What you will need:
Flower Paste (colour of choice)
Rolling board
Softening pad
Ball or bone tool
Small sharp scissors
Fine stamens
28g white wire
24g wire
White stem tape
Green stem tape
Wooden pointed dowel or Orchard pin
Cocktail stick
Glue of choice
Dusting colours and brushes
Stigma & Stamens
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For the stigma, take a tiny piece of paste and roll into a ball. Dip the very end of a 1/4 length piece of 28g white wire into your chosen glue and attach the ball of paste, pinching it on to the wire and rolling the base between your finger and thumb to leave a bulbous end. If you wish to put a tiny hook in the end of the wire first you can, but I find this is not necessary.
The stigma on these flowers can have either three or six fronds at the end. Your choice. Cut into the paste in three equal segments, and if you choose six, cut those three segments in half again. Set aside to dry.
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For the stamens, roll 3 tiny balls of paste, and using 3 very fine manufactured stamens with the ends dipped in glue, attach the balls of paste. Roll the paste down onto the stamens, so you have a very fine sausage and flatten slightly. Set aside to dry.
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When the stigma and stamens are dry, arrange the stamens around the stigma, and tape down the wire starting about half an inch below the stamen heads using half width white stem tape. Make as many of these as you need for the open flowers and leave to one side till ready to use.
Making the flower
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Roll a malteser sized piece of paste into a ball, and then shape into a teardrop. Push a cornflour dusted sharp ended dowel (or the orchard pin) into the fatter end of the paste, pushing it quite far down into the centre. Twist the dowel inside the paste to make sure it does not stick.
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Remove the dowel from the paste, and using your sharp scissors make six cuts in the paste trying to keep them as equal as possible.
Gently pinch the cut edges together to get rid of the squareness of the petals, and then using your finger and thumb above and below the petals, flatten and pull them to elongate the petals as shown.
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Transfer the flower to the edge of your softening pad, and using your ball or bone tool, stretch and widen the petals further. Then using a cocktail stick, place each petal over your forefinger and starting in the centre of the petal, roll the cocktail stick from side to side to further thin the petals.
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Turn the flower upside down, and draw the petals downwards, at the same time tease 3 alternate petals into the centre of the flower, so the appearance is of three inner petals and 3 outer petals. Turn up again, and gently tease the three outer petals into a curve, as shown.
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Take your prepared stamens and tape in an extra 28g wire for strength. Moisten the throat of the flower with a very small amount of sugar glue and feed the wire down into the throat of the flower. The petals will flop over at this stage so you will need to hang the flower upside down to dry.
Unopened flowers are made in exactly the same way, but leave the petals closed. You can insert a hooked 26g wire into the throat of these, and if you close the tips of the petals, you do not need to add the stamens, as they will not be seen.
For the calyx
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Form two tiny teardrops from green paste. Flatten slightly with your rolling pin, and transfer to your softening pad. Using your ball or bone tool, gently cup them.
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Moisten the base of your flower with sugar glue and attach the two pieces of paste as shown.
For the buds
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The buds should be made in various sizes, and its a good idea to start with a piece of paste slightly smaller than the piece you used to make your open flowers, and use a little less paste every time for each of the others. Roll the paste into a teardrop first and then give the bulbous end a slight rounded point. Mark the bud into 3 using a craft knife or palette knife, insert a hooked wire into the base and add a calyx in the same way as for the flower. The wires you use for the buds will be dependent on the size of the buds you make, and should be strong enough that they will hold the weight of the buds without flopping over.
Finishing the spray
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Make as many flowers and buds as you would like to have in your spray, and gently dust the flowers and buds with your chosen colour. Dust the calyx and dust slightly up the larger of the buds with a gentle green of your choice. Dust the smaller buds completely green. Steam to set the colour. (Although the photograph shows these flowers and buds as being very shiny after steaming, they are still tacky at this stage and will lose the glazed appearance once fully dry)
Take a piece of 24g wire and using 1/2 width green stem tape, tape the smallest of your buds at the very end of the wire first, followed by the next smallest, and so on till you have as many buds on the spray as you wish, Tape any unopened flowers next, followed by the open flowers.
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Hi Simply Superb
Simply Superb
Thanks for sharing
Nice tutorial and flowers have come out so perfect.
Nice blog Atiya. Happy to follow you
Mira’s Talent Gallery
:-) Mira
do u have any idea from where i can buy arebian glue 1 that is used to make flexible flowers.
Thx all ov u.
Dear anonymous, where do u live? i think any white glue of good quality can be used instead of Arebian glue.