Wreaths and Braids

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Braiding the base

With a short strand of raffia, wrap and tie the bundle together about 6 inches from one end. Hold the short end between your knees (or commandeer a friend to hold it), separate the bundle into three equal parts, and begin braiding as you would hair. Make the braid loose enough so that you’ll be able to insert herb and flower stems but not so loose that it looks skimpy. The best way to achieve a fat, rounded braid is to bring each group of strands over the rest almost at right angles to them.

As you braid, keep in mind the ­direction in which you want the braid to curve, and always pull the group which will be on the inner side a little tighter than the outer group. This forces the braid to curve so that it can lie flat in a circle. Otherwise, the flat surface will tend to turn on edge when you bring the ends together to form the wreath base.

Periodically, touch the ends of the braid together to check the size. When the braid is the length you want, tie it off with one end of a medium-length piece of raffia, then cross the end of the braid over the beginning and wrap the two together with the other end of the medium-length piece. Tie with a square knot behind the wreath. Trim the tails evenly, but allow them to trail off gracefully. A good rule for length is to have them extend to about the outer diameter of the wreath, but if other decorations are being put over this part of the wreath, you can instead trim the ends close to where they cross or leave them long so they become part of the decoration.

To make a wider base without increasing the thickness, braid two circles of raffia, one of which fits exactly around the outside of the other. Tie them together by lacing raffia back and forth between the two braids. The lacing will pull into the braid and be hidden there as it is in a braided rug. If the two sets of brushy ends are too thick or noticeable, tuck the ends of the smaller ring behind the large one and cut them short. The resulting gap won’t show if you cover the bottom of the base with herbs or flowers.

You now have a wreath base that can be decorated in any number of ways. If it is large or will carry heavy decorations, tie a single crinkle-wire wreath ring (available at craft shops) to the back in several places to maintain the circular shape. Hang the wreath so the ends overlap at the bottom.

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