A free lesson for beginners and novices to floral art and flower arranging. using a kinetic design.

Tricia Legg shows you how to make a floral screen that takes very little space, but has maximum effect, using  silk or fresh flowers, gold colored flower tubes, sketetonised leaves and  hanging bells, on a metal stand.

This kinetic design originated from a set of conditions that had to be addressed:

• A set of pottery bells that have a family significance had to be hung, but there seemed no place for them to go in the house
• The entrance hall has no room for  wide designs but needed a floral welcome
• The beautiful gold flower tubes had just arrived in our warehouse and I wanted to try them out.

This design was the perfect solution! It is very simple, the flowers get changed every week so it stays fresh and it has caused quite a reaction as our many visitors just love it and yours will too, if you have a go using any wind chimes you have.

Mechanics:
You will need:
6 gold flower tubes
a set of wind chimes or bells
A tapestry stand

Preparation:
The metal tapestry frame I used is adjustable and so it is extended to its full height for this design. If you do not have such a frame,a wooden frame would work. Paint it satin black to match the thread on the bells. If your wind chimes have a different coloured thread, paint the frame to match that colour.

Undo top of the chimes or bells so you have them as separate elements all still attached to their cords. Hang and knot the cords at even intervals along the top of the tapestry frame. Look to see they are at pleasing heights compared to your frame, you may have to lengthen some, shorten others to give pleasing balance.

Decide where you want the skeletonised leaves to go. I put them in rows of 3, some facing the front, some the back, some sideways, in the gaps between the bells. They are attached to the string holding up the bells, with double sided sellotape. Put the sellotape on the thread and then just push the leaves onto the tape.

The flower tubes have to be attached next. Once again decide on the line of the flowers. You will see in the top picture I have put them in a long zig zag. Press double sided sellotape on to the strings of the bells where you want the tubes and then press the tubes onto the tape.

Now attach fine bullion gold wire to the top of the stand and wind it down the strings  till  you get to the flower tubes. The bullion wire pulls out from its coils so keep pulling a little at a time as you wind. You won't need very much as it goes a long way! Keep going over the flower tubes, keeping the wire tight as it will help the flower tubes stay where you want them. Wind them to the end of the thread and finish the wire off neatly. Do this for each thread that you have a flower tube on.

Flowers:
Prepare your flowers. Camellias last without the petals falling off if you insert a pin through the calyx at the back of the flower. Take off the leaves, leaving just one or two if you wish, cut the stem to the length of the flower tube . Add water to the tube, I use a huge syringe for this filled with water. Then add your flower. Try to have them facing in different directions, because even though this is a flat design, it can have some depth with the flower heads facing all directions.