My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Basket weave bunny tail grid to catch your floral details

Choose a block shaped container for this design. Any square would do... even a deeper vase if you want to use longer stems. Fill your container with water.

Gather a bundle of fluffy bunny tail grasses.

Pair the grasses so that you have a bunny tail pointing to either side.

Place the grasses in rows on your working surface.

Weave in two more matched grasses through the rows.

I use a simple over and under weaving pattern. If you are unsure how to weave you can find a Tutorial below this post.

Weave in the next row...

To complete the open weave grid

now the next part is the hardest! Picking up an open weave is always the most difficult part of a woven design mechanic. I tell you about my trick... and give you another option in our email this week. If you are not yet receiving my Wednesday morning (Vancouver time) email you can sign up below this post. Also, I would love to connect with you so reply to the email if you have a comment or questions... or say hi.

Carefully place the grid over the opening of your container...

Book readers: if you want the grid to last longer I suggest designing something like the grid I used on page 12. The blades of grass is now in the water and can continue to hydrate. Simply adjust this so that the fluffy bunny tails peek over the edge and the cut stems are in the water below.

For more information about my book. The Effortless Floral Craftsman

And place the floral details to rest on the grid but remain hydrated in the water below.

Add in a few curled grasses to dangle over the orchids. And add a few sparkling dew drop crystals to finish the design.

You can find a way to carefully curl grass in my book on page 288 but to get you started I also have an easy way linked here below the post.

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Tutorials
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.
Using a pin to place tiny dew drop crystals
8 July 2015
Using a pin to place tiny dew drop crystals

It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.
Stretching leaves and foliage into a ringlet curl
15 April 2015
Stretching leaves and foliage into a ringlet curl

Most leaves and foliage can be slightly manipulated to curve or curl.
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.
Twin Leaf Weave
3 April 2013
Twin Leaf Weave

Weave two palm leaves together to create a floral grid
Flower catcher
23 April 2014
Flower catcher

Keep a flower suspended just above water with palm leaves
Stacked Grass Pyramid Armature
13 January 2016
Stacked Grass Pyramid Armature

Stack snippets of grass on a wire frame to make a floating pyramid armature
Placing orchids in test tubes
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.
Woven lily grass parachute armature
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.
Weave a floral trap
27 February 2019
Weave a floral trap

Keep your flowers in place with an all natural woven trap.
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.
Dried Blossom Caterpillar
3 April 2019
Dried Blossom Caterpillar

Craft a pretty little critter by threading dried blossoms onto a wire.
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
Over and under weave floral panel armature for inside a vase
15 January 2020
Over and under weave floral panel armature for inside a vase

Weave a small panel that fits snugly in a container for a minimal, foam free design that is quick to make but looks spectacular.
Weave a long lasting (without using floral foam) in a vase floral design basket
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
Weave a Ceropegia Woodii Vine grid to catch your flowers
3 February 2021
Weave a Ceropegia Woodii Vine grid to catch your flowers

Suspend flowers over a water filled container by weaving a natural grid.
An almost not even there grass grid
1 May 2019
An almost not even there grass grid

... with the help of an old staple technique.
Use Firethorn spears for a Vine and Orchid twist support
17 July 2024
Use Firethorn spears for a Vine and Orchid twist support

Sharp thorns can be used to keep your floral details in place
Related Designs
April showers bring May flowers
3 April 2013
April showers bring May flowers

After a long winter it is always fun to use the first spring bulb flowers!
Bound to Keep
23 April 2014
Bound to Keep

Weave and tie a decorative catcher to suspend flowers
Once Upon A Time
13 January 2016
Once Upon A Time

Stack and glue a Grass Pyramid Armature
Woven
13 July 2016
Woven

Weave a canopy or parachute shaped armature for orchids to perch on
It’s a trap!
27 February 2019
It’s a trap!

Weave a trap to keep your floral details suspended in a square container.
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.
Blossoming like a Caterpillar
3 April 2019
Blossoming like a Caterpillar

Crafting caterpillars from blossoms
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
This way we connect
15 January 2020
This way we connect

Weave a connected panel to frame a single orchid.
Come on Over
19 February 2014
Come on Over

Weave an open foliage flower frog
Peekaboo
29 January 2020
Peekaboo

A light and airy (no floral foam but still long lasting) floral design for those days that you are really, really looking for signs of Spring.
here’s the catch
3 February 2021
here’s the catch

Weave an all natural net to place over a vase to keep your flowers above water.
Can you see the tiny hint of Sunshine on the tips of the grass?
1 May 2019
Can you see the tiny hint of Sunshine on the tips of the grass?

I left the grass to mature so that the tips mirror the sun bleached yellow of the orchids.
Refresh-ing
17 July 2024
Refresh-ing

A tall vase for a short orchid stem summer design
Note to Self
23 August 2023
Note to Self

An easy to weave natural grid for summer floral arrangements.
Favourite Flowers
Phalaenopsis
Phalaenopsis

Phalaenopsis orchid detail from my Harnessing the Wind design