Make a DIY winter wreath that has magnolia leaves, cotton stems, and leather with this step-by-step tutorial.

Are you looking for a non-Christmas winter wreath for your front door? 

The holiday season only lasts a few weeks but once the decorations are put away, we can’t forget about the rest of the winter.

Or maybe you don’t celebrate Christmas and you want a beautiful way to embrace the cozy winter.

I have the perfect solution – it is a DIY winter wreath, wrapped in leather, with thick magnolia leaves and soft cotton flowers. 

It’s a fantastic blend of color and texture to make your door stand out this winter.

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DIY Winter Magnolia Wreath

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MATERIALS:

• 14″ foam wreath
• three – 1/8″ leather lace (you’ll need 75 feet)
• super glue
• bunch of magnolia leaves
• two – bunches of cotton stems
• floral wire
• 5″ or 6″ burlap
• hot glue (optional- superglue will work)

TOOLS:

• wire cutters

You can print the material list and instructions below.

If you are a visual person and need a video on how to make this magnolia winter wreath, be sure to check out my video.

STEP 1: WRAP LEATHER AROUND THE FOAM WREATH

Once your supplies are gathered, start by wrapping the foam wreath with the leather.

The easiest way I found to attach the leather was to glue the end of the leather to the back of the foam form. I also used some scotch tape to hold the end in place until the glue dried.

SIDE NOTE: Glue the remaining leather strands to to the wreath in the same way as the first.

After the end of the leather is attached to the foam wreath, wrap the leather around the form so that it forms a single layer of leather.

But to give the wreath a finished look, with no foam showing, you will need to overlap some of the leather.

I found it worked best if I placed 16 single layers of leather. Then, I angled back and overlapped 6 of the layers that I had already done. The end result is the inside of the wreath is partially covered but the outside top will still be a single layer.

Repeat this cycle until the whole wreath is covered in leather.

TIP: Make sure to glue the new leather on the same side as the last time.

STEP 2: BUNCH THE MAGNOLIA LEAVES

Now that the leather is covering the wreath, you can bunch the magnolia leaves together.

Do this by breaking down the bundle of leaves into smaller sections. I separated mine into into groups of three.

Then, divide the sections into two equal piles.

SIDE NOTE: You can have extra leaves in the arrangement.

Take one of the piles and start layering the leaves into a bunch. Use floral wire to keep the sections together.

After, take the other pile and bunch those leaves together the same way.

TIP: Cut away any extra stems.

STEP 3: ATTACH THE LEAVES AND COTTON TO THE WREATH

Once the leaves are bunched together, they can be attached to the wreath.

TIP: Make sure you have the glue from the leather as the back of the wreath.

Place one of the magnolia bunches onto the front of the wreath. Then, place the other bunch onto the wreath so that the stems of each bunch are touching.

Tip: You want a small gap between the two bunches, about two inches, so the stems will probably overlap.

Attach the bunches to the wreath with the floral wire.

Once the bunches are secure and look the way you want, take one of the cotton stems and place it over one of the magnolia bunches.

Make sure to cut the stem so it only overlaps the gap where the leaves come together.

Then, place the other cotton stem the same way.

Secure both cotton pieces to the wreath using the floral wire again.

STEP 4: CREATE A BURLAP KNOT

Now that the floral arrangement is secured to the wreath, you need to hide the gap where everything came together.

Initially, I was going to use a burlap bow, but that felt bulky to me, so I decided on a knot instead. Plus, it’s easier to create.

To create the burlap knot, cut the 5″ or 6″ burlap into a 30″ strip.

Wrap the burlap strip around the back of the wreath, so the ends are at the front in equal lengths. Then, you are going to tie a half-knot.

TIP: You are wrapping around the gap where the stems come together.

To tie a half-knot, holding the ends of the burlap in each hand, cross the end in your right hand (end A) over the end in your left hand (end B) so that the rope forms an X.

Wrap end A so that it goes under end B and comes up again. Bring end A back over end B to form a half-knot, then tighten the knot.

Now, wrap one of the ends to the back of the wreath. Fold the end or cut it so it will only be in the back. Secure the burlap into place with hot glue or super glue.

Wrap the other burlap end to the back of the wreath the same way.

STEP 5: HANG THE WREATH

The last step is hanging your wreath, whether that’s above a mantel or front door.

To hang the wreath, take some more leather and wrap it around the wreath a couple of times. With a little slack, tie the ends together. Move the knot so that it can be hooked to hang the wreath.

TIP: I did this behind some leaves to hide the knot.

Then, step back and enjoy the wonderful winter wreath that you made! It’s the perfect wreath for the winter season and will last a long time.