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Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

A Shade of Summer

  • 20 July 2016
  • and more

Shadow

Shelter,

Cover,

Shield,

Screen,

Shadiness

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Tutorials
Twisted Lily Grass sun hat
20 July 2016
Twisted Lily Grass sun hat

Twist and weave a sun hat from blades of lily grass
Drying Hydrangeas: Fast, Flat or Natural
30 May 2012
Drying Hydrangeas: Fast, Flat or Natural

Use all three methods to dry hydrangeas to get three very different textures to use in design work.
Foliage Weaving
8 June 2011
Foliage Weaving

For this tutorial I focus on a simple weave pattern that does not require you to soften or prepare the leaves to be more durable or flexible. This is the starting point in weaving techniques. You can build on this technique to make floral handbags, gift boxes, and baskets, sew it into a curve or wrap it around a vase or cover a test tube.
Removing Oasis Floral Adhesive glue spills
30 August 2011
Removing Oasis Floral Adhesive glue spills

The finish of every design should be flawless. Make sure there are no bits of glue visible in your design by carefully removing all traces of spills.
Thanks Weaving Hat
15 October 2014
Thanks Weaving Hat

This is the basic pattern used to weave a hat
Barely there Mad Hatter's Top Hat
28 August 2013
Barely there Mad Hatter's Top Hat

Glue sisal fibers to create a floral top hat
Ripping Flax
14 January 2011
Ripping Flax

Flax can be ripped into fibres creating long and versatile strips
Weave a delicate horn of plenty that looks like it was foraged in an enchanted forest
17 September 2025
Weave a delicate horn of plenty that looks like it was foraged in an enchanted forest

Overgrown grassy cornucopia that looks like it is unraveling and entangling again.
Roll gladiolus leaves into tubes to craft a raft for a toad lily stem
20 August 2025
Roll gladiolus leaves into tubes to craft a raft for a toad lily stem

Pin leaf rolls with sharp thorns to craft a natural raft to display tiny stems of unusual flowers cut from your garden.
Gap basket weave for a Spring flower container
1 May 2024
Gap basket weave for a Spring flower container

Fiasco inspired vase cover for a small Spring design
Spring Coil Straw Basket
20 March 2024
Spring Coil Straw Basket

Coil a straw basket... the easy way.
A witch... or wizard... hat that you can shape any which way you like
19 October 2022
A witch... or wizard... hat that you can shape any which way you like

Take your time to weave a pointy hat from what you find in nature.
Suspend a tiny flower over a large water filled container in a sandwich knot support
13 July 2022
Suspend a tiny flower over a large water filled container in a sandwich knot support

You don't have to design with a bud vase when you have a bud vase sized flower.
Weave a daffodil corona inspired sweater for a lily
9 September 2020
Weave a daffodil corona inspired sweater for a lily

Knit a corona (as in that inside skirt like part of a daffodil) by weaving a Ceropegia woodii vine around the stamen filament of a lily.
Adding flowers to those pretty hand coiled flip flops I made for my book
22 July 2020
Adding flowers to those pretty hand coiled flip flops I made for my book

Step up the flip-flop design by decorating it with some long lasting succulent flowers. It might look delicate... but these flowers are robust and long lasting.
Weave a trendy oversized clutch purse with a hidden magnetic closure
22 April 2020
Weave a trendy oversized clutch purse with a hidden magnetic closure

A three in one Tutorial to show you how to weave a clutch purse, how to add a magnetic closure AND how to incorporate a ribbon into a weaved design.
No Foam pave design
19 June 2019
No Foam pave design

Here it is: my take on the one design that people argue is "tricky" to design without floral foam. A low pave design. Not tricky at all! It's actually easier to do without foam. And yes, you can pick it up and place it on a wall for a foam free floral wall.
Creating a secure grass snippet here and there grid
19 June 2019
Creating a secure grass snippet here and there grid

This grid helps secure flowers in place... and add visual interest by being over rather than under the flowers.
Weaving and Interweaving for contrast
29 May 2019
Weaving and Interweaving for contrast

My block design is shaped around a Styrofoam block. It is bulky but lightweight and a great way to reuse packaging.
Taking a break when weaving with grass
29 May 2019
Taking a break when weaving with grass

When weaving a more labour intensive design you might want to/have to break for a few hours. This is the best way to keep the project from dying out too quickly.
Coil slip on sandals
29 August 2018
Coil slip on sandals

Braid ripped flax and coil it into shaped slip on sandals.
Weave a flat top to tip at an angle with flower stems
9 August 2017
Weave a flat top to tip at an angle with flower stems

Craft a platform to highlight small flowers
Half wire half grass tangle to keep stems in place
26 July 2017
Half wire half grass tangle to keep stems in place

Tangle and shape wire to create a half moon for grass and gyp to rest in
Weaving a Pillbox hat from grass
5 April 2017
Weaving a Pillbox hat from grass

Use the "over and under" weaving pattern to weave a round, upright hat with a flat top and no brim.
Related Designs
Thanks-Weaving
15 October 2014
Thanks-Weaving

Weaving a hat with an autumn leaf and rose hip garland
Looking forward, a plenty
17 September 2025
Looking forward, a plenty

A delicate twist on a cornucopia design that looks like an invitation into another world.
And that’s when inspiration toad us to hop to it
20 August 2025
And that’s when inspiration toad us to hop to it

Banana shaped rolled foliage Toad lily lookout
Favourite Take-Away
1 May 2024
Favourite Take-Away

Basket weave container for some Spring floral treasures.
the arc of Success
20 March 2024
the arc of Success

Coil a straw basket for an Easter display
Point Witch (or Wizard) Way
19 October 2022
Point Witch (or Wizard) Way

A wire framed witch or wizard hat that can be reshaped.
Blue…
13 July 2022
Blue…

The tiniest flower adds some much needed coolness to a summer floral design.
Daffodillily
9 September 2020
Daffodillily

Weave around the stamens of a lily to create a daffodil like inside.
Step It Up
22 July 2020
Step It Up

Dress up a pair of hand coiled flip-flops with succulents.
Yes… but what would she put in it?
22 April 2020
Yes… but what would she put in it?

Some floral fashion inspiration: weave a pretty clutch purse
Aerial Odyssey
18 March 2020
Aerial Odyssey

A closer look at my design at Canada Blooms and The Toronto Flower Show last week. The show was cancelled right after we staged the designs due to COVID-19 concerns.
Club together
19 June 2019
Club together

Last Wednesday I had such a flowery fun evening teaching a collaborative floral carpet workshop focusing on braiding and weaving ideas from my book the effortless floral craftsman … this was my carpet block that I designed for the evening
Creative Competition
29 May 2019
Creative Competition

This week I am so excited to share my article and design that was published in the recent issue of the Floral Art Society of New Zealand's Academy Magazine for NZ qualified teachers, judges and demonstrators. It's all about good competition.
It’s not that it is inexpensive… it’s priceless!
29 August 2018
It’s not that it is inexpensive… it’s priceless!

Yes, this Coil slip on sandals design is in my book: the effortless floral craftsman, a floral crafter’s guide to crafting with nature ... it is also the first design from the book featured in a magazine: Thank you DIY Wedding Magazine , I am so happy to share finally the this with you:
Hat tip
9 August 2017
Hat tip

Tip a mortarboard inspired top at an angle for a glass design
Beat the summer heat
26 July 2017
Beat the summer heat

Tangle some wire to set flowers in water
Easter Bonnet
5 April 2017
Easter Bonnet

Weave a delicate Pillbox hat
Favourite Flowers
Hydrangea
Hydrangea

Dried and fresh hydrangeas with sticks and bark
Ceropegia woodii
Ceropegia woodii

Pompon Chrysanthemum pom-poms and strands of Rosary vine for my floral lariat necklace in the Canadian Florist Magazine