If you you are fortunate enough to have a thorn tree in your yard or woods nearby, you can make your own crown of thorns. Simply cut some branches, cut off the leaves, then bend into a ring and fasten with florist’s wire.
If you don’t have thorns anywhere, there is still a way to make one quite inexpensively--see instructions for both methods below.
If you can’t find any of these supplies, you can order a ready made crown of thorns from Christian Books (see a link to the right.)
Where to buy a crown of thorns:
Link to the Christian Books website that sells 2 sizes of crown of thorns:
This is also the best source of Easter products that I have found anywhere (Type in crown of thorns or “Easter” in the search box on their home page)
Easter > Easter Decorations for the Church Two Ways to Make a Crown of Thorns
Method one:
Cut several branches of thorns. If there are any leaves, cut or pull them off. This will make it easier to see the thorns, and thus avoid scratches. It is best to shape them into a crown on the same day you cut them to make sure they don’t dry out and get brittle.
Start with the longest branch. Carefully hold the two ends of the branch between the thorns, and bend it into a circle.
Fasten with a twist tie or florist’s wire. You may want a friend to help with this step! If the branch is long enough, skip the twist tie, and loop the end back through the hole once so it holds itself in place--the thorns help a lot with this!
Bend any smaller branches through the middle hole. If it doesn’t stay in place, fasten with wire there as well.
Keep adding branches by anchoring one end through the middle hole, then pushing the long end around the outside, and back through the middle hole again. If the added branch is not long enough to do this, you will need to fasten both ends with a wire.
It’s best to NOT make this on the floor, or if you do, be sure to wear shoes--I have 2 thorns in my foot from stepping on it with bare feet!
Method Two:
If you don’t have a thorn tree or bush nearby, you can still make an awesome crown of thorns. This gentleman told me that he made a vine wreath, and glued toothpicks into it. Then he stained the whole thing so that everything was the same color. How brilliant is that?! You can make your own vine wreath, or buy one at a craft store or dollar store.
To make a vine wreath, cut a vine several yards long. If you do this early enough in the season, there won’t be any leaves on it yet. If there are leaves, cut or pull them off before you make the wreath. As long as you make the wreath soon after cutting it, you do not have to soak it in water--just twist it into a wreath. To do that, tie a loose knot in the middle and keep looping the ends through the middle hole, out around the outside and back through the middle hole again until both ends run out. Tuck the ends between strands in the wreath. Of course you can start on one end instead of in the middle, but then the vine is twice as long, so that much harder to do. The laborious part is pulling it through the middle over and over, so the shorter it is, the easier it is to work with.
NOTE: If your longest branch is not long enough to form a circle, fasten 2 branches together with some wire, overlapping the branches where the wire is fastening it. If the branches are stiff, you may need to fasten it in 2 places, even if they are only an inch or two apart (2-4cm.) Then bend these two branches into a circle.
under
over
under again
keep looping end through middle
keep looping end through middle
Easter > Easter Decorations for the Church Two Ways to Make a Crown of Thorns