Roberta Birnbaum, Author at FaveCrafts

Would you believe I have never had a wreath on my door? Well I figured it was about time to have one, and the best part is that it is a weatherproof fabric wreath.

Using Powertex®, which is a fabric hardener, allows me to work with fabric, sculpt it however I like and then place it outside if I desire.

Materials:

Fabric, cut into strips
Powertex® Fabric Hardener: red, yellow, green, blueish-grey, transparent
Powertex® Colortrix: red pearl, bronze gold, pearl
ZipDry™
Sphagnum moss
Raffia
Powertex® Easy Varnish
Embellishments
Wreath form and hanger 12″ diameter
Americana® brushes, trays for paint
Westcott Titanium scissors
Disposable gloves
Skewers

You are going to need at least 60strips of fabric for a 12″ diameter wreath. This is allowing for adding other objects to the circle. Different fabrics will absorb the Powertex differently, and therefore add interest to the project. I used 100% cotton t-shirt, cotton apron with lace, and a floral pillowcase.

Roberta Birnbaum Powertex Fabric Wreath for Spring

The t-shirt strips are 1 1/2 ” by 8″.

The other fabric strips are 1″ by 8″.

How to cut strips (the easy way)

Usually if you are cutting a t-shirt, you will only want to get a Men’s XL or bigger. (better value). Cut off the sleeves and all fabric above the armpits.

I am going to show you how to cut strips using a pillowcase because it is essentially the same thing.

Cut off the hem around the top of the pillowcase.
Fold in half lengthwise, but leave 1/4 inch exposed. (Figure 1)
With your scissors, starting at the fold, cut across to the folded material and stop just before you reach the other fold. This ensures all the strips stay together. (Figure 2)
Unfold strips to reveal the longer strips. (Figure 3)
Cut off any seams or stitching. Then cut and separate your strips.

Instructions:

Plan out your wreath. Decide on the placement of your fabrics and colors. I actually attached all the fabric in a ‘dry run'(and then untied all of them). I don’t necessarily recommend you do that because it is time-consuming, but I found that it was very helpful to me. Drawing a sketch is also very helpful.

Put on your gloves. Paint base with a solid color. I used green and painted both the front and back. The ensures that my entire base is sealed and protected. Let it dry.
Make sure you work on a non-stick surface. Powertex will not stick to craft mats, plastic, or aluminium.
Fill separate shallow trays with red, yellow, and green.
Dip your strips into the various colors and create different color combinations. I achieved the beautiful red/coral/pink hues by playing around with the red, yellow and transparent colors. Remove excess paint from each strip and then tie it onto the wreath.
Using skewers you can manipulate the wet fabric into any shape.
I grabbed a handful of the moss and dipped it into the yellow powertex and then stuck it to the wreath ( Powertex bonds).
Add various embellishments. Attach raffia with the glue to the back of the wreath.
Once the wreath is dry, dry brush with Colortrix and varnish. You can dip the end of your brush into the varnish and then dip it into the Colortrix, picking up the powder on your bristles. Blend on a plate and then brush. Let the wreath cure for at least 4 days before you put it outside.