My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Binding a lily bud

Rip a flax leaf in three

Rip a flax leaf in three to remove the vein in the middle

measure a stick to be just smaller than the flower bud

Measure a stick, bamboo or wooden skewer to be just smaller than the flower bud

Wrap the flax around the skewer

Wrap the flax around the skewer

Bring the flax around the lily

Bring the flax around the lily

Loop the flax under the skewer

Loop the flax under the skewer

Pull the loop tight

Pull the loop tight

Bring the flax all the way around the lily again

Bring the flax all the way around the lily again

Wrap it around the skewer and pull tight

Wrap it around the skewer and pull tight

Bands of flax around the back

Bands of flax around the back

Attach the other half of the flax and continue to bind

Attach the other half of the flax with floral glue and continue to bind

This is the basic binding pattern

This is the basic binding pattern. Continue to wrap and bind until you run out of space on the skewer

Tie or glue the end piece

Tie or glue the end piece

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

Tutorials

14 January 2011 Ripping Flax

Flax can be ripped into fibres creating long and versatile strips

2 January 2011 Lilies

How to keep Lilies in bud for longer. Removing the pollen. Stringing a Lily Garland.

30 March 2012 Keep pod shaped flowers in bud for longer

Sometimes you want to keep flowers in tight bud for as long as possible to suit your design

1 April 2015 Keeping pollen tidy

Most of the time I would gently tug the pollen covered stamens away the moment it becomes yellow and messy. But the Gloriosa looks rather pretty with the stamens on, so I fix it...

15 April 2015 Stretching leaves and foliage into a ringlet curl

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

7 January 2015 So many ways to use a Kenzan to hold floral materials

How to place various sizes of plant material in a Kenzan

Favourite Flowers

Phormium

Flax, New Zealand flax

Lilium

Lily

Related Designs

1 June 2016 The ties that Bind

Bind a lily to create a trumpet shape as it opens

13 January 2021 It's in there

Complete the picture by drawing a lily flower with delicate vines.

8 February 2011 Prickly Oasis

Create the two or more coloured details with Rainbow Oasis.

19 February 2011 Crossing Boundaries

Twig waterfall creates the boundary between the "under" and the "over" of the design. Tutorial: How to cover test tubes with Rainbow Oasis

25 February 2011 A Rock by any other Name...

It's not really what we call things that matter but what they are made of- in this design, it's made of all three types of Oasis and wool.

3 April 2011 One Singular Sensation

Three Lilies plaited to create a sensational, singular flower "growing" out of a Equisetum dome filled with Rainbow Oasis pebbles.

27 February 2013 Just Meshing About

create a mesh to drape over the design to create a soft veil.

13 March 2013 Than you have to

Weave blades of grass to create a cover for a glass vase

7 January 2015 Any Which Way

Using a traditional Ikabana Kenzan to place flowers in a shallow container