Making Grapevine Wreaths

I have a monster grapevine in my backyard! It's a very old and delicious seedless variety that was planted long before we lived here. It grows like a weed! It's a good idea to prune back some of the runners in the summertime. This helps the vine put more energy into the fruits. It also helps us find the clusters of grapes more easily.

Craft stores regularly sell grapevine wreaths in all sizes; they are great for a multitude of different decorating and crafting purposes. But if you have a grapevine growing in your yard or garden, then there's no need to purchase one. They are easy and fun to make!

The preparation: Prune those extra long, fruitless vines off your plant. From the vines you've pruned off, select the longest ones. You want them to be green and pliable as well. Do this soon after you prune; they start becoming brittle as they dry out. Remove the leaves, but leave the curly tendrils. Once you have a good selection of de-leafed vines, you are ready to begin.

The Project: Start with a nice long vine and curl it into the size of wreath you desire.
Wind it together to create a simple circle and tuck in the loose ends. Don't worry if it's not a perfect circle. You will be able to shape it easier as you add more vines. Tuck the end of another vine into the circle and then wrap it around, tucking in the other end as you finish. Use more vines to wrap around and around. As you go, wrap the vines in different directions and start in different locations. As it becomes thicker and stronger, you can pull it into a nicer circle and it will hold it's shape.  Stop when it is firm enough to hold it's shape and when your desired thickness is achieved. Let them dry on a flat surface until they are brown and thoroughly dried.

This is a great project for a summer or fall evening. My home doesn't have air conditioning of any kind, so we like to sit outside in the summer evening and enjoy the cooler air. Plus, we just love being outside! The other day, we spent an hour or so in our backyard. My husband played his guitar and I made three grape vine wreaths of varying sizes. I love lazy summer evenings like that!

I am already brainstorming on some great ways to use them, so watch for follow up posts...

Check out another great wreath idea using twigs and acorns HERE.

Shared at these great blogs:

Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life

The HomeAcre Hop at Black Fox Homestead
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home 
From the Farm Blog Hop at Sunny Simple Life 
Clever Chicks Blog Hop at The Chicken Chick
Creative Home & Garden Hop at Little Homestead on the Hill 
Sunday Linky at Suburbs Mama 
Silver Pennies Sunday at Finding Silver Pennies 
Tuesday Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage 
Garden Tuesday at Sidewalk Shoes 
Tuesdays with a Twist at Stone Cottage Adventures 
Rock 'N' Share at The Shady Porch 
The Backyard Farming Connection Hop 
Down Home Blog Hop at Tilly's Nest 
What We Accomplished Wednesday at Green Willow Pond 
 Feature Friday at Blissful and Domestic
Craftastic Party @ Sew Can Do
Monday Funday at Lines Across
Mostly Homemade at Homegrown & Healthy
What'd You Do This Weekend? at The Tumbleweed Contessa
Cottage Style Party at Lavender Garden Cottage

Thank you Silver Pennies!

Thank You Summers Acres!

Thank You 1840 Farm!

Thank You Chicken Chick!