Stunning Christmas Wreaths in Northern Virginia

Stunning Christmas Wreaths

I never considered myself a craft or art person. I am in awe of folks who can look at a pile of photos and paper and voila scrapbook it into art. Or people who see tubes of paint or rolls of yarn and visualize a vivid painting or a classic quilt. I have friends who can look inside a cupboard or fridge and create a four-course meal. I see the same things and create pizza delivery!

The creative/craft gene seemed to flew right past me. I have cherished memories of growing up and wide-eyed watching the women in my life with their creativity. Growing up in rural northern Minnesota was such a gift. Looking back, life honestly seemed slower and simpler. Living next door to my Grandparents for part of that time made it even more of a blessing.  Gramma Mary would sew and needlepoint.  She very patiently taught me cross-stitch.

A few years ago, I found one that she and I had worked on together. It stayed unfinished for years after she passed away, at a much too young age of A.L.S. I eventually completed it a few years ago. If you saw the work, you could see the difference in her original stitch and my attempt to finish it, but that makes it even more precious to me.

My Mom would find fresh boughs and branches in the woods surrounding our house and make advent table wreaths for Christmas for our home and share them with our church. My Mom taught me to sew a button and mend a torn pant knee. I learned cross stitch from my Gramma Mary. That was what I saw as the extent of my creative/craft ability.

Over the years, I still enjoyed cross-stitch, but found it harder and harder to find the time with Military life (proud Air Force spouse), kids, jobs and Life in general. Also, my eyes weren’t cooperating with the needle threading and minute detailing.  I chalked that last part to my constant need for glasses since 6th grade.  Turns out, there was another factor at work. Nine years ago I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (ms).  I put it in lower case because I refuse to let it dominate me more than it already does. Over the years, it began to infiltrate more aspects of my life including jobs. This was hard to take, having worked since I was 15. After feeling sorry for myself a while, I starting making a cloth wreath out of the clear blue sky.  I saw a picture online and thought, hey maybe I can give that a try. Six months, multiple hours of cutting fabrics and threads all over our house later, I have started a business. It is a stress reliever and a feeling of accomplishment to create pretty things people really enjoy. God yet again closed a door, however he opened a window so I could find my new wings to fly.

I would be thrilled to create a special design for your family for the holidays or for any occasion.  If you are interested in purchasing a wreath, visit my Facebook page at  “Holly’s Hobby Wreaths” or email  [email protected].  I'm able to customize your request. If you would like to incorporate your own fabric or a military uniform (or any kind), I'm able to use your desired fabric and save you money.  I need approximately 2.5-3 yards of fabric depending on the size of the wreath.  Below are some of my most recent creations.

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About the author: Holly Strachan Knoss is a wreath creator in Northern Virginia.  She's a military spouse and a wonderful mom.  Holly creates cloth wreaths for any season and all occasions.  Sizes range from 10" to 18".  If you're in the local Virginia area, she will also delivery your wreath.  Whether you in the local Washington DC metropolitan area or outside the area, don't hesitate to reach out to Holly to create your special design and also to see what creations she currently has in stock.