You will need
• flexible foam pipe insulation with hollow core (such as Thermaflex; available at hardware stores)
• dowel that fits in core, about 7cm long
• cheesecloth and other fabric remnants
• 3 types of ribbon
• needle, thread and pins
• strong adhesive tape
• craft knife and cutting mat
• scissors
1 Use your craft knife to cut a length of foam pipe insulation to the size of the wreath that you want to make.
2 Press the dowel into the core at one end of the foam, bend the foam to form a circle and insert the other end of the dowel into the core on the other side.
3 Wrap the adhesive tape a few times around the join to secure. Shape the foam with your hands so it forms a neat hoop.
4 Tear the cheesecloth into 5cm-wide strips. Pin the end of one strip to the foam and wind it around the foam. Leave the edges raw; this adds texture to the wreath.
5 Continue in this way until the whole wreath is covered. Pin the beginning and end of each strip to the foam, making sure that the pins are at the back so that they can’t be seen.
6 Now twist the various ribbons around the wreath, changing direction randomly to create an interesting pattern. Pin in the same way as for the cheesecloth strips.
7 For the flowers, cut the remaining cheesecloth and the fabric remnants into circles of 10cm. Fold the first circle in half then in half again to make a quarter. Pinch the point between your fingers and secure with a few stitches. Make a few more and work them together to form a flower.
8 Make more fabric flowers – white or different colours, as you prefer – and pin them onto your wreath. You can use a ribbon to hang up your wreath.
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