DIY Farmhouse Wagon Wheel Wreath

I love all things Farmhouse decor. One of my favorite shows to watch is Fixer Upper with Joanna Gaines. Her style is the epitome of what I want our home to look like as we continue to remodel it. I am also cheap frugal. So when I figure out what I want, I try to recreate it on a budget. Because of this, I set about to have my sweet hubby help me make this DIY Farmhouse Wagon Wheel Wreath from embroidery hoops.

DIY Farmhouse Wagon Wheel Wreath Inspiration

I love Pinterest. If you don’t already follow me there, you can by going here. So many pretty things are there, and I can get wrapped up and overwhelmed by all the ideas it gives me. Inspiration is everywhere!

Seeing all of these gorgeous wagon wheels inspired me to recreate the idea. After chatting with my husband, who is my engineer for all my ideas, we came up with the DIY Farmhouse Wagon Wheel Wreath using easy-to-find embroidery hoops. (We buy most of our supplies at Hobby Lobby.)

How to Make DIY Farmhouse Wagon Wheel Wreath

Supply List:

• 1 small embroidery hoop (we used 4″)
• 1 large embroidery hoop (we used 14″)
• 12 1/4″ dowels
• wood glue
• q-tips
• small hobby saw
• small hobby knife
• drill bits
• sanding supplies
• compass
• protractor
• poster board
• blue painter’s tape

Preparing Template on Poster Board

Layout your poster board on a large surface. We recommend white but if you have any laying around, use what you have.

Create your centerpoint on the posterboard. Using a compass or your embroidery hoops as reference, draw your circles onto the posterboard.

Mark out where your “spokes” will be using a protractor to make 30 degree angles from the center circle.

Prep Embroidery Hoops

Separate your embroidery hoops. Set the outside of your large hoop and the inside ring of your small hoop aside for now. Remove the clamping hardware from the outside ring of your small embroidery hoop.

Place the inside of the large hoop and the outside of your small hoop on your prepared poster board. Make sure they are aligned with the previously drawn circles.

Mark each hoop where the spoke marks intersect the radius. Take care to keep your small hoop joints centered between two spoke marks on your poster board template.

Creating Wheel Spokes

Using a cordless drill, start with a very small bit for a pilot hole. Work up with progressively larger bits to get to a 1/4″ bit. This will allow for a smooth fit of your 1/4′ dowels.

Use extreme care while drilling. Not only for safety’s sake, but also to prevent damage and splitting of your embroidery hoops. So spintering will occur. You can minimize this by not rushing, using a high bit speed, and but using very gentle pressure while drilling.

If desired, you may drill the holes in the large hoop offset from center. Alternating the pattern to angle your dowels will create a deeper 3D effect on your spokes.

Carefully sand your hoops around the drill holes. If you have larger splinters, trim them off with a small hobby knife.

Installing Your Wagon Wheel Spokes

Place your drilled embroidery hoops back onto your poster board template.

Place 1 dowel on your layout pettern and mark to approximately 1″ longer than the distance from inner to outer hoop.

Cut 12 dowels to length of marked dowel above using a small hobby saw or hack saw. Sand each cut end with fine grain sandpaper, rounding slightly.

Replace the inner ring of the small hoop and secure it with a small amount of glue. Use blue painter’s tape to hold your rings together as your glue sets up. Once the glue is set, apply a small amount of wood glue to the drilled holes in your small hoop. Using a q-tip works wonderfully here.

Alight both hoops so that the drilled holes align with your spoke marks on your poster board template. Install your 4 primary spokes (the directly vertical and horizontal ones) first. Slide them, rounded end first thru the large hoop and then into your small hoop. Some of your dowels should still be sticking out of the large hoop.

Adjust your small hoop to center of the large hoops by sliding on your spokes until centered.

Install your remaining spokes in the same fashion. Make adjustments as necessary. Once all of your spokes are install, set aside until glue is dried completely. Then, trim the excess of spokes still sticking thru the large hoop and sand smooth.

Finishing the Wagon Wheel

Apply a thin film of glue to the outside edge of large hoop, where you sanded off the dowels. Using a q-tip to smooth the glue here also works well. Install the outer ring of the large hoop and tighten the clamp. Allow the glue to dry.

Once all of your glue is completely dry, you may remove the outer clamp carefully (if desired) or use it as a hanger.

Now, you decide your final result. Stain or paint your DIY Farmhouse Wagon Wheel Wreath to match your decor. Then decorate it or leave it plain and enjoy it hanging in your home.

Like DIY crafts and home decor? Check out my DIY Framed Canvas Laundry Signs too.