Christmas Wreath for Children of Shelters

About two years ago one of my clients brought a wreath he had made for Children of Shelters charity's event Jingle & Mingle to my workroom. It was so beautiful and unique that I couldn't stop thinking about it this whole time. Finally, this October, I emailed him and asked for the charity info. I was so happy when I was given an opportunity to participate! It was a unique chance to make something that I love and help other people.
Of course I wanted to showcase my sewing skills. I picked some scraps of linen and silk in the workoom and started working.
Decades ago (not telling how many), my mom had made me a dress for my prom with the entire front elaborately hemstitched. She was working on it for about 6 months. And the hemstitching was done on crepe georgette! Well, my fate was sealed: it was difficult to do (I love challenges), and it is impossible to find hemstitching done by hand these days. I had spent weeks sitting on a sofa in front of TV working on strips of fabric, turning them into very special part of my future wreath.

















I lined each strip with green silk so hemstitching would pop.
Next, I ordered a "donut" made from firm foam and glued layers and layers of Dacron to create a shape of a wreath.

I reinforced the back of the wreath with plywood that I cut with a jigsaw.

 

My hands looked pretty sad for several hours after using spray glue

 
Then I covered the body of the wreath with fabric and stapled it on the back, covered the back with same fabric, and glued two rows of gimp to conceal all staples. A simple set for hanging picture frames- two screw eyes and a wire will keep the wreath on the wall.

A bow cut from scraps of lining that I can trim and change helps me determine the best size for it.  

About forty hours of work later, it is done!