Cuties Wreath and Coffee Sack Bow

The last two weeks of January are almost always the coldest of winter and this year is no different.  One of the moments I take delight in is when I spot the abundance of citrus produce at the grocery store.

The Cuties happen to be one of my favorites.  They’re pint sized, easy to open, sweet and seedless.  Yum.

But I think it’s really the bright blue and orange packaging that gives me a boost of happy.  

Doesn’t this bag of fruit just make you want to smile?

How to make a coffee sack bow

Anyway, in my quest to keep cozy and diy during the winter blast, I pulled together a winter citrus wreath using my grapevine shelf wreath.  I also found a blue-inked coffee sack and made an easy bow.

There are many ways to make a burlap bow, but since coffee, grain and potato sacks are usually short in yardage, here is the way I made mine.

I cut out one side of a coffee sack and then cut 4″ pieces lengthwise.

I could have chosen to wash the coffee sack, first, but I did not do that, although I think it would have made the material a little softer to work with.

I pulled off all the strings on the sides that would come off and put aside about 8 of the longest pieces of string.

I looped over the end part of two pieces and tied a piece of around each to secure the bow loop.

I tied each string off to the back side. I’m sorry this picture doesn’t show that, but you’ll see in the next shot.

After I wrapped a piece of string around each bow loop individually, I criss-crossed the two pieces and wrapped more string around both to make it one unit.

I wrapped the string kind of like one would wrap a cross. Top over bottom, over left, over top, over right, over bottom, and so on.  I tied the string off in the back and trimmed the string down.

Using a scrap piece of the coffee sack I cut a 1-1/2″ x 18″ piece and wrapped it around the center from top to bottom.  I wrapped it twice and tied it off twice on the back side.

Then it was time to trim down all the extra strings, fringe, etc..

I took a third piece of the coffee sack to wrap around the wreath for hanging.  I attached it to the wall with a fancy upholstery tack, then I hot-glued the bow to the front.

Another way I could have attached it would be to stitch it to the hanging strip from the back side.

The blue and orange make such a “cute” color combo, don’t they?

I used real fruit, yes I did.

See how I made a wreath that holds real fruit without using glue, here.

But faux oranges or fruit would look cute, too.

This has replaced the snowman wreath, shown here, in the make shift mudroom area in my kitchen.

It adds a little color to these dreary days and what can I say, it gives me a boost of happy;)

Hope you’re stayin warm and cozy or out enjoying the sunshine ~ Amy     

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