The image chosen to demonstrate this idea depicts twining vines; it isn't just a series of "independent" abstract blobs and ignoring that fact leads to some awkward / inelegant shapes.
Another solution, which will often be better if your images are vector and a little stretching is okay:
border-image-repeat: round;
> This also far more easily lets you have different butt images.
Plus there’s a number of subreddits which specialize in those.
As good as the image tracing has gotten over the years, using the stock image trace function is never going to be as good as re-tracing the image yourself with the pen tool to get the exact curves and lines correct. Do it once (or twice or three times if you want a couple slightly different wreath shapes), then either make the shape a brush or use the blend/steps tool to create as many repeats as you want. Or option/alt drag to make a copy and build it yourself.
That will cut down on the finicky stuff and give you a better result in the end.
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