My newest craft project is to make a coffee filter wreath. I have seen so many variations online and had to piece together the steps for it.
I started last night on the first 2 layers of it. I started long before with buying 2 packages of 650 coffee filters - you read that right, might only need 600 but I'll have extra - and a styrofoam wreath and hot glue gun sticks.
I took pictures of how I started and different stages and supplies; as my wreath progresses I'll be taking more pictures and do a tutorial when it's done.
So it's now been a while and I have covered a side and top and am working on the inner circle.
I'm now going to figure out how to load any of the pictures I've been taking along the way and help do a step by step tutorial.
I didnt take a picture of folding the coffee filters but I started with round, flat bottomed ones which have the wavey edge and folded them in quarters to get a triangle point in the flat bottom (but not bending the wavey edge). I started on the 'bottom' of my wreath hot gluing the triangles about an inch apart.
Layers and layers of filters and it's only going to get poofier! (it's a word)
This one's more of a top view to show you one row on the 'bottom' of the wreath.
Tomorrow I'll upload more pictures of the 'top' and to the point I have completed, so far.
Alright, after working some more on it this morning and giving myself a blackeye... I've decided to blog about it and take a break.
In the 2 above pictures, I flipped my work around and will now be working on the 'right side'.There are about 12 papers per row... it's a 12" wreath.
In the next picture you'll see that I had to get inventive and used pushpins. The filters werent staying in place, because of their curve. So I held them in place while the glue set. I was stopping every couple pins and pulling them out, but then thought "why not just do it all at the end". And that's what I did. I'd do a circle of filters and pin as I went then pull them out; by the time I got to the last one it was set enough. Any time a pin actually got glued I was able to twist and pull it out (gently).
The next ones show there's actually a curve to the filters when folded... I found using the same curve helped. First one is showing the top and the second shows the side I glued on. Keeping them the same may have an impact, I just like the neat look using one way gave so I stuck with it.
Now, looking over what I just uploaded, it appears I wasn't clear in showing, or explaining... The first couple rows have the tips of the filters folded to point up and are only glued about a centimeter then pinned. The best judge for where to place the next row of filter is to do a dry placement and see where it will line up with the previous. Pick up the wreath and look at it from arm's length. There's no hard and fast rule about where they go but the overall look is to be really full looking. You'll see that it gets really tricky when you get closer to the middle. While working on the side of the wreath I continued with the 1 inch space between tips and every row was staggered so I always saw the previous tips as I was laying the new ones.
Here are more pictures
As you can tell, the rows grow quickly and get really full, really fast. Just keep going around and around until...
You're working on the top... I put them about an inch in (still an inch apart at the tips). It's all kinda a guessing game on placement, but as you progress, you'll see where they just naturally want to go.
This next one shows 2 rows along the top... The filters without the pins are the previous rows but it also shows just how I staggered the placement, this pattern was continued from the beginning and is the best explanation I can do.
Okiedoke... Keep going with the tips staggered and about an inch apart until you reach the inner edge of the wreath.... then....
You're finally almost to the most awkward area of the wreath.... Earlier on I was using glue just on the tip of the filter, now I started using 2 pumps of glue covering most of the triangle and had to use 2 pins per filter BUT on a great note, each row takes less and less time because there are less filters to put on to fill the same space. This is the time that I started to get the most burns... I burned my right pointer finger while trying to hold part of the filter in place while I pinned it and in reaction to that I had hot glue flying on to my right forearm and ended up with missing skin under the 3rd degree burn I gave myself. I thought I'd be smart and use my pointer nail to hold the pieces in place; until I glued a pushpin to my nail. I had to take a break at that point.
I'm going to show more progress by pictures.
More to come, later.
SOOOO thanks to Laurie at TipJunkie.com I found this new little diddy that I want to try and do for my stairs, making different levels to hopefully fill the space without taking away room to actually walk up the stairs.
