How to Make a Barbed Wire Wreath, both large and small

While this won't appeal to all, if you are looking for an interesting or off-beat material that you could make a wreath out of? Have you considered barbed wire? 

Wreathes are everywhere and made out of just about anything!

When I take a look around it seems that wreath-making has exploded with creativity and a fearless attitude in the last few years! All the creativity has resulted in some incredible décor to hang in your home or on the front door. True barbed wire might not be your chosen material for a wreath, but come see how it turned out...and why we used it! Creativity is all about the materials you have available. 

If I have learned one thing about homeownership, it is that you are never done. Something will need to be repaired or replaced from time to time. But the other part of keeping a home is the décor you enjoy and display. It must represent your own personality. 

Many years ago when my children were young, we lived in the Yakima Valley in the little community of Ahtanum WA. My kids attended the Ahtanum Grade School, where they learned their lessons, made friends, and if I remember correctly we even had one broken bone during those years! Life with kids in the country is always open to new adventures, including a broken bone, or more correctly a greenstick fracture!

We lived out in the country offering freedom to roam and all the peace and quiet one could ask for. We had a couple of rows of concord grapes on our property, and one very lean Christmas I went outside to the grapevines and began cutting and weaving, creating grapevine wreaths for Christmas gifts. 

Now keep in mind, I had never drawn a perfect circle, much less tried to weave stiff grapevines into circles...but nonetheless, I was determined to give gifts that year.  So I did...

Fast forward 35 years (yikes!) and here we are in Montana, the kids are no longer kids, as a matter of fact, they have kids of their own! While we were working on the property getting ready to replace the fencing, I noticed the pile of the old barbed wire in the recycling pile. As my husband had taken down the old fencing, for replacing, he made a pile of the old wire fencing so it could be taken to the metals recycler.  

Laying there in a twisted pile, it caught my eye. Quickly my mind went back to those years in Ahtanum and the grapevines that went towards making a happy holiday that year. And I knew I needed to give this a try! I had enjoyed living in Ahtanum as much as I enjoy living in Montana, so it seemed only natural to give this new wreath-making idea a try. But I must tell you, barbed wire is willful! The barbs have a purpose they snag the animal when too close to the fence line and remind them to back up! And just so you know, they are not kind to your arms or your old blue jeans either!

In each of these two homes, the enjoyment was the same. The peace and quiet, land to call our own, canning, cooking, and baking healthy foods. A sense of belonging. And at that moment, on that day, helping my husband get some chores completed, led to the idea of bending rusty barbed wire into a Barbed Wire Wreath...yes I was about to have a go with that same willful wire! 

Just to be clear it can be very difficult bending the wire into the shape I needed to get! It won't surprise you to learn, wire comes in many different strengths depending upon who or what the fencing is for. During the entire time I was making these wreaths, the wire caught on itself, the edge of the table, my leather gloves, my pants, and of course the sleeves of my jacket, which I wore to protect my arms. The process of bending and shaping started out working on my patience...but in the end, I needed this challenge and honestly, I enjoyed every strand of wire that I wove into place!

The second wreath, was better than the first, smaller one. 

I was happy with the first wreath until I began a second larger stand-up wreath. The making of the second wreath helped me to realize how much I did not like the first wreath, ironically. But it only makes sense, with time, I got better at working with the wire. With that on my mind there was only one thing to do, restyle the first wreath to better fit our doorway courtyard.  

The first wreath turned out okay, but it did not fit in with the garden walkway leading to our door as I had hoped it would. And while I enjoy pretty much all that is perfectly imperfect and enjoy just how beautiful, imperfection can be, I knew I needed to make a change. This wreath is part of the décor along the walkway to our little apartment door. The walkway is filled with a rock mulched garden bed with galvanized buckets, and wooden boxes filled with plants. We have Shasta Daisies, Chives, Thyme, and Rosemary growing. Rustic and reclaimed is just right for our home, here in Montana. And now, come see how to make a Barbed Wire Wreath...

To assemble: 

Cut wire into 3 to 5-foot sections. You want the wire to be long enough to make a circle the circumference you want for the diameter size, and have enough additional wire to weave into the circle to secure it firmly. 

From there, you simply pick up another piece of wire, and weave it in, stopping between pieces to adjust the shape and decide where to start the next piece of wire. 

Choose a good spot to work! As I continued to weave wire pieces in, I realized that I was scratching the picnic table and moved to the tailgate of our truck...at this point the shape, size, and amount of wire are good. Time to decorate it. 

This pile of miscellaneous fittings, handles, and pieces of pipe have been hanging around this property for many years, they were left here when we bought the place. I am pretty sure I will find something in here to use...

When finished these two pieces became part of the standing wreath...

A rusty faucet handle, a threaded piece of pipe, and some wire were put together. If you try hard enough you can imagine an industrial-styled flower...

The flower and bow were attached with additional wire, and the Barbed Wire Wreath ready to hang by our front door. But honestly, it looked sad...even after we got the planters filled with plants!

There was only one thing to do, change it to be what was needed and wanted! So I did.

This wreath greets you at our door until we do! I like this one much better...

This large Standing Wire Wreath greets you at the beginning of the walkway to our little apartment and was quite the labor of love. I stopped adding to it when it reached the weight I could no longer manage to lift and turn to add another strand of wire...this wreath is approximately 4 feet in diameter.

Roofing tin was cut for the flower, fence wire was bent to make the open leaves. And if you look at the center of the flower, you will recognize the rusty faucet handle and the small section of threaded pipe...

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