Recently a neon bar in London ordered two Rainbow Pom Pom Wreaths at once, the fully handmade (most expensive) showstoppers from my shop, plus 36 pom pom baubles for good measure. It was my first ever double order for the wreath, and since I only generally make two or three of these a year, I’d forgotten quite how many hours actually go into making one.
In my head, I thought working on two at once might actually be more efficient.
Guess what? It was not!
What actually goes into a handmade pom pom wreath
One densely packed pom pom wreath like this uses a whole kilo of yarn, three pom pom maker sizes and 42 pom poms. Each one is wound, tied off tightly so it doesn’t shed, then I like to trim them with three different types of scissors (just my preference!) into a perfect fluffy sphere before being tied onto the base, one by one, until there’s not a gap in sight.
None of it is difficult. So if you’re reading this thinking, “I could never make that!”, you’ve got it wrong. It’s winding, tying and trimming, repeated. It’s actually quite a soothing activity when you relax into it!
What a wreath like this asks for is time. And time is the one thing I never have enough of when there’s a delivery date attached!
Why I price my handmade wreath at £299
When I worked out the hours that went into these two wreaths and the baubles, the total worked out at just above the UK minimum wage, before I’d accounted for a single ball of yarn, packaging, shipping, tax, website fees, rent or anything else that comes with running a business.
But don’t worry, I won’t be starting a lecture about “you’re paying for my time”, because I choose to do this! I love my job and I can’t imagine doing anything else. But when it comes to taking six days to make one order, I need it to at least earn me back a liveable wage. Otherwise, there would be no point!
And that’s why I can’t simply make the handmade wreath cheaper.
But I think I may have another idea …
Made your way, it’s a completely different project
As I said above, when I make this wreath I’m racing a deadline. I’ve got a delivery date looming, other orders waiting, and a business to run. I literally can’t stop!
When you make it, there is no clock! Plus a bought wreath is lovely but the one you’ve made yourself using your own two hands just hits different.
You can make a few pom poms with a cuppa one evening. Trim a few while you’re watching your favourite programme the next. Tie some onto the wreath at the weekend. Put it down for a week if life gets busy, then come back to it when you fancy it.
Slowly, bit by bit, you’ll watch the wreath fill up.
And that’s the part I really love about the idea of you making one yourself. I always say that the joy of pom pom making is being able to shut your brain off for a few hours at a time. And that’s exactly how I imagine this wreath being made in your home: slowly, over evenings, at your own pace, without worrying about how long it’s taking!
And the tools aren’t a one-time purchase either. You can reuse the Clover pom pom makers over and over again. I’ve had mine for 13 years now and they’re still just as good as new!
The best part is when it’s finished
It’s the wreath you’ll point out to people when they come to your house. The one you’ll look at every Christmas and remember the evenings you spent making it. The one where you know exactly how much work went into every single pom pom because you made them yourself!
The satisfaction I felt when completing those two pom pom wreaths and stepping back to look at them was incredible. But then I had to quickly pack them up and ship them straight off before I could truly soak up the work I had done!
This kit is for you
After years of saying this wreath was simply too large to ever become a kit, I’ve finally changed my mind.
The Rainbow Pom Pom Wreath DIY Kit is coming in time for Christmas!
It will contain a whole kilo of yarn, three pom pom maker sizes and a step-by-step tutorial to guide you through making the wreath yourself.
And for the first time, there’ll be absolutely no tinsel! I love tinsel, but this wreath is already completely covered in pom poms and, to be honest… it doesn’t need it. The colours can do all the talking!
So while I can’t make the handmade wreath itself more affordable, I can make it possible for you to make your own, in your own time and in your own way.
If you want first dibs when it lands, join my newsletter!
