Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Coiled Spring and Wreath flower frog
- 3 April 2024
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Strip the foliage from a few jasmine vines.
Clip the long vine to a straw or thin bamboo skewer at one end.
Pull the vine to one side and start to coil it tightly around the support.
Coil the vine around the support at a slight downward angle to create the spring.
When you reach the end of the vine clip it to the support.
Set the coiled vine aside to dry completely. This week in our notification email I have a craftsmanship tip for you about spacing the coils and making sure it neatly wraps around the support without breaking and splitting. I send out an email every Wednesday morning (Vancouver time) the moment the design is ready with a little something that I want you to pay extra attention to so that you can get the most out of this weeks lesson. If you are not yet signed up the button is below this post. It is also a great way for us to connect so if you have questions or comments or want to say hi, I would love to hear from you.
To get you started I also have a Tutorial for you below that explains more about manipulating twigs into coils.
Next we craft the coiled wreath... Start weaving a small vine wreath.
If you are unsure of how to weave a wreath see the detailed Tutorial below.
Coil the vine over the wreath.
Put pressure on the little wreath on the sides and make sure it is strong enough to bounce back into the round shape...
For my design I am using an angle water tube vase with a hole at the top.
This allows me to position the tiny little wreath right at the edge of the opening of the container where I can secure it with a tiny knot.
Adjust the wreath lower in the opening of the vase so that it kicks against all the sides if you want to use a container without a hole at the top.
Book readers turn to page 154 where I show you a woven grass version of this kind of a support. For more information about my book:
The Effortless Floral Craftsman
Set the container aside so that the wreath dries out into this shape.
Great for make ahead... and when your flower is just perfect... both are dry you are ready to design.
Fill the display container with the wreath in with water.
Wiggle the flower stem through the wreath...
Turn the flower to find a balance point where it naturally remains upright and supported by the wreath.
Release the clips and remove the coiled vine from the support.
Have a good look at the vine... yes, there is a right way around. See our email to match the coil direction to that of the stem.
Slip the end of the vine coil through the wreath.
Drape the vine coil through the design so that you can slip the stem through the coil to help keep the tall flower stem exactly where you want it.
Finish the design with a few dew drop crystals on the petals and the wreath.
I show you how I use a pin to position the delicate crystals in the Tutorial below.
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Tutorials
Most stems, twigs and even sturdier branches can be bend into shapes. It takes practice and more than a bit of patience. The main idea is to slowly manipulate the branch without...
It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.
Long, long, long lasting display that will even root in place with a few adjustments.
Grow your own willow birdcage in a small pot to display Spring flowers in.
Tiny stems are often also delicate stems... place your cut flowers directly in a small glass of water. A perfect fit for this basket.
For my design I wanted the wreath to look wind blown so I added a few loosely woven twigs into the weave. I also wanted to emphasize the autumn colours so I added a twirling...
Water... lots of water- that is the answer to designing flower arrangements that survive the summer heat.
Weave tiny vine wreaths on the leave stems of a stripped Wisteria vine
Related Designs
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My Spring/Easter design and the introduction article about my floral journey written by the editor, Nina Tucknott in the latest issue of Flora Magazine.
Grow a willow birdcage... with a bit of a Spring flower support to get it started.
A tiny carry basket to gather the shortest stems from your cutting garden... with a place for water and your cutters.
Ah... yes summer time designing. Anyone else seeing more insects hiding between the petals this year?
My article and Willow Crown design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine
Using fresh twigs to bind a little twig platform to suspend the beautiful orchids from.
My article and a floral parasol design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine
Take inspiration from a traditional Dream-catcher design to create a floral armature
Delicate cherry twig, rosary vine and oncidium orchid enchanted forest masquerade masque.
