DIY Fall Cotton Wreath - The Hamby Home

I’m fortunate enough to live in an area that has abundant amounts of cotton fields. We may not get a lot of snow here in Alabama but the cotton is ripe and has that same snow-like beauty. I’ve seen cotton being used in home décor a lot lately and I’ve been dying to get my hands on some. Ever since I saw a cotton wreath for sale in a local gift shop, I’ve been anxiously waiting for the cotton to be in full bloom. I’m the type who would rather make something myself to avoid paying retail price so today I’m going to show you how to make a very simple fall cotton wreath!

Supplies needed:

Cotton stems
Grapevine wreath – (Mine is around a 15 inch)
Hot glue
Wire

Steps to make a cotton wreath:

1. Collect your cotton. This might be more challenging for some of you than others. I got a small trash bag full of cotton from a friend with a cotton field connection for free but I realize not everyone has access to free cotton. You can order cotton from Saves on Craft or Cottonman if you don’t have access to a cotton field.

2. Prep your cotton. Cut your stems to be roughly 2-3 inches long. If the cotton is really ripe, some of the cotton will start separating from the pod which is fine, just remove the cotton and set those pods aside in case you would like to use those in your wreath to break up the texture. Keep this in mind if/when you’re cotton picking, you may want to pick stems that look a little less mature.

3. Start attaching cotton to the wreath. The grapevine wreath is perfect for this project and is so easy to use with the cotton. Cotton naturally has a bend in the stem which is perfect for wedging in the grapevine wreath and it sitting up just right. Wedge the cotton stem all the way through the wreath and then use a dab of hot glue to secure it to the wreath. Repeat until wreath is covered. I tried to stagger the cotton a little so there was no clear pattern to where I was placing the cotton.

Optional: I chose to add the pods to give the wreath a little different look and texture. I just used the pods sporadically in between the cotton bulbs (where you may have an empty space naturally) and would secure them to the wreath with hot glue.

4. Add a hook. Once the wreath was complete, I looped some wire through the back of the grapevine wreath and twisted it to create a hanger for the wreath.

5. Add Accents (Optional). Using floral wire, add a burlap bow or any other accent piece to your wreath. I loved the texture of the cotton and pods and decided to leave a bow off of this one but I can always add one in the future!

That is all! It’s super easy and perfect to use with all the fall decor! Sorting through my bag of cotton and cutting the stems was the most time consuming part of the process.