How to Make a Breast Cancer Awareness Wreath

By Lori Jacobs | October 7, 2019 |

This video tutorial will show you how to make a “Fight Like a Girl” Breast Cancer Awareness Wreath.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Learn how to make this beautiful wreath to bring awareness to the disease, using traditional pink colors, yet not too girly. Step-by-step written instructions are listed below with helpful links and video timestamps.

Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links for supplies and tools used. If you purchase, I will get a few pennies for the purchase. About enough to buy a stick of gum 🙂

Method: Poof with Ruffles

Ribbons: cut at 12 inches
Basket Weave Mesh: cut at 20 inches

Supplies are as follows:

14” Dollar Tree Wreath, https://goo.gl/QPsTPY
“Fight Like a Girl” sign, https://hardworkingmomstore.com
(1) 10” Pink and Black Basket Weave Mesh, https://goo.gl/QPsTPY
(1) 21” Pink Deco Mesh, https://goo.gl/QPsTPY
Pink Pipe Cleaners
Black Zip Ties
Silver Wire
Metal Hole Punch

Ribbons:

2.5″ Breast Cancer Ribbon , https://goo.gl/QPsTPY
2.5″ Pink Ribbon , https://goo.gl/QPsTPY
2.5″ Black Strength Ribbon , https://goo.gl/QPsTPY
2.5″ Pink Strength Ribbon , https://goo.gl/QPsTPY

Tools:

Mesh Roller https://www.simplify-organize.com/pro…
Probow the hand https://amzn.to/2zbz4Yp
Fiskars Rotary cutter and mat https://amzn.to/2hyAUHL
Ryobi Glue gun https://amzn.to/2hBoizL
Bowdabra bow maker https://amzn.to/2zdPxeE
Metal Hole Punch https://amzn.to/2Ao

How to make a Poof with Ruffles Breast Cancer Awareness Wreath

Written Instructions with Video Timestamps:

Prepping the Basket Weave Mesh

Basket weave Mesh is great for making poof curls. This mesh has small square holes in it, the smaller the holes, the tighter the weave. For this wreath, I use a 10-inch width roll of basket weave mesh. They are normally sold in 10 yard rolls. I precut 18 pieces at 20 inches in length.

Prepping the Wreath Frame

For this frame, I used a 14-inch Dollar Tree wreath and 18 pink pipe cleaners (you’ll need a few extra pipe cleaners later). To make own work frame, attach 10 pink pipe cleaners every 4 inches around the outside two bars of the dollar store frame [1:39]. I like to start my pipe cleaners at a cross bar. Next, attach 8 pipe cleaners to the inside two bars. When twisting on the pipe cleaners, make sure you give them at least two good, tight twists. Open up the ties.

Cutting Ribbons

Precut each of the ribbons at 12 inches. You’ll need a total of 9 pieces of ribbon for each of the 4 ribbon styles. We’ll attach them to the wreath in an alternating pattern. Dovetail the ends of the ribbon (make a v-cut).

Creating the Poof

Next, prep the deco mesh by pulling 3-4 inches of tail across one of the bottom pipe cleaner ties and secure to the base of the wreath using a zip tie. Trim the excess zip tie and excess mesh (but not too much!). The zip tip secures the mesh in place.

Unroll about 10 inches of deco mesh off the roll, pinch, and secure to the next pipe cleaner over. Twist the pipe cleaner a few times to secure the mesh down, creating a poof. Repeat around the outside edge of the wreath [6:55].

Next, move the poof to the inside of the frame, and zip tie the deco mesh down next to a pipe cleaner to secure in place. Create the poofs again by going around the inside frame using the pipe cleaners as tie downs. Once you return to where you started, tie the poof down and trim your mesh. Pull the end of the mesh through the base of the frame and zip tie it down so that you hide the end [13:15]. Once finished, you should have a nice pink wreath base! Fluff the poofs.

Making the Ruffle Using Basket Weave Mesh

I’m using my Bowdabra for the next step [14:45]. The basket weave mesh should be cut into 20 inch pieces.

For the basket weave mesh, I ruffle the mesh using a modified woodland ruffle method: roll the ends 2-3 times into tight curls, then ruffle the remaining mesh in between.

This will give you curls on the end, and some ruffle in the middle. Pinch the center and insert into the Bowdabra to hold [15:32].

Tying on the Ribbons

Take two different ribbons (white and pink breast cancer ribbon, pink strength ribbon on top), stack, scrunch and pinch in the center. Curve the ends down so that it resembles a birds wings flapping down, and then stack onto the ruffled mesh [16:01]. Remove from the Bowdabra and insert this piece onto a pipe cleaner on the wreath and twist it down a few good times. Clip the excess pipe cleaner and tuck down under the ribbon.

Note: if you want the mesh curls to show, place them curling up. If you don’t want to see the curls, place the curls facing down on the wreath.

Repeat the above steps with the other two ribbons (black strength and pink ribbon) [18:25]. Be sure to stretch out and fluff your ribbons once secured with pipe cleaners.

Each pipe cleaner on the wreath will have a set of ribbons and basket weave mesh tied down (10 on bottom, 8 on top), with alternating ribbon patterns. Once completed, your wreath will look full and hide the frame behind the mesh [39:44].

Making the Bow Topper

For our bow topper: we used the Lisa Bow technique. In the video, I show you how to do make the Lisa Bow by hand as well as how to make the Lisa Bow using a bowmaker. The Lisa Bow has 2 loops on one side, and 1 loop on the other side with two tails on the same side as the 1 loop. When you have directional ribbon, you’ll want to make the Lisa Bow by hand.

We’ll need 4 stacks of Lisa Bows. A bow maker is handy for this part. The 1st base layer is our black ribbon. The 2nd layer up is a plain pink ribbon. The 3rd layer is our white and pink breast cancer awareness ribbon. Our 4th layer (top) is a 1.5″ sparkly pink ribbon.

Please watch the video tutorial for how to make the Lisa Bow [42:35]! It’s much, much easier to demonstrate!

Before lifting your stack of Lisa Bows off the bowmaker, wrap a zip tie loosely around the center [47:05]. Once removed, tighten the zip tie a little more, but not too tight. Fluff up your bow. Fix your tails so that they are on opposing sides. Thread a pipe cleaner through the zip tie, then zip tie it down nice and tight. The pipe cleaner serves to tie the bow onto your wreath. Fluff the bow up again, making your tails curve back nicely [49:20].

Don’t forget to dovetail (v-cuts) your bow tails if you wish. Adjust the stack of bows as needed. Always start with the bottom layer and work your way up as you adjust the bows.

Tie the bow onto the wreath at the top, securing the pipe cleaner to the frame [51:23].

Attaching a Sign to the Wreath

Punch holes into the four corners of your metal sign. Use silver wire [52:49] as ties for each corner on your metal frame. Measuring isn’t necessary, but you want a long enough wire to reach through the fluffy mesh and tie onto the frame, you can always snip the excess tie once finished [54:17].

For this wreath, we’re tying the sign to the base of the wreath (as opposed to center). Tie the metal sign onto the bottom of the wreath. Slip the right two wires around the base of the wreath and tie together in the back [52:46]. Repeat for the left side.

Completed Wreath

You don’t have to use expensive materials to make a full and fabulous poof wreath. Dollar store materials work in a pinch. I hope you enjoyed this Breast Cancer Awareness Wreath tutorial!

Bonus News: I now have a channel on Roku! Check out Hard Working Mom on your Roku streaming tv. If you have a Roku, please check it out and tell me what you think!!!

I hope this post inspires you to get crafty! Share with me! I’d love to hear from you. My social links are posted below.

Thank you,

❤ Lori

Need Help?

If you are interested in learning more about our Success Path group, you are welcome to do so following this link: https://hardworkingmom.com/success-path

Want to learn Wreath Designing? Here is my Coaching Group, follow the link here: https://hardworkingmom.com/product/design-with-hard-working-mom-wreath-therapy-on-steroids/

Need a bundle, here is the link to save on both groups: https://hardworkingmom.com/product/design-with-hard-working-mom-wreath-therapy-on-steroids-combined-with-lori-jacobs-success-path/