How to Shape a Grapevine Wreath

Recently, I saw on the Martha Stewart Show a craft that involved re-shaping a grapevine wreath into an oblong.  I was watching the Martha Stewart Show because a crafty friend of mine was in the audience as a guest craft blogger.  Big shout out to Jenny from Craft Test Dummies!  I was not only thrilled watching you and following along with your tweets on the Martha Stewart Show but I was also inspired by one of the crafts that was featured. 

Hannah, a lead crafter on the Martha Stewart, showed how to embellish a wreath that was oblong shaped.  The idea of reshaping a grapevine wreath sounded fantastic to me.  Hannah suggested soaking the wreath overnight and then bending it into the shape you want.  Hannah was using smaller wreaths, I wanted to reshape a large 12" grapevine wreath which required a larger bucket of water.  I really didn't want to leave a bucket of water overnight in my home.  I have dogs and small children and I was hoping to lessen the possibility of the bucket being knocked over by doing the whole process during the day.

To begin with I placed a large bucket inside of my tub and then filled about 6" inches high with very hot water.  The grapevine wreath sheds and you will see little twigs and bark in the water.  This was not something I wanted to pour down into tub.  So make sure you do not fill the bucket so that it is too heavy and you can't carry it outside to dump it.

After a few hours of soaking I wrapped floral wire around the sides of the wreath to get the shape I wanted. 

 I soaked the wreath for another two hours and tightened the wire.  I then soak it for a final two hours tightening the wire once more.  To get my desired shape I soak it for a total of 6hrs.  I then took the wreath out of the water and let the wreath dry overnight.  I also carried my bucket of water outside and emptied it.  Success no one knocked over the water!

Once the wreath was completely dry (it took about 12hrs) I cut the floral wire off.

I then waited another day just to make sure it was completely dry and I spray painted my wreath.

Helpful Hints:
I noticed the day after I spray painted the wreath that the circular shape came back a bit.  The final shape is not as oblong as I would like.  When soaking the wreath I would really exaggerate the shape you are looking for and leave the wire on for a full 2 days of drying before removing.  


Craft Designer: Sarah Forhan
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