How to Make a Cornucopia or Horn of Plenty Centerpiece for Thanksgiving

Posted November 8, 2022

A cornucopia, also known as a horn of plenty, symbolizes abundance and a bountiful harvest, associated with Thanksgiving. If you have been looking for a cornucopia to use as a centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table, why not make one?

You will want a horn of plenty that is large enough to hold an assortment of harvest elements and to use as an arrangement with flowers, fruits and / or veggies for a Thanksgiving table centerpiece. This finished cornucopia is 20 inches long, from front to tail, with an 8 inch wide opening, and comes together in a couple of hours.

The best part is you can customize it to the size you desire with just a few supplies.

Here the materials needed:

12 x 50 inch roll of chicken wire

45 foot roll of wired hemp or grapevine wire

5 inch x 10 yard burlap ribbon

Garden twine

Side cutting pliers

Optional: gloves for handling chicken wire

Start by rolling the chicken wire into a cone the approximate size you want your finished cornucopia to be.
Cut the chicken wire with pliers or snips, bending the wire to attach edges. (You may want to use gloves to protect your hands.)
Then cut a second smaller piece to form the horn of the cone and place the smaller cone over the tail of the larger cone, bending the tail up to give it a horn shape.
Press and mold the wire pieces together. The burlap ribbon will hold them in place.
Wrap the cone with burlap ribbon, starting at the horn end, overlapping as you go.
When you get to the opening of the cone, cut the ribbon, tucking a length inside along the bottom of the cone.
Starting again at the horn end, wrap the hemp wire around the cone. The hemp wire adds some basket-like texture and holds the burlap in place.
Repeat wrapping with wire until you achieve your desired texture.
When you get to the opening of the cornucopia, use the wire to attach the ribbon to the chicken wire, weaving it in and out the holes along the edges. You can also use the twine to tack down the end of the ribbon inside the cone.
When finished, tie a bow with some brown satin wire-edged ribbon to add some embellishment and fill your cornucopia with pumpkins, gourds, leaves and nuts.

It looks amazing placed on a board to elevate it as a centerpiece with more harvest elements around it, including Indian corn.

Happy Thanksgiving!