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This
design is a sculptured table centrepiece, or able to be mounted in a frame
for on the wall. Influenced by world famous florist,Tor Gundersen
of Norway, this workshop will teach you how to make a decorated transparent
form which is strong, feminine and beautiful.
Heather's message is "Don't copy" Take the ideas and make them your own. Use this technique to make a tiffany style lamp, hat, bouquet of leaves, a basket, or a container for an arrangement of fresh flowers. "Spread your wings." |
| To
make this design, you will need the following:
Mechanics:-  |
The
plant material you need are:-
Tiny amounts of any of the following
Tools |
| Make
a leaf, or the form you wish to use by making a shape out of cardboard
and cut out the netting to that shape.Don't turn in the edges , and strengthen
the netting with floristry wire, threading it through the chicken netting
randomly. The netting is very weak and needs this reinforcing. Keep the
wires straight as you thread them through as they will be stronger that
way. Cut off the ends of the wire sticking out of the netting. If you want
a stalk on your leaf, insert it now as a piece of wire as part of the strengthening.
Spray the whole structure with gold, bronze or silver paint. You are now ready to make a decision, is your piece going to be flat and mounted, or shaped? If it is going to be flat all the plant material will go on one side, being laced on with decorative thread and wires across the top. You don't go round and round with the wires, but back and forth across the plant material to hold it in place. You do not use glue! If you are shaping the netting, shape it now. At all times the decorative thread and wire must be flat on the surface, so sometimes you will be wrapping on one side, at some times on the other, but still, never round and round, always back and forth using the thread to hold the plant material in place, and using the netting edges to hook the thread before you turn back the other way. |
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Your
shape can be heavily decorated, or sparsely depending on the look you want.
Lay sisal over the shape and place the plant material on top. The sisal helps to keep the other plant material un place and and breaks up the netting pattern visually.Make patterns or freeform, using design principles and elements to make an attractive piece. As you place the plant material wrap it into place with the metallic thread, to hold in position. Go across the plant material across the netting and back again. Don't use glue! Add plant material and other things you want to include as you go , all over the shape, and once you are happy, add the bullion wire for effect. Bullion Wire comes all coiled up and a short length will unwind into a great length, so only pull out a few inches at a time, apply tension to it as you go back and forth, and keep it away from the edges of the wire netting as it will snag on them. |
| In
this design by Margaret W, at the workshop,
she went for the very transparent and ethereal look. The netting was sprayed bronze, honesty pennies, pink feather fluff, a tiny amount of blue misty blue metallic thread, sisal and gold bullion wire combined to make the shaped leaf. Click here for the large version. |
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In
this design of Tricia's she went for the heavily decorated look,
using hydrangea florits, blue misty, bits from out of a potpourri mix,
protea petals, and purple statice, wrapped with gold metallic thread and
bullion wire. This was a flat shape designed to be mounted on a wall in
a frame, so it was all put on one side.
Click here for the bigger version |
| Finishing
off.
To give the shape a touch of glitzy, thread some drop beads , pearls or sequins on to decorative thread and wrap this onto the design. If you have a stem it needs to be incorporated into the other design elements so wrap it in sisal and then the thread you used in the wrapping thread, or just use thread, just something that will carry the design into the stem. With long nose pliers, turn all the netting edges under, This is why it is important you didn't go round and round the shape but back and forth across the surface. The turning in of the edges of the netting will seal in all the loops you made when you turned the thread to go back the other way so make sure you turn in the right way. Trim any stray bits of sisal or plant material for tidiness and it is done! |
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| Tips
from Heather:
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