I feel as though the year 2020 has been raining lemons. So, when life gave me lemons… I threw them away because I don’t like lemons, and instead made this adorable felt lemon wreath craft kit for all of us to enjoy.
This DIY post is specifically for a purchased craft kit that you can find on my Etsy shop HERE.
Lemon Wreath Craft Kit Instructions
Due to the more intricate pieces used, this craft kit is recommended for those who are at a moderate to expert craft skill level.
Step One: Gather Your Supplies
In this purchased kit you will receive:
- Precut Felt Leaves:
- 16 Single Leaves
- 16 Split Leaves
- 12 Mini Leaves
- 5 Precut Felt Whole Lemons
- 3 Precut Felt Lemon Slice Pieces
- 6 Precut Felt White Flowers
- Black and White Buffalo Plaid Wired Ribbon
- Black and White Twine
- 1 10 Inch Wire Hoop
- Additionally, you will need: a Pair of Scissors and Adhesive
I recommend using a glue gun; however, if you would like to make this a more child-friendly project feel free to use felt glue. I strongly recommend using hot glue during step two.
A hot glue gun provides a shorter waiting time for drying, allowing your project to be finished sooner. (Which is nice when photographing step-by-step directions).
Felt glue will work fine, but there will be delayed crafting as you wait for the glue to dry. A really good example of this waiting time can be found in the directions for my Spaceship Banner Craft Kit. I used felt glue for the entire project.
It is up to you, so long as you do this craft safely and have fun.
Once you have your supplies, you can get started!
Step Two: Attach Leaves to the Wire Hoop Base
There are three types of leaves used in this craft kit. The mini leaves are for decoration, and will be used towards the end of the project. The split leaves are used first for the base of the wreath, with the single leaves woven on top of them. Now that you know a bit more about the leaves, let’s get started!
Step 2.1 Lay the Split Leaves into Place
To start this step, you will need the split leaves and the wire hoop. Each split leaf has a curved slit down the middle, as seen in the photos below.
First, take one of the split leaves and lay it down on your work station. Then, align the curvature of the slit cut on the leaf shape with the rim of the wire ring, so that the wire ring is placed on top of the first leaf, as shown below in the photo to the left. The second split leaf will lay on top of the wire ring and first leaf. While keeping the same alignment as before, lay the second leaf down on top of the wire ring, as shown below in the photos to the right.
The spacing between each leaf should be about one inch apart, measuring from the start of the slit on one leaf to the start of the slit on the leaf to follow, as demonstrated in the surrounding photos.
Once the first two leaves are in their place, continue to add leaves to create a group of about three or four leaves laying on top of the wire ring, keeping the same method of aligning the curvature of the leaf slit and the wire ring as you work, as shown in the top left photo below. Next, while gently holding the leaves in place with your hand, gently lift the wire ring, as demonstrated below in the three photos to the left. In doing so, the leaves will maintain their curved grouping while they transition from above the wire ring to below it.
Follow the same process of creating a group, holding the leaves in place, and gently lifting the wire ring on top of the group, until you have completed a full circle of leaves, as shown below.
Step 2.2 Attach the Single Leaves to the Split Leaf Base
After the split leaves are in place, it is time to attach the single leaves to the wreath base. While doing this step all of the split and single leaves will be glued to the wire ring; creating a solid leaf base for our decorative attachments. Grab the single leaves and let’s get started!
Start by choosing one of the split leaves under the wire ring to begin this process, and lift the inner side of that leaf, as shown below in the photo to the left. Then, get one single leaf, in the matching color of the lifted split leaf (*for this tutorial I have chosen the dark green split leaf to lift and therefore, the single leaf used next will be dark green). Next, add glue to the bottom of the single leaf, as shown below in the photo to the right.
Then, take the dark green single leaf and lay it on top of the moss green split leaf below the lifted spit leaf, aligning the tips of the two leaf shapes together. When glued, the single leaf will stretch from the bottom tip of the split leaf, over the wire ring, and then cover the top tip of the split leaf that is pointing outwards, as shown below. This insures that each split and single leaf is secured to the wire ring.
Next, follow the same pattern of glueing as described above. Lifting the inner side of the next split leaf, adding glue to a single leaf of the matching color, and then attaching the single leaf over the wire ring and split leaf below it. All of which is shown again in the photos below. Continue this process until you have finished glueing all of the leaves in place.
Optional Step: Glue Down All of the Inner Leaves on the Wreath
When all of the single leaves are attached to the wreath, you will notice that the split leaf facing inward is not glued down, as shown (& exaggerated) below in the photo to the right. This can be fixed by simply lifting each split leaf, just as before, adding glue to the lifted piece, and then gently applying pressure to create a secure hold, as shown below in the two photos on the right.
A second option is to just let it be. Keeping the leaves on the wreath as is, will enhance a three demential look among the leaves, as shown in the photo above.
Step Three: Assemble the Lemon Slices
Each lemon slice will receive three yellow triangles, as shown below in the photo to the right, with two of the triangles having a defined flat edge and a single triangle with rounded points that is wider in shape. The wide triangle is the middle of the three shapes, while the flat-edged triangles are the two outer pieces, with the flat side of the triangle aligning with the flat edge of the lemon slice, as shown in the photos below.
Now that all of the pieces have been prepared, simply assemble the wedges. The large yellow half-circle is the base of the lemon slice, with the smaller white half-circle, and three yellow triangle shapes placed on top.
Step Four: Make a Bow with the Wired Ribbon
To achieve symmetric bow tails, first create a bow. Then, cut one tail of the bow at your desired angle, as shown in the middle picture below. Next, take the scrap ribbon that was just cut off, flip it backwards, align it on the second tail so that it mirrors the first, and then cut the ribbon., as shown below in the photo to the right.
Beautiful.
Step Five: Assemble the Wreath
Step 5.1 Lay Out Your Design
I always recommend laying out your design before you glue anything down. This is especially important to do for this lemon wreath, as it will help to gage where to place the ribbon so that there will be plenty of room to add the lemons.
Step 5.2 Glue Lemons into Place
Once you know where you would like to place the lemons, simply glue them into place.
Step 5.3 Glue Flowers and Mini Leaves into Place
After the lemons are secured, lay out the mini leaves and flowers to visualize your design.
Then, glue them into place.
*Crafting Tip: place hot glue in the middle of the flower, flip it over, and then safely (without burning yourself) apply pressure to the middle of the flower while it dries on the wreath. This will create a cupping effect to make the flower appear more three demential.
Step 5.4 Glue Bow into Place
To glue the bow onto the wreath, apply glue to the middle knot of the bow, then hold it in place while it dries on the wreath to ensure a secure hold.
Next, lift up the sides of the bow to apply additional glue for extra security.
Step Six: Attach Twine to the Wreath
Creating a loop of twine for the back of the wreath allows it to be hung on almost any size hook. To create the loop of twine I will be using two knots. This method guarantees that when I am finished, the loop will lay parallel with the wreath so there are no twists in the twine when hanging the wreath. *You can use any type of knot you wish to create your loop, I am just going to show you the way in which I create my knots for this step.
Step 6.1 Create the First Knot
To start the first knot, take the twine and fold it in half. Then, take the open end of the twine and create a loop by folding it over the existing twine, so that now the open end of the twine is running perpendicular to the rest of the twine, as shown in the top right photo below. Next, take the open end of the twine and pull it through the loop, so that it looks like a pretzel, as shown in the bottom right photo below.
Finally, pull the open end of the twine tight to finish the knot.
Step 6.2 Create a Cow Hitch Knot to Attach the Twine to the Wreath
To create the second knot, start by facing the wreath upside down with the decorated/ lemon side of the wreath is facing down, before starting, as shown below.
First, take the looped twine and attach it onto the wreath by threading the twine between the metal hoop and the split leaf that is directly behind the bow, as shown in the photos below. This ensures that the bow of the wreath is also the top of the wreath, when it is hung.
Now that the twine is in place, take the knot side of the twine and pull it over smooth side of the twine loop, as shown in the two photos below.
Once the knot side of the twine is up and over the smooth side, take the smooth side and pull it, as shown in the left photo below. Pull it tight until it looks like the finished photo to the right. Doing this step ensures that the first knot of the twine is hidden and will stay in place.
Step Seven: Hang and Enjoy!
This wreath is too cute! You did a beautiful job creating your masterpiece, and now the only thing left to do is to hang it to show off your immense talent to the world.
YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!
Thank you for reading. I hope all of you are able to take your lemons and turn them into something you enjoy.
If you do complete this craft kit, or was inspired by this kit to create your own lemon crafts, I would LOVE to see photos of your work.
Also, feel free to follow Unplanned Whimsy on social media! The links are in the sidebar.
