Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Hanging Twig Line-Up
- 25 April 2018
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Carefully bend a twig to make it more pliable so that you can manipulate it.
See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how to manipulate twigs.
Cushion the twig with your finger to curve it rather than bend it at a sharp angle
Carefully curve it more and more...
... until you can roll it into a double loop.
Hold the two ends together with your finger...
.. and secure the loops with a willow stem
Wrap the willow around the loops.
Secure by weaving the stem into the wrapped loop.
Cut the stems for the spine of the hanging design. You can cut the stems to any length. To add visual interest I varied the stems to combine in a bundle.
Place the stems together on a flat working surface.
Secure the stems with a willow knot.
Push the first horizontal stem through the twig bundle.
Move down the armature and add as many horizontal twigs as you require.
Add two more twigs to every horizontal twig. One over the middle twig bundle and one under.
Secure the twigs with raffia.
This creates a pretty view from all sides if the design spins.
Hang the armature from the top loop.
Glue in water tubes for the fresh plant material to remain hydrated
I make tiny water tubes from drinking straws. See the Tutorial below for detailed instructions.
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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.
By removing every other twig you open up space for larger flowers to nestle in
Loop and tie a few stacked twigs to create an enclosed floral armature
To create a layered look for a corsage tie a foundation of twigs with fresh willow stems
Glue a few twigs into a rectangular shape to hang as a space or room devider
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