Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Weave a grass Platform for an opening Tulip bud
- 26 February 2020
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A great contemporary design idea that plays with the proportions of a single flower in a bud vase. Without the grass platform the flower would have appeared too short. Adding the grass platform extends the visual height of the design to include all the plant material with only the bottom most clear part of the vase... looking like the vase. This is a great "space-keeper" for using really tight bud tulips that will grow into the vase height as they open.
Measure the inside of your bud vase by rolling a blade of grass and fitting it into the mouth.
Adjust the circle slightly smaller so that you can roll the rest of the grass blade around this and it would still fit snugly into the opening of the bud vase.
Fit the grass into the opening of the bud vase.
Turn the vase over so that the base points up. This is an easy way to measure out and weave the core of the platform.
For the first few blades use a tiny bit of floral glue to secure the grass. Make sure to glue the grass to the grass and not to the bud vase.
Start to add grass to radiate out from the vase.
Start to weave in grass. Secure it with glue where needed.
Remember to leave a gap for the tulip stem in the grass weave.
Bend the grass sharply down the bud vase to bend the grass at an angle
Book readers: I have a whole section in my book about bending grass. Turn to page 310 to read more. The example also shows a peg which might be a fun alternative to this bend.
Make sure the grass bends neatly to create the sharp effect.
Cut the grass shorter so that it fits in the vase.
Slip the grass into the vase so that it is between the grass circle and the glass.
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Push the circle back into the bud vase to keep the grass in place.
Bend more grass at a very sharp angle...
And weave it into the platform...
Making sure it extends out around the opening of the bud vase.
Slip the grass end into the vase so that it can remain hydrated.
Remove the bottom foliage from a tulip in tight bud.
Thread the tulip stem through the gap.
Add in more grass to finish the design...
Make sure you conceal any visible glue bits so that the magic you used to keep this design together remains.... magical.
Add a few blades of grass that compliments the natural curve of the tulip... and a few sparkling dew drop crystals... just because.
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