Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Leaning Sunflowers to stay just so
- 27 July 2016
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The trick to any freestanding design is to get your first three stems standing stable and secure in the water. Once you have that you can build the design around it.
See more on designs with three legs in the Tutorial below
Lean the two flower stems so that they kick against the edge of the shallow container
If there is a bend in the flower stems close to the head nuzzle the flowers to sit snugly
Add the third stem. Let it kick against the side of the shallow container with the flower head tucked between the other two flowers. This should give it enough stability to create a freestanding design.
Measure your next flower stem, cut and add it into the design. Continue adding stems. Make sure each stem is secure to create a stable design
Every now and again wiggle the stems gently to make sure the are secure. Adjust if necessary.
Add in a few blades of grass
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Tutorials
When in doubt, always give your armature three legs. Two legs are simply not enough and four legs will wobble if it is even slightly off balance.
Making a truss out of sunflower stems for a free standing design
Gently pull the petals ( Ray floret) from the seeded part of the sunflower
Twirl twigs to create a balanced nest to display the beautiful orchids on
Cut a few willow twigs to split to create legs for the armature
Splitting the chopsticks or a wooden branch, such as a willow twig creates a natural (and glue-less!) clamp.
Favourite Flowers
Sunflower
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