Balancing a Twirled Willow Armature

25 February 2015
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Balancing the design to be secure without looking solid can be tricky. That is why I always balance these designs on three legs. It just balance easier. See the Tutorial below for a more detailed look at designing on three legs

Twirl a long, fresh willow twig. Hook the twig through itself to create a wreath

Keep twirling the stem and adding a few more stems to create a willow tube

Keep twirling the stem roughly and adding a few more stems to create a willow tube

Just hook the next stem into the armatura and wrap

Just hook the next stem into the armature and wrap

Keep the shape natural by overlapping the twigs and threading it through

Start another tube in the same way as the first

I made two tubes to make it easier to fit the water source for the orchids in the middle before connecting the tubes to create an elongated tubular armature.
See the Tutorial below for more details on how I use drinking straws as tiny water sources

Cut a few twigs with natural forks

See the Tutorial below on how I use these twigs as hooks

Hook the twilrled willow tube through the twig so that it rests in the natural fork

Hook the other twirled willow tube through the twig to rest in the fork

Measure the two stems to fit in a foundation. It is important that these twigs are balanced

Push a third forked twig through the willow tubes to perfectly balande the armature in an upright position

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Tutorials

7 September 2012 The Three legged trick for Upright Constructions

When in doubt, always give your armature three legs. Two legs are simply not enough and four legs will wobble if it is even slightly off balance.

26 April 2011 Natural stem hook to hang plant material from

Side stems of branches can be used as hooks to hang floral material in a design.

4 January 2011 Drinking straw "test tubes"

When you need to keep a tiny stem hydrated this is just what you need. If you can't find a suitable drinking straw... I also have an upgrade: tiny food grade pipe water tubes.