My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Hana-Kubari twig

Cut a twig

Cut a twig to the length you require. Cut away any side branches. This twig has an interesting double side branch, I left that so that the flower stem can rest between the twigs

See the Tutorial below for detailed instructions on how to easily cut a thicker twig

Split the twig at the bottom end.

Split the twig at the thicker bottom end with a sharp knife right through the middle of the stem.

Slip the twig over the edge of your container so that it stands upright

Slip the twig over the edge of your container so that it stands upright

Fill the container with water

Let the stem rest against the twig

Let the stem rest against the twig or nestle in a fork in a side branch

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

Tutorials

22 May 2012 Bite and snap a sturdy twig

Break the sturdy twig on the scribe line.

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

1 April 2015 Hana-kubari Bamboo

Hana-Kubari is an Ikebana flower mechanic. Only natural materials such as pebbles, sticks and branches can be seen to support the flowers. Traditionally no twine or wire, nails,...

2 September 2015 Hana-Kubari Bamboo Stilts with a Hidden Water Source

Split bamboo stems to create a water source for dancing orchids

19 October 2011 Hana-Kubari chopsticks

Splitting the chopsticks or a wooden branch, such as a willow twig creates a natural (and glue-less!) clamp.

18 January 2017 T-connect twigs to shadow a design

Split a twig to create a t connection to hover a twig over the design

Favourite Flowers

Lathyrus

Sweet pea

Related Designs

26 April 2017 In no time at all

Hana-Kubari twig armature

5 July 2017 Just A Bit

Glue a bit of grass snippets to suspend over the design

3 January 2018 Happy Coincidence!

Some designs really do just make themselves. I received this tiny vase for Christmas from Marius (thank you, Marius!) and while cleaning out my design room I found this little...

9 May 2018 What is the meaning of this?

Create a minimal design with a few leaves to keep is all upright.

14 November 2018 For just this moment… let’s take a break

Simplicity to showcase the perfection of the Lisianthus buds

16 January 2019 Every. Single. Week.

Stand tulips upright in a shallow container with a suspended twig armature.

21 April 2021 All A-flutter

Adding a few fluttering petals to a design.

20 April 2016 That Will Be

Freestanding willow twig armature design

1 November 2011 On The Street Where You Live

A floral design snapshot of what it looks like when walking down the streets of Vancouver this week.

5 September 2012 Just Right! Floral Art demonstration: Just Right!

My third design in my demonstration at the BC Floral Art Society meeting

25 June 2014 Fine Tune

Thread cane through sticks to make a music inspired armature

1 April 2015 The Space Between

Traditional Hana-Kubari flower mechanic

27 January 2016 Well, I'll be

Manipulate fresh willow stems to create a sprouting armature for long tulip stems