My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Crafting a stripped bark and sisal armature

Strip the bark from willow twigs

Strip the bark from willow twigs.

See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how to strip bark from twigs.

Place the stems on a working surface

Place the stems on a working surface to see how they can fit together. You need two long twigs that curve in a way that they can overlap or one sturdy twig with a fork in it (as I used). And 6 more twigs to create the legs.

Starting with the legs:

Tie two twigs to create a v

Tie two twigs to create an upside down"V".

Slip the end of a sisal rope through the knot to secure

Slip the end of a sisal rope through the knot to secure.

Start the winding pattern

Start the winding pattern. Part of the charm of this crafted armature is the repeated pattern so make sure you wind it in the exact same way all the way through the design.

Wrap the twigs from the outside over and inside under

Wrap the twigs from the outside over and inside under.

Knot the rope to secure

Knot the rope to secure.

Tie a second pair of twigs

Tie a second pair of twigs.

... and wind the sisal string around the twigs.

Knot the rope to secure at the end of the winding pattern

Knot the rope to secure at the end of the winding pattern.

Place a small drop of glue on the knots

Place a small drop of glue on the knots.

Turn the v upside down and glue in a third stem to make it stand upright

Turn the "V" upside down and glue in a third stem to make it stand upright. Keep the twig in place with butterfly clips. For more detailed instructions on how to use butterfly clips see the Tutorial below.

For more detailed instructions on how to craft a three legged armature see the Tutorial below.

For the horizontal part of the armature that supports the water tubes:

Match up two twigs to craft the water tube part of the armature.

Match up two twigs to craft the water tube part of the armature. For my design I found a sturdy twig with a fork in it.

Space out the water tubes and tie it temporarily in place with a knot on both sides

Space out the water tubes and tie it temporarily in place with a knot on both sides.

Start at one side to wind the rope around the two twigs

Start at one side to wind the rope around the two twigs. For my fork-in-the twig, twig I just need to wind. If you are matching two twigs, knot them, as you did with the legs.

Start the winding pattern up to the water tube

Start the winding pattern up to the first water tube.

Add tiny drops of glue between the twig and the sisal to keep it set in place

Add tiny drops of glue between the twig and the sisal to keep it set in place. Wind the rope around the water tube.

Continue the winding pattern to the next water tube

Continue the winding pattern to the next water tube.

Pull the two sides to pinch the water tube in place

Pull the two sides together to pinch the water tube in place.

Wind the sisal around the tube

Wind the sisal around the tube.

Keep adding tiny drops of glue

Keep adding tiny drops of glue. The wood glue dries clear and wont be seen once it is dry.

Add the last tube and continue the winding pattern

Add the last tube and continue the winding pattern.

Knot the sisal

Knot the sisal. Place a small drop of glue on the knot and cut the dangling ends away.

Rest the horizontal water tube twigs on the twig legs

Rest the horizontal water tube twigs on the twig legs.

Press down on the armature to make sure it can carry the flowers

Press down on the armature to make sure it can carry the flowers.

For the water tubes:

Dip sisal in a glue and water mixture

Dip sisal in a glue and water mixture.

And wrap it around the water tubes to conceal

... and wrap it around the water tubes to conceal.

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Tutorials

8 June 2016 Stripping bark from willow sticks

Strip the green bark from the stems to expose the smooth wood

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.

18 January 2012 Butterfly hairclip claws to hold twigs in place while glue dries

Butterfly hair clips are the perfect little claws to help you hold tiny items in place while you wait for glue to dry

5 January 2011 Palm leaf Hopper-flies (grasshoppers and butterflies)

Weave grasshoppers or butterflies (or fireflies) from palm leaves

25 October 2017 Willow Paddle

Weave willow between the fork in a twig to create a paddle like armature

11 February 2015 Willow Heart Wand

16 March 2016 Willow Parasol

Weave willow stems into a decorative parasol

20 April 2016 Free standing Willow twig armature with a hidden water source

Cut a few willow twigs to split to create legs for the armature

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.

3 August 2016 Hanging Willow Nest

Bend and weave a nest shape from fresh willow stems

Favourite Flowers

Salix matsudana "Tortuosa"

Curly Willow, Chinese Willow, Tortured Willow, Globe Willow, Dragon's Claw, Hankow Willow

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