DIY TUTORIAL
3) Wire the brooches using
floristry wire.
Take one piece of floral wire and
pull it through any gaps there may
be on the left side of the brooch.
The wire should now be bent in
half enabling you to wrap the wire
around as tightly as possible to
create a short ‘stem’. Now, repeat
this step for the right hand side of
the brooch so you have two wire
‘stems’ attached to the brooch. For
heavier brooches you may want to
add another one or two stems to
ensure the wired brooch does not
droop. Once you have added your
‘stems’ to the brooch, twist them
together to make one thicker ‘stem’
in the middle of the brooch. By
holding this, you will be able to test
it’s sturdiness.
4) Cover up the wire stem
with gutter tape
Use your pre-prepared halved
gutter tape to wind down the wire
to cover it up. By pulling at the tape
as you work down the stem the tape
will melt slightly, allowing it to stick.
5) Add a thicker gauge wire
to your brooch stem
Select a thicker wire and hold it next
to your taped stem. Repeat step 3 with
the tape but bind the thicker wire to
your already taped stem so you end
up with a thicker, longer stem.
6) Use your flowers to start
constructing a base bouquet
Hold a hydrangea in your left hand
and begin to add more flowers and
brooches to achieve your desired
shape. Use the flowers to give the
wired brooches support.You can use
binding wire to create a ‘binding
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point’ by wrapping it around the
stems every time you add 4/5
flowers / brooches to keep them
secure as you work. Add flowers and
slot in your brooches until you have
achieved your desired bouquet.
Photo Credits: NikkiKirkPhotography.com
2) Prepare & layout your
flowers and materials.
Take off any excess leaves and
stems from your flowers and then
lay your final collection on a table.
This enables you to see what you are
working with and picture how you
would like to eventually put your
bouquet together.
7) Cover binding point and
hide any wires
Use Pot tape to cover the binding
point and tuck in any wires that may
show through the natural stems.
8) Cover your stems
I decided to go with the natural,
rustic look and keep my stems
loose. I just added a little ribbon at
the top of the stems to cover up the
pot tape. Alternatively you can wrap
the whole stem in ribbon, twine or
any other textured fabrics as you
would with any hand tied bouquet.
Tips:
Don’t be disheartened if your
first attempt doesn’t turn out to
be perfect, it rarely will be! Your
technique will improve after 2 or
3 go’s and you can often reuse the
same materials if you are
planning on re-making your
bouquet on the same day.
Think carefully about colours - it
is often easiest to find brooches in
golds and silver. If you have your
heart set on a particular colour, be
aware that it may take quite a long
time to source your brooches.
If you decide on a DIY project purely
to save money, make sure you do the
maths beforehand.Work out how
much it will cost you to get hold of
good quality brooches and all the
floristry materials.
Once you’ve made your bouquet,
it is important to store it correctly
to make sure it keeps it’s shape ideally upright in a jar and then
covered with a carrier bag or tissue
paper. After your wedding you can
still keep this bouquet as a keepsake
(even with the fresh flowers) by
drying them out in a cool dark
cupboard.
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Love Vintage. Love Weddings.