Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Flower catcher
- 23 April 2014
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Cut a few sections of palm leaves.
Place 5 palm leaves in a horizontal position and start weaving another leaves through it.
I used a basic over-and-under pattern. See the Tutorial below for more details on weaving with foliage
Weave in another section of palm
Weave in a third palm leave
Secure the palm leaves with a tiny drop of glue
Cut the cross sections to end in the weave
Start to bend the palm leaves by resting it in the palm of your hand. The heat of your hand helps to make the palm leaves more pliable
Gently bend the palm leaves to curve
Slowly close your hand without folding or kinking the palm leaves
Gather the end pieces
And secure with a tiny drop of glue
Do the same on the other side
And secure this side with glue
Cut the end pieces neatly
Cover the glued section with a thin strand of palm leaf. Simply make a decorative binding by wrapping the leaf around the connection
See the Tutorial below for detailed instructions on how to rip the leaf into strands
Knot the end piece on itself to secure
Pull tightly on the knot before cutting the dangling leg short
Do the same with the side connections. These knots are purely decorative but it does make a big difference in the look of the design
Bind the palm strand over the one side and then over the other to cross
Knot the strand on itself to secure
Continue to bind all the connections
Rest the palm armature in the water and add the orchid
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Tutorials
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...
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