Trailing ivy and crab apple garland

This simple garland can decorate a painting or mirror, or form a ring on the Christmas table, hung festoon-like over the top edge of a cupboard, or twisted around the banisters of a staircase.

Materials

• Lengths of marbled trailing ivy
• Crab apples
• Ribbon
• Black cotton thread

To make

First thread the crab apples on to the ribbon using a needle with a large eye. Pierce the crab apples first if they are very hard. They should stay in position on the ribbon. Fix the end of the ribbon and two strands of trailing ivy together by binding them tightly with black cotton and tying off. Hook the end on something stable while you loosely plait the ivy and ribbon together. Add more trailing ivy as it thins out and keep it loose enough to curl around a picture frame. Leave some tendrils to escape at the side.

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Styling by Kristy Ramage.