| OCR Text |
Show i Colorful Homemade Decorations Lend Gaiety to Christmas Tree 8 Contriving homemade Christmas wreaths Is a family project that can provide fun for youngsters and adults alike. Moreover, it offers chances for ingenuity in design that may awaken the inventive spirit of everybody concerned. 1 The materials are usually not hard to find. Designs can be based on a I few basic ideas which can be expanded ex-panded into almost endless variety. vari-ety. For Christmas wreaths, various greens, wire, binder twine and string are of course, the principal ingredi-jents. ingredi-jents. The greens may come from I the home yard, neighboring woods or a convenient florist. Among common com-mon varieties are holly, pine, spruce, boxwood, yew, arborvitae, ivy and mountain laurel. For color, such fruits as crabapples, cranberries, grapes, or small tangerines may be added. A coat of shellac will help preserve the fruit. First, it is wise to decide the size of the wreaths you want and then work from there. If the wreath is to be small say not to exceed three feet in circumference circum-ference the frame can be made from a coat hanger that is straightened straight-ened out and then fashioned into the form of a circle. For larger wreaths, several coat hangers may be combined com-bined to form a frame, or else wire salvaged from some farm or home operation can be utilized. Among greens best suited for small wreaths are holly, boxwood, yew or arborvitae. For larger wreaths, holly, pine, fir, ivy are effective. ef-fective. So far as possible, in working with evergreens, it Is advisable to use the tips of branches, cutting the material ma-terial into sprays about half a foot long. Hold the material in the left hand and place it on the frame with the right. Tie the first spray securely secure-ly with binder twine, or if you have It, fine spool wire. Add successive groups of sprays, facing them in the same direction as the first spray and being certain to tie them securely, se-curely, loo. Watch the outline of the wreath as you proceed, so the greens are evenly distributed and the contour con-tour of the circle is preserved, Some irregularities and bunching may of course occur regardless of how careful your work is. These can be corrected by using shears to trim off excess foliage. After the wreath is finished it is still possible lo add decorative features, fea-tures, such as pine cones, berries or small- fruits. These should be wired at the stems and then fastened securely to the wreath. Sizes and types of wreaths will depend de-pend on the materials available and to a certain extent on the family's geographical location. But many variations on the basic design will suggest themselves, once the project proj-ect of WTTcath-making is undertaken |
