As you all know, we are a family farm. We grow many fruits and veg on the farm here. One of the things that had been growing in this place for several generations, is muscadines. Of course, everyone loves to eat them when they are ripe. But another part of muscadines that can be used is the vines. Today, we will show you how we wrap a muscadine vine into a wreath.

Once a year the vines need to be pruned back, at least that is what is supposed to be done. We will admit that we do not actually prune our vines every year. But when we do prune, there are stacks of vines to do something with. The leftover vines are long and pliable for a time after they are cut. When making a wreath the cut vines need to be formed within a few days or they will become hard and brittle. I understand that if you have waited too long and your vines are hard, you can soak them in water for several days to make them pliable again. We have not made muscadine wreaths that way before so we can not say for sure how that works. We use our vines freshly cut.

The process for making your own muscadine vine wreath is quite simple. Get your newly cut vines and wrap them into the shape you want. That really is all there is to it but it sounds easier than it actually is.

Ok, first, prune your muscadine vines, if you have any. This process works for most any long, flexible vine grape, Ivey, etc, by the way. We have used grapevines as well. If you do not have vines of your own, you can usually find someone that is cutting their vines. Most of the time, farmers are happy to give away the cut vines so they do not have to haul them away themselves.

Here is the creative part. You will need to decide what shape and size you want to make your wreath. For this show and tell, we went with a standard, medium to large, round wreath.

As we had intended to use these vines to make a wreath, we cut the vines long and left all of the offshoots long as well. In theory, leaving the vines longer makes it easier to wrap with them but we usually get our vines tangled up and as a result, end up slapping each other in the face. Also, in theory, leaving the vines longer will give you a fuller wreath.

You have newly cut vines and you know what shape and size you want. Now just wrap. For beginners, it may be easier to start by making smaller wreaths. You can also get a bucket or can use it as a form if you like. Using a form will give you a more uniform-looking wreath but it will not look as “handmade” or unique. Our wreath was made just wrapping by hand.

It will take some time and patience to get your wreath the way you want it but it will be worth it in the end.

Just keep wrapping the longer vines around and around to make a hoop. Use the off-shoot vines to weave into and around the longer vine hoop. With some time and endurance, you will end up with a nice, thick, vine wreath. The thickness depends on how many vines you have and how big you are making your wreath, of course.

One note for beginners, be careful with the vines. Handle your vines slowly and with care when you are wrapping with them. Muscadine vines have a terrible habit of snapping back and slapping you in the face or slapping the person beside you in the face. Either way, it is not fun. The worst thing is to be pulling on a vine and have it snap back at you and give you a wallop on the ear. Having been slapped by muscadine vines many times in my life, I do not recommend it at all, it hurts.

And there you have made your own muscadine vine wreath by hand. Now you can show off your new skill and new art project and be proud of your work. As a side note, not very many people know how to make their own vine wreath so they make great gifts.

You must, of course, have the proper moral support and sage advice for projects like this.  You can see Lollie the pug in the background of these pics.  She was on hand to be sure the job was done right.

You can use your new muscadine vine wreath in its natural state or you can dress it up. Wreaths can be dressed for any occasion, holiday, or special affair. If you are careful, you can keep the same wreath and just change its dress for the different events.

With vine wreaths, you can add a hook on the back for hanging if needed. Your vine wreath can also be hung over any doorknob or light fixture.

We hope you have enjoyed this talk, we try to be informative and entertaining at the same time. Please try making your own muscadine vine wrap wreath for yourself. Making your own wreath can be fun and rewarding or it can be frustrating and painful.  Like many things in life, it all depends on your attitude. Enjoy your new skill and make your own art.

Thank you for visiting and please come again for another edition of Out Standing in the Field.