DIY MILITARY WREATH
Wreaths for all occasions are popular throughout the year, so why not a Memorial Day wreath, too? Such a decoration makes a great family project because it includes tasks for big and little hands.
The circle shape of the wreath symbolizes eternity, with no beginning or end. By laying and hanging wreaths we continue the Memorial Day tradition, which in itself becomes part of an everlasting circle. Your wreath may well become a family heirloom to be cherished each time it is taken out to adorn your home, a poignant reminder of the nature of self-sacrifice in the ongoing battle for our freedoms.
The wreath is made by pinning squares of fabric to a store-bought foam wreath. Adults and kids can work together to keep little fingers from being pricked by pins: kids can fold the fabric squares while an adult pins them to the wreath form. With every placement of a piece of fabric, adults have the opportunity to discuss with children the reason we celebrate Memorial Day.
A Memorial Day wreath can be made even more special when it’s customized to honor veteran family members. You can switch out the fabrics to represent different branches of the military or different theaters of battle either by cutting up a surplus military uniform or using purchased fabrics in different colors to represent the uniforms. For instance, you can use camouflage fabric to represent the U.S. Army combat uniform or green and khaki for the service uniform of the U.S. Marine Corps. A simple internet search will tell you the colors or color combinations of the uniforms of the different military branches.
This wreath can also be used on Veteran’s Day, November 11th, the day we honor all military veterans in appreciation of their service. While making this wreath with children, you can introduce the difference between Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day.
The things you will need:
A foam wreath
About 300 pins
Red, white and Blue fabric 1 yard each
Old ACUs or any military uniform or military camo fabric
Time
Optional:
Last name
Dog tags
American Flag
The first thing to do is cut your fabric, I cut about 3×3 inch squares. They weren’t exact, I free-handed it using scissors. The pants were kind of hard to cut just because of all the pockets, I used some of the pieces that had velcro and buttons to add a little bit of character to them.
Make a triangle with your square piece of fabric by bringing two opposite corners together, then bring the other two opposite ends together so all four ends meet, put the pin through all the corners, then fluff it out and pin it to the foam.
Just add a few white pieces to the blue sporadically to make the stars. I added the last name, dog tags, and the American flag for the finishing touches. I love the way it turned out! I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial!
