Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Four wreath harvest basket that looks like it grew that way… because now some of it still is!
- 23 October 2024
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Earlier in the season we removed some invasive ivy from trees in our apartment garden. Heaps and heaps of ivy! It seemed a waste to just composting it, so I spent a happy day weaving a whole lot of wreaths. Here is what I am doing with some of it. You will find more design inspiration for vine wreaths below this post.
For my basket design I am using four of the wreaths...
For more detailed instructions on how I weave these wreaths see the Tutorial below. You will need two larger wreaths and two smaller. I also made my base wreath a bit sturdier so that I can rest a heavy water filled container on it.
Measure and fit a shallow container on the first wreath.
Design note: To keep the string from getting tangled keep it in a glass and use the string from the middle out.
Tie the largest wreath to the side of the smaller with rope...
If you are doing a design like this as a competition design it is well worth it to make your own cordage. Home made rope is such a nice touch to see in a design and will absolutely impress the judges. Book readers turn to page 46 to see how I make my own rope for competition designs.
For more information about my book: The Effortless Floral Craftsman
Knot the rope tightly and cut away the dangling ends.
Tie a second knot to connect the two wreaths.
Do the same on the other side to connect the three wreaths with two knots on each side.
Place the shallow container on the middle wreath.
Bring the two wreaths up above the container and secure the sides with a knot.
Knot the other side to secure the wreaths into a basket handle.
Knot the top to neaten up the wreath basket handle.
Lift the basket to make sure the handles are functional.
Place the last wreath inside the basket on top of the container.
Secure the wreath to the handle wreaths on all four sides...
This wreath keeps the container in place...
And is also a flower frog to keep the plant material in place in the design.
Pour water into the shallow container in the wreath basket.
Slip vines through the wreath so that the cut stem is securely in the water and will remain hydrated...
Weave the rest of the vine over and around the wreath basket
... Using the gaps in the wreath as support.
Simply weave stems in and around and all over the basket to green it up a bit.
Inserting each stem exactly as you did when making the wreaths to twirl so that the fresh stems blend in seamlessly with the dried ivy vines.
To craft a wildly overgrown harvest basket. But keep those stem ends tidy so that the bottom remain clutter free.
Place the basket in a display container or on a pedestal.
The clematis vines will root in the water and continue to grow hydroponically.
Weave in the stems as they grow. And with the dry vine now completely protected it will not get wet and will not rot over time.
To add the fresh flowers:
Weave the cosmos stems into the basket.
So that the flower heads are displayed at the top and the stems are supported in the wreath below.
But make sure the flowers are not restricted and can move freely so that they look free and light and airy.
This week in our email I show you how to somewhat tame a wild and overgrown design so that it looks wild and airy but not messy. I send out an email every Wednesday morning (Vancouver time) with a design tip so that you can make the most of each week's inspiration. The sign up is below this post.
Finish the design off with some dew drop crystals.
See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how and why I add the crystals with a pin.
And drop a few crystals in the bottom of the harvest vase to show off the clear water...
And lastly, I am gluing in a few dried tendrils to further tie in the basket with the vines.
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Tutorials
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...
It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.
I wanted my willow armature to hint of a web-like dreamcatcher that grows in the wild rather than being a precise replica of the traditional craft technique. But I did weave it...
I build up the spheres by weaving willow wreaths and then use those to shape the ball
Snip a dried twig wreath to undo the spirals to hang around a glass container
Reshape a vine wreath into smaller wreaths to combine as a pumpkin
For this design I wanted my wreath to be light and airy so that it just whips around the solid pumpkin like a breeze.
Create a barely there armature with sturdy end of season vines.
Craft a delicate bridal basket from twigs and tulle.
This wreath is perfectly imperfect. Perfect for using those first few autumn (or preserved from last autumn) leaves.
Connect six wreaths to build up a hanging panel to display your flowers on.
The hardest part of this is actually making the tendrils. From there it's a few twists... and we are done!
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