Fold And Stitch Christmas Wreath Sewing Tutorial & Free Pattern

Fabric Christmas wreaths are a great DIY project for those with basic sewing skills. This easy Christmas sewing project combines style and creativity, and the result is a folded fabric wreath that’s sure to impress. While it may take around 3 hours to complete, the end result is well worth the effort.

This Christmas wreath utilizes the fold and stitch technique. It’s an excellent project for improving your sewing skills, involving stitching, cutting, working with various fabrics, using fusible stabilizers, pressing, and simple applique techniques. My fold and stitch wreath tutorial guides you through the process, helping you pay attention to important details in sewing.

What You Will Need For Making Fold And Stitch Christmas Wreath

While many fold and stitch wreath tutorials use squares, I decided to use hexagons. 

The key components for my folded fabric wreath are two hexagon shapes – one larger and another 5/8 inch smaller. 

You will also need double-sided fusible fleece. I bought a few yards of double-sided fusible fleece in Joann when it was on sale (50% off) so I just traced the hexagon template onto fusible fleece and cut 12 pieces with my rotary cutter. 

You will also need 3 different fabrics – one for the top, one for the bottom, and one for the applique. I didn’t use quilting cotton because I didn’t find any cotton in my collection suitable for this project, so I used just garment fabrics in a variety of bright colors. One of them is spandex (sparkling red), left from my daughter’s dancing costume. Another one (rich gold and turquoise) is silk brocade – a very nice textured fabric. And the third one is polyester satin fabric. Of course, you can change the colors to suit your taste.

Just be sure your colors are coordinated to maintain a sense of balance in your arrangement.

I also used my cutting machine, but if you don’t have one you can cut everything manually with a rotary cutter or fabric shears.

I also used another fusible material for my applique pieces – double-sided sticky back  fusible web. It’s ideal for applique – one side has a low melt adhesive that’s activated by using a medium setting on the iron, and the other side contains a sticky adhesive protected by a paper backing.

For convenience below are the items sold on Amazon. 

Note: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. This means I will receive a commission if you order a product through one of my links. I only recommend products I believe in and use myself. 

Step-by-step Tutorial for the Christmas Fold and Stitch Wreath

Step 1. Preparing the Fabric Squares for the Back of the Wreath

For this folded fabric wreath, we’ll start by cutting 12 squares from the fabric you’ve chosen for the back of the wreath. In my case, I used green fabric, but feel free to choose a color that complements your decor or matches your holiday theme.

Important note: Don’t worry about cutting hexagons at this stage. You might be wondering why we’re cutting squares when the final shape will be hexagonal. Rest assured, there’s a method to this approach, which we’ll explore in the upcoming steps. This square-cutting technique simplifies the process and allows for more flexibility in the later stages of the project.

The goal here is to prepare pieces that will easily accommodate the hexagon shape in the following steps. 

In the next steps, you will see how these squares will transform into the hexagonal shapes needed for this fabric Christmas wreath. So don’t worry if this seems counterintuitive now – it will all make sense soon. 

Step 2.  Preparing the Fusible Fleece Hexagons

Now it’s time to prepare the foundation of the fabric Christmas wreath – the double-sided fusible fleece hexagons. This step is crucial for giving the wreath structure and stability.

1. Use my hexagon template to trace 12 hexagons onto the double-sided fusible fleece.
   
2. Cut out each hexagon carefully. A rotary cutter is ideal for this task as it provides clean, precise cuts. If using scissors, take your time to ensure smooth edges.
   
3. Make sure all your hexagons are identical in size. Even small discrepancies can affect the final shape of your wreath.
   
4. If your fusible fleece has a paper backing on both sides, leave it in place for now. We’ll remove it when we’re ready to fuse.
   
5. Keep your cut hexagons organized and stacked neatly to prevent them from getting bent or misshapen.

The precision in this step will greatly impact the overall look of your folded fabric wreath. Take your time and aim for consistency in your cuts.

Step 3: Fusing the Hexagons to Fabric Squares

Now it’s time to join our fabric squares with the fusible fleece hexagons. 

1. Take one of your fabric squares and place it wrong side up on the ironing board.
   
2. Position a fusible fleece hexagon in the center of the fabric square. The fusible side should be facing down, touching the fabric.
   
3. Place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the fleece hexagon. This protects your iron from any adhesive that might seep through.
   
4. Press the iron firmly onto the parchment paper, holding it in place for about 10-15 seconds. It’s always good to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your specific fusible fleece.
   
5. Lift the iron and press again to cover the entire hexagon surface.
   
6. Repeat this process for all 12 squares and hexagons.

I guess patience is key in this step. Proper fusing is essential for the stability and longevity of the wreath. Take your time to ensure each hexagon is securely bonded to its fabric square.

✅ Related tutorial: Top 10+ Best Irons for Quilting

Step 4. Cutting Squares for the Top Layer of the Wreath

Prepare the fabric that will form the visible, decorative top layer of the folded fabric wreath.

1. I used red fabric which is perfect for a Christmas wreath, but feel free to choose any color or pattern that suits your taste or decor.
   
2. These squares should be slightly larger than the hexagon pieces. This extra fabric will allow for manipulation in later steps.
   
3. Use a rotary cutter or fabric scissors for cutting.
   
4. Once cut, count to ensure you have 12 squares. Stack them neatly to keep them organized.

Don’t stress if your squares aren’t perfectly identical.

Step 5. Creating Dual-Sided Hexagon Units for the Folded Fabric Wreath

This step is about creating the individual units that will form the wreath. We’ll be joining the top fabric (red in this example) with the backing fabric (green) that’s already fused to the fleece hexagons.

#1. Place each red and green square right side together. Secure the layers with pins.

#2. Sewing: Set your sewing machine to a straight stitch with a medium stitch length. Sew around the entire perimeter of the fusible fleece hexagon, right along the edge of the fusible fleece. Unlike some projects, we’re not leaving an opening for turning – sew completely around.

#3. Trim the excess fabric around each hexagon to about a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Be careful not to cut your stitching.

✅ Related tutorial: How To Accurately Cut Fabric For Quilting With A Rotary Cutter

#4. Clip the corners diagonally to reduce bulk and allow for sharper corners when turned.

The careful trimming and corner clipping you’ve done here will ensure crisp edges once turned.

Step 6. Turning Hexagon Units

Here’s a detailed breakdown of this step.

#1. On the red (front) side of each sewn hexagon unit, carefully cut a slit in the center. This slit should be large enough to allow you to turn the piece inside out, but not so large that it extends beyond where the applique will cover.

✅ Related tutorial: Cutting Tools For Sewing: The Ultimate Guide

Be extremely careful not to cut through both layers – only cut the red (front) fabric.

#2. Using the hole you just created, gently turn each hexagon unit right side out.

Use a point turner or a blunt tool to carefully push out all corners, ensuring they’re sharp and well-defined.

The hole in the center of each piece will be covered by an applique in a later step, so don’t worry about closing it now.

The precision in this step will greatly affect the final appearance of your wreath. Take your time to ensure each hexagon unit is turned perfectly.

Step 7. Pressing the Hexagon Units

This step is necessary for refining the appearance of hexagon units and preparing them for the folding process. 

#1. With your iron set to the appropriate heat for your fabric, carefully press the edges of the center slit inward. The double-sided fusible fleece will activate, fusing these edges down and creating a neat appearance. This step helps conceal the raw edges of the turning hole.

Step 8. Preparing Hexagon Appliques

This step focuses on creating smaller hexagon shapes that will serve as appliques to cover the center holes of your main hexagon units. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

1. Use Two-Sided Sticky Back Fusible Web for these smaller hexagons. This material will allow you to easily attach the appliques to your main hexagon units.
   
2. Cutting process:
   
   • If using a cutting machine:
     • Load your design or create a hexagon shape in the machine’s software.
     • Place the fusible web on the cutting mat.
     • Follow the machine’s prompts to cut 12 identical small hexagons.
   • If cutting by hand:
     • Create a hexagon template from cardstock using the pattern.
     • Trace the shape onto the fusible web.
     • Carefully cut out each hexagon with scissors.
       

✅ Related tutorial: How to cut fabric for quilting with modern fabric cutting machines: AccuQuilt and Cricut

Using a digital cutting machine like the Brother Scan’NCut or Cricut can speed up this process and ensure uniformity in your shapes. However, careful hand-cutting is also good. 

Step 9. Creating Fabric Appliques

1. Place your chosen fabric wrong side up on your ironing board. Position the fusible web hexagons sticky side down onto the wrong side of the fabric, leaving enough space between them for cutting.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your fusible web to adhere the hexagons to the fabric. This usually involves pressing with a hot iron for a specific amount of time.

2. Once cooled, carefully cut around each hexagon shape using a rotary cutter. Use a ruler as a guide to ensure straight cuts along each side of the hexagon. Be careful to cut exactly along the edges of the fusible web hexagon underneath. If using scissors, cut carefully around each hexagon shape.

3. You should now have 12 fabric hexagons with fusible web backing.

Keep the paper backing on the fusible web side until you’re ready to apply these to your main hexagon units.

Step 10. Attaching Appliques

This step involves securing the appliques to your main hexagon units and adding decorative stitching. 

1. Remove the paper backing from your fabric hexagon appliques, exposing the adhesive side.

2. Center each applique over the turning hole of a main hexagon unit. Press firmly to adhere the applique, covering the turning hole completely. The adhesive from the fusible web should hold the applique in place temporarily.

3. Thread your machine with gold metallic thread for a decorative effect. Select a decorative stitch. In this case, I used my embroidery machine to stitch around all the appliques and a star-shaped stitch instead of a satin stitch.

4. Carefully stitch around the edge of each applique. This stitching serves two purposes: it secures the applique permanently to the main unit and it catches and secures any loose threads or fabric edges, creating a neat finish.

5. Complete this process for all 12 hexagon units.

Step 11. Sewing Hexagons Together

This step involves joining your prepared hexagon units to form the wreath shape. 

1. Use the provided template (found in my Resource library) to mark the stitching lines on each hexagon unit. Use only one red line on the template if you follow the order of stitching described below. 

Ensure your markings are accurate and consistent across all pieces, as this will affect the final shape of your wreath.

2. Arrange your hexagon units back-to-back in pairs. Align the edges and marked stitching lines carefully. Increase the stitch length on your machine to accommodate the bulk of the folded hexagons.

A longer stitch will help prevent puckering and make it easier to sew through the layers.

✅ Related tutorial: What is the stitch length and how to adjust it for different fabrics – a sewing tutorial

3. Stitch along the marked lines.

4. After sewing pairs, join these larger sections together following the same process. Continue until all hexagons are connected in a circular wreath shape.

5. Once all sections are sewn, press the seams open with an iron to create a flat, neat appearance and help distribute bulk evenly.

Use a pressing cloth if necessary to protect any delicate fabrics or metallic thread.

Step 12.  Hand-Sewing Corners

This hand-sewing step is what truly brings this fold and stitch Christmas wreath to life, transforming it from a flat piece into a dimensional, textured decoration. Take your time with this step, as careful stitching here will greatly impact the final appearance of your wreath.

1. Thread a needle with a strong thread that matches your fabric color.

✅ Related tutorial: How to Use a Thimble: The Ultimate Guide

2. Look for the points where the folded edges of adjacent hexagons meet. These are the corners you’ll be joining to create the 3D effect.

3. Start at one corner, bring together the folded edges of two adjacent hexagons. Use a small stitch to join these edges together. 

4. Work your way around the entire wreath, joining each set of corners. Adjust the folds and corners if needed to ensure a uniform appearance.

Did you enjoy this tutorial? If you did, don’t forget to bookmark this pin (see below) on your Pinterest board. That way, you can easily return to this guide on a fold and stitch Christmas wreath whenever you’re ready to start making it. Plus, make sure to follow me on Pinterest to stay updated with more sewing advice, step-by-step guides, and creative inspiration.

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