Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Willow flower crown
- 7 September 2016
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Use a length of ribbon to measure the width of the person’s head to custom design the crown. This way you can have the measurements ahead of time and start weaving the fresh plant material just before the wedding.
Measure out the fresh and pliable willow stems
Gather the stems and start to gently manipulate them by bending it down the length of the stem. This way you make the stems more pliable so that you can weave it without snapping the stems
See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how to bend and manipulate stems
Secure the stems at one end with an elastic band. The band will be removed but it makes it easier to weave the stems
Gently plait and weave the stems into a long tangle.
Insert new stems and continue to weave and plait.
Measure the ribbon against the plaited willow to see if it is long enough
Remove the elastic band and weave the two ends together to connect the willow crown.
Fit the crown and make adjustments if necessary
Glue in the flowers, moss and sparkling beads
I keep my flowers hydrated by inserting tiny little drinking straw test tubes in to the design. See the Tutorial below for more details
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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...
When you need to keep a tiny stem hydrated this is just what you need. If you can't find a suitable drinking straw... I also have an upgrade: tiny food grade pipe water tubes.
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...
I wanted my beads to softly float above my snowball posy. If I glued the beads to some of the flowers it would just disappear in the mass of twigs and flowers.
Favourite Flowers
Curly Willow, Chinese Willow, Tortured Willow, Globe Willow, Dragon's Claw, Hankow Willow
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My article and Willow Crown design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine
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