Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Weave green strips of willow bark into a nest
- 15 June 2016
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
Strip the green bark from willow sticks
See the Tutorial below for detailed instructions on how to strip bark from willow

Set strips of willow bark down horizontally on a flat working surface

Weave a strip of bark through the strips on the working surface. I am using a basic under and over weaving pattern.
See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how to weave with foliage

Weave in a second strip

... and a third strip of willow bark

Continue to add strips of fresh bark until you run out of weaving space

Set the willow strips in a round bowl.

The bowl should be only slightly larger than the willow weave

Set another bowl over the weave inside the larger bowl to press it into the dome shape

Set it aside for the bark to dry into the shape

As the bark dries it will darken in colour, curl and shrink

Lift the small bowl from the willow nest.

The willow bark now follows the dome contours of the bowl

Woven willow bark nest ready to design with

Set the nest over the neck of a small vase
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