Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Twirl a ripped Phormium pumpkin pod
- 23 August 2017
- click to send Christine a smile

Rip the flax into strips with a Kenzan
See the Tutorial below for detailed instructions

Cut a few sections of wire

Shape the wire in a circle

Twist the end pieces together to shape the stalk

Connect all the wires on the other side in the middle of the circle

Bend the wire open to shape the pod

Make sure the wires are secure and bend away any sharp edges

Twist the ripped flax around the bottom part to secure and conceal the wire

Wrap the flax around the wire extend it to the next wire and wrap it around that wire. This is the basic "weaving" pattern.

Continue to wrap the flax around the wire

Spiral the flax out and around to cover the wire

Simply gather new sections and wrap that with the ends of the previous section when one is done and wrap that around the wire

Twirl the flax all the way up the wire

Wrap the stalk part with flax

Secure the flax at the stalk with a knot

Curl a few dangling bits of flax by wrapping it around twigs
See the Tutorial below for detailed instructions on how to curl flax

And hang the pumpkin pod to dry

Design note: The Kalanchoe is a succulent and the flowers will remain pretty in the design for at least a week without a water source... yes really!
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Tutorials
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A sturdy shape made by binding Mikado reeds keeps the thin strands of flax in place.
I glued wooden slats into a frame and then wove flax string to create the floral parasol
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