Designing with Silk Flowers - Term 1 - 2015

Many of the students enjoyed the weaving so much they asked to add a new project to the program. I was able to show them 2 simple floral designs using real flax. 1st. was the common flax flower and the second was a flax lily, pictured. Now they wanted to know how they could use them in an arrangement or bouquet.

Using the real lily flax flowers and silk rose blooms I created this Trailing Wedding Bouquet. Demonstrating how to place the flax lily flowers in a central design with the white silk roses nestling deep in the heart of the design trailing downwards to the wispy trails of the flax below.

It is best making the flax Lily flowers several days in advance - this helps with the drying of the flax and any moister staining the silk flowers.
 

7 straps of real flax

This weeks project in using Tropical Real Touch (foam) artificial flowers.
These are available everywhere these days - markets, $2 shops etc. but not alot of people know what to do with them other than just wearing them in their hair.

But by placing them on wire stems and adding interest to them like pearls, diamantes I have made been able to make several designs of Wedding Posy Bouquets.
Here is just one of those designs.
 

12 large frangipani blooms - colour or variety – student’s choice
36 small double frangipani blooms - colour or variety – student’s choice
1 roll floral tape - paper molding tape preferred
floral wire
12 large loose pearls
36 medium loose pearls

The day before prepare the urn.
Wrap the cardboard around the long sides of the oasis - tape in place.
Insert oasis block wrapped in cardboard length ways in the plastic zip bag.
Fold excess plastic bag to the side and seal with tape - tape all folds flat.
Place water in urn and add plaster of paris - mix thoroughly and remove all lumps.
Insert plastic covered oasis into plaster, centre and weight with bricks.
After 5 to 10 minutes place twisted lengths of wire 1 on each side of oasis in the plaster.
Allow to dry - 24 hours - remove bricks. (weights)
pull oasis block out of plastic bag.
Then remove plastic bag from plaster.
Remove cardboard from oasis and insert into plaster cavity.
With 2 x 24 gauge wire tire oasis down using twisted wire loops.

The floral design is a front facing arrangement with a flat back. Place 1 ficus foliage stem flat up the back and cut the other 2 stems into 3 pieces and create a collar effect around the lip of the urn. Then place the lily buds as the points of the arrangement - height and width. Fill in with the larger more open lily blooms to make the main focus of the arrangement. Once in place use the white rose blooms to shape the whole design and then use the peach coloured roses to add contrast and interest to the design. Last add the eucalyptus. Use the bamboo skewers to add extra length to any stems that are to short to reach the oasis. When joining stems always use the paper floral moulding tape to secure the join.