and just twist the pipe cleaners to a small bundle, while attaching them to the wire frame.

Now you are ready to add embellishments to the wreath!

Great places to find embellishments are the craft store, the floral store and the dollar store.  Sometimes even the One Spot at Target has some nice embellishments.  The trick is to get them on sale, or get very inexpensive items.  It is easy to purchase 10+ items, and if you are spending $3-5 for each one, that can add up quickly!

Here are the embellishments* I purchased:

Make sure to look in the everyday sections as well as other seasonal sections.  I found some of these items in the Christmas floral section, although you wouldn't be able to tell!  Some tips when looking for your embellishments:

1. Color theme.  Choose 2-3 accent colors to work with.  If you have too many colors it will be hard to see the overall theme.
2. Variety.  You want pieces with different sizes, shapes and textures.  If you choose something small, like mini ornaments, offset them with something larger (I chose the black roses).  One of my favorite embellishments I used was the black feathers.  Although from far away they blend in with the black mesh, up close it is a nice detail and varied texture from the mesh fabric.
3. Focal Point.  Not everything needs to grabbing for attention.  Some details are smaller, more subtle, but still add to the overall look of the wreath.  Choose one item as the main focal point (I chose the "trick or treat" witches legs sign).  Then choose a few other spots to add smaller, less noticeable accents.  If everything is trying to be the focal point, it will be visually overwhelming.

I used hot glue or wire to attach all of my embellishments.  Depending on the size and weight of your add-ons, you may need to find a more sturdy way to attach them.

And here is the finished result!

I was really happy with how this wreath turned out!  I was not that excited about some of the mesh wreaths I had seen in retail stores.  When my stepmom asked if I wanted to make one with her, I was a little reluctant to agree.  I think I like this so much because the feathers break up the mesh, and there are several other elements that allow the mesh to really just fade into the background.

*I ended up having too many embellishments... it is hard to gauge how everything will look together and how full the wreath will look.  As you work, keep assessing the wreath from about 6-8 feet away before adding more extras.  Save your receipts so that you can return any unused items.

Have any other tips or tricks for making a mesh wreath?  Comment below!