project lately: burlap wreath

just thought i would pop in and show my morning project for you... 

nothing special- in fact, these burlap wreaths are all over right now.  i love them!  they are so classy and rugged and EASY! 

i only wanted to share some tips because when i was looking for a tutorial, (which there are many and they are good!) they all said the same thing- just weave your burlap in and out and fluff up your loops.  which is EXACTLY what you do- but i was still clueless. that seemed so vague and directionless! so after making a few, i wanted to post some tips in case you need a little more guidance getting started.   

one thing i wished someone would have stated in their tutorials also is that burlap STINKS and is super messy.  so don't wear a black cashmere sweater and you should probably do this project outside!  seriously, what do they use to make burlap rolls- seems a little toxic?? anyhow. moving on. 

 start with your supplies:  a roll or rolls of burlap (mine took about 10 yards total), scissors and a wreath form. [i also used some chevron fabric to gussy it up a bit at the end. and i thought i would need the twine but didn't.]

one thing that helped me a BUNCH was to take my burlap, unroll the whole thing and cut it into thirds. each is still long-10 feet- but  this made weaving much more manageable.  

start with one end of your burlap, knot it onto your wreath form on the inner rung.  it won't show.

 now take that long tail of that piece of burlap and pull it through the middle space. then make a little figure 8 and weave the tail through the middle section again.  
that's all it is- but it took me AGES to get the hang of it.  don't worry about the burlap being twisted or scrunched up- adds character! every so often, loop through the first rung instead of the middle.  just weave, making figure 8's as you go along. 

{you can see my ghetto photo-editing here with the turquoise arrow guiding you through the second part of the figure 8. it's real bad.}

i tried to make about 5 or 6 loops per section of the wreath and used one of my long 10 foot pieces about 3 sections.  nothing exact.  when i finished with a piece, i just tucked it in securely somewhere and started again with a new long burlap strip.   i knotted each new strip but i think tucking would work just as well. 

 helps to have your old handsome dog giving support.  

 there she is!  really quick project.  i love that is can be changed out easily- glitter snowflakes, silk flowers, peacock feathers, an initial.... endless possibilities.  

i used that chevron fabric to stick in a few loops here and there.  not even secured very well- i can pull them right out when i'm ready to update for Christmas.  (which i totally am already, but restraining until after turkey day....)

i need to be sure to thank my supporting cast members who all diligently gathered around and got under my feet and all twisted up in burlap.  thanks for letting me indulge in a quick project, everyone....