Sunflower Bandana Wreath

In today’s post: Learn how to make a cute sunflower wreath using a round wreath form and yellow bandanas. This is an easy project you can complete in about ninety minutes.

If you’re looking for a fun summer craft project, try making a sunflower wreath. The cute petals are made from gold bandanas and the center is made from rope glued to a paper plate. I first saw the idea for this wreath on a video from This Southern Girl Can. For my version I simplified the assembly process, used two layers of bandana petals instead of one, and used rope for the center instead of loop yarn. I also figured out how to make the petals much stiffer so they stand up nicely instead of flopping over: all you have to do is iron them with some spray starch!

I left my sunflower wreath plain, but feel free to add any embellishments you like. You could add a wood butterfly cutout (as shown below) or a cute jeweled dragonfly. You could also add a couple green bandana squares in the back to look like leaves.

Supplies

Here’s what you need to make your own sunflower bandana wreath:

• Nine Bandanas: I found these gold colored bandanas at Walmart for about two dollars each. You can also find yellow bandanas on Amazon in sets of 10 or 12, just be aware they are usually a lighter, brighter yellow than the ones I used.
• 12 inch round wire wreath form: I used this wreath form from Walmart. If you use a larger wreath form you may need more bandanas.
• 4 inch zip ties
• Spray Starch: You’ll find this in the laundry section of your supermarket
• Rope: I used rope from Dollar Tree which came in 8 ft lengths and I used two of them. You’ll need enough rope to cover a circle that’s just larger than the inside diameter of your wreath.
• Paper plate or cardboard circle that’s just larger than the inside diameter of your wreath. I used an 8.5 inch paper plate.
• Hot glue gun, scissors

How to Make a Sunflower Wreath

This project will take between 90 minutes and two hours, but it’s very easy to do! It’s a nice relaxing project you can work on while watching a show or listening to a podcast. And you can stop and come back to it at any time in the process.

Prep the bandanas

To start, cut each bandana into fourths. That will give you 36 bandana squares. Spray each one with spray starch and then iron until dry. This is an extra step that most tutorials don’t call for and it will take some extra time, but it’s totally worth it! The spray starch stiffens the fabric so your petals will stand up straight instead of flopping over.

Prep the Wreath Form

Next, you’ll get the wreath form ready by adding zip ties all around it (1). The wreath form has 4 different circles connected together. For the first layer of petals, you’ll attach petals to the circle that’s second from the outside. Slide a zip tie under that wire (2), then attach it together just until you hear it begin to click (3). Leave the loop open. Attach 18 zip ties to that circle (4). My wreath form had six sections, so I attached three zip ties to each section.

Create Petals

To create your first petal, fold one bandana square in half diagonally, with the finished edges facing up (1). Pinch the bandana between two fingers in the middle of the long folded edge (2). Continue to pinch up fabric along the long edge, first working up (3), and then working down, until you have a petal shape (4).

Hold the pinched edge of the petal in one hand, and grab one of the zip tie loops with the other hand (1). Pull the pinched edge through the zip tied loop (2), then pull the zip tie tight, with the tail of the zip tie toward the back of the wreath (3). Repeat with two more petals in the same section (4).

Continue until you have attached 18 peals to your wreath form.

Next, repeat the process, adding 18 more petals to the very center ring of the wreath form.

At this point you can adjust the placement of the petals by sliding them along the wreath form if necessary. Then flip the wreath over and pull all the zip ties as tight as you can. Feel free to trim the tail ends of the zip ties if you like.

Create the Center

To make the center of the flower, you’ll glue rope to a paper plate or a circle of cardboard. You’ll need a plate or circle that’s a little bigger than the smallest ring in the wreath. I used an 8.5 inch plate. If you are using a plate, flip it over. If there’s a small lip on the outside that points back up, trim it off. Mark the center of the plate.

Cut one end of the rope at an angle (1). Place some hot glue along the cut edge and bend it up to create a spiral. Glue the spiral down onto the center of the plate (2). Continue to glue more rope to the plate in a spiral pattern (3). Keep going until you get to the end of your rope, or cover the entire plate (4).

If you need to add more rope, just cut the current rope at an angle and the new rope at an angle and use hot glue to wedge them together. You won’t even be able to see the seam once you’re done. Continue gluing rope to the plate until the entire surface is covered.

Now, flip the plate over and quickly put a generous amount of hot glue all around the edge of it on the back. Then place the rope covered plate over the wreath, centering it so that it covers all the zip ties. Hold it there until it is securely adhered. Then your wreath is ready to display. Please note that if you choose to display it outside you’ll want to make sure it’s somewhere it will not get wet. If the petals get wet the starch will dissolve and they may flop.