Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Hanging Willow Nest
- 3 August 2016
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Bend a long willow stem to loop
For more information on how to manipulate stems without breaking it see the tutorial below
Bend another stem to loop inside the first
Wrap a thin willow stem around the looped stems ends (be sure to let the longer, thicker side of the stem extend while you use the tip to wrap)...
... and slip the stem end through to secure
This is the basic nest shape
Secure a thin willow stem where the looped stems cross
Bend the top stem over and tuck it into the stem you used to connect the loops at the looped end. This creates a fifth stem for you to weave with.
Now the nest shape is ready to start weaving
Press a thin stem into the top where the willow stems are connected
Wrap the stem to make sure it is firmly secure and that the stems are all in place
Press a thin stem in the bottom looped side of the stems...
Start weaving the stem in and out around the stems
I used the basic in and out weaving pattern. For more information on weaving, see the Tutorial below
Weave the stem in and out spiralling out around the stems
When you reach the end of a stem simply press in a new stem and continue weaving
Shape the base of the nest as you spiral out
Continue weaving
Create the opening by looping back the stem at the last willow twig and weaving it back
Do the same on the other side.
Continue weaving up adding stems as you go along
Do the same at the top weaving around the stems down to the wider looped side
Continue to weave all the way around working your way down to the bottom weaved bit
Space the stems out to create a opening
For the loop at the top:
Loop a willow stem twice
And wrap the loop with a thin willow stem
Continue wrapping to cover the entire loop
Press the looped stems into the willow nest
And knot the stems to secure
Add another long stem by pressing it into the wrapped part
And wrap the entire top part tightly to secure
The willow nest is ready to design with
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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...
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...
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...
Carefully manipulate and bend green willow stems to place in water to sprout as an armature for tulips to mature and open
Give the stem a closer cut to detail for floral art
I build up the spheres by weaving willow wreaths and then use those to shape the ball
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