My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Hat tip

9 August 2017
and more

doff a mortarboard

tip a cap,

lift a lid,

raise a beret,

uplift a toque

... to tip your hat

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Every week I add a new design with related tutorials. Be sure to subscribe to receive an email notification with design inspiration.

Tutorials

9 August 2017

Weave a flat top to tip at an angle with flower stems

Craft a platform to highlight small flowers

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.

15 April 2015

Stretching leaves and foliage into a ringlet curl

Most leaves and foliage can be slightly manipulated to curve or curl.

25 August 2011

Placing orchids in test tubes

Cut the Phalaenopsis orchid with a bit of green stem attached. This will make them last longer.

16 August 2011

Cut spiked flower stems and foliage into short sections

Orchids grow in long flower spikes. It is great to use the entire stem but sometimes you need shorter section. There is a trick to cutting the stems without leaving a visible blunt stem.

13 April 2012

Drying Mushrooms for Floral Art

I use edible mushrooms in my designs. To preserve them I press a tiny stake into the base and let them air-dry.

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.

25 January 2017

Detailing a messy edged grass basket

Weave a basket from lily grass and then cut and curl the edges

20 July 2016

Twisted Lily Grass sun hat

Twist and weave a sun hat from blades of lily grass

13 July 2016

Woven lily grass parachute armature

Weave a canopy or parachute shaped armature in a way that you can place the stems in two vases to keep it hydrated.

14 January 2015

Weaving Slippers from Foliage

Weave slip on shoes from palm leaves

3 April 2013

Twin Leaf Weave

Weave two palm leaves together to create a floral grid

1 February 2012

Weaving a diagonal green grass basket

Once you figure out how to do the corners weaving a diagonal shape is actually not that hard to do.

30 April 2025

Whittle a stumpy stopper to peg precious tiny floral details in place

An easy way to create a design using only a few bits of plant material that can be maintained... effortlessly.

16 October 2024

Protect your “mercury” glass vases with a reusable lining when using wire as a mechanic

How to protect glass vases from scratching when using wire as a mechanic

2 March 2022

Weave a lily grass shelter for a suspended flower stem

Hide the prettiest of flowers in the entire bunch in plain sight by framing it with elegant grass.

29 January 2020

Weave a long lasting (without using floral foam) in a vase floral design basket

Give your woven grass a water source by designing the basket in a vase rather than placing the vase in a basket

3 April 2019

Dried Blossom Caterpillar

Craft a pretty little critter by threading dried blossoms onto a wire.

15 August 2018

Tuck a loosely woven grass grid into a square container

Grass-grid armature.

24 July 2018

Lemon Aid Container Stopper

Keep flowers in place by placing a lemon on the narrow rim of the container.

28 March 2018

Stacked eggshell containers that won't topple over.

Balance a stack of eggshells with a magnet for a tiny Easter design

Related Designs

17 May 2017

Nobody move!

Weave a small basket with a lid to keep fluffy treasures in

25 January 2017

What is in a basket of spectacular?

Weave a basket with dangling edges for a single orchid display

20 July 2016

A Shade of Summer

Twist and weave a lily grass summer hat

13 July 2016

Woven

Weave a canopy or parachute shaped armature for orchids to perch on

14 January 2015

Take a load off

Weave slippers from foliage

3 April 2013

April showers bring May flowers

After a long winter it is always fun to use the first spring bulb flowers!

7 April 2011

Weaving with Flax

Here are a few more examples of woven flax. I also use Typha, palm, iris leaves, Kyogi paper, boat orchid leaves and aspidistra to weave with.

22 April 2015

Toiling

Convert a dowel stick into a container for delicate flower stems

13 April 2012

Spring Has Sprung!

The sprouts are sprouting and the bees are being and the birds are birding. Tempting as it is new growth is hard to condition. Hard, but not impossible