- Stem Wrapping -
A nice way to add a nice touch to your flowers is to cover that plain, and often unattractive floral tape with embroidery floss or by wrapping the stem with more beads. Both not only enhance the beauty of your flowers, but also extend their lifetime.
I've recently published a blog post on the pros and cons of different types of floss.
I've recently published a blog post on the pros and cons of different types of floss.
Flossing the Stem
First up, let's go over the option of using embroidery floss to wrap your stems. It's fairly easy to do, but it can take up a bit of time.
The best floss to use is untwisted silk, though it is more pricey and not always readily available. (I have yet to find a craft store anywhere near me that sells it.) Some French Beaders may disagree with me, but I find regular embroidery floss to be a suitable replacement when silk is either too expensive or you can't find it.
You will need:
- embroidery floss (obviously)
- floral tape
- scissors
- glue - I recommend something like Fabric Tac that is designed to dry fast and hold strong
When wrapping your stems with floss, you start first with any small off-shoot branches first before wrapping the main stem. So if you have a rose with three leaf stems, wrap the leaf stems first, then the main rose stem.
The best floss to use is untwisted silk, though it is more pricey and not always readily available. (I have yet to find a craft store anywhere near me that sells it.) Some French Beaders may disagree with me, but I find regular embroidery floss to be a suitable replacement when silk is either too expensive or you can't find it.
You will need:
- embroidery floss (obviously)
- floral tape
- scissors
- glue - I recommend something like Fabric Tac that is designed to dry fast and hold strong
When wrapping your stems with floss, you start first with any small off-shoot branches first before wrapping the main stem. So if you have a rose with three leaf stems, wrap the leaf stems first, then the main rose stem.
1. When working on leaf stems, start at the tip of the branch, just below the first leaf. Leave yourself a short tail of floss (around an inch or so) and press that against the stem wire with the end pointing down. If you are using regular embroidery floss, gently untwist it while you wrap. (If you are using untwisted silk you won't need to untwist it...)
Make sure to catch the tail of floss under your wraps to secure it.
We don't want any floral tape to show through, so keep your wraps tight and close together.
2. Continue wrapping until you reach the main stem. Cut your floss so only a small tail hangs down and secure it to the main stem with a thin layer of floral tape. You will not need to cover the whole thing, just one little time around ought to do. And avoid wrapping it on thick or you will end up with an unattractive bulge on your stem. (You could alternatively use regular tape and just remove it before wrapping over the tail as described below.)
Wrap any remaining off-shooting branches the same way, securing the end of each piece of floss with floral tape.
3. For wrapping the main stem you have two choices. You can start at the bottom or at the top. Let's go over the "starting at the top" option first. You will, like before, leave a small tail of floss pressed against the stem. If your flower has sepals below the last layer of petals you will want to wrap a few times between the sepals and petals to help blend it in and cover any assembly wires that your floral tape couldn't reach.
You may need to go over and under, weaving around the sepals, a few times.
4. Continue wrapping down the stem, untwisting your thread as you go. Take extra care as you move down the taper below the flower so no floral tape shows through. If you have having difficulty with the thread slipping around, use a very, very tiny drop of glue underneath it to hold it in place.
Make sure you catch the tail floss under your wraps to secure and cover it. As you wrap down the stem, you will be covering all the other tails from your off-shoot branches.
5. If your flower has a thicker taper below the sepals, I find it is easier to start at the bottom of the stem and work up. You will have much less thread slippage at the taper this way.
As usual, press a tail against the stem, end pointing down.
6. Begin your wraps right at the tip. You can use a very, very tiny drop a glue underneath it if you would like.
As you move up the stem, make sure any tails of floss from your off-shoot branches are flattened against the stem and that you cover them completely starting at their ends.
7. When you reach the top of your flower, carefully wrap up the taper, then between the sepals (if any) and the petals a few times. Cut your thread short and tuck the very end between the sepals and petals, using a tiny drop of glue right on the end. (You can use a toothpick or a scrap piece of wire to dab the glue on more accurately.)
Ta-da! See? Very simple and easy to learn. But it goes a long way in beautifying your work.
Ta-da! See? Very simple and easy to learn. But it goes a long way in beautifying your work.
Bead Wrapping the Stem
Another great option is to wrap your stem in more beads! The only downfall to this option is that it will greatly thicken your stems, which can cause an unnatural appearance if the type of flower you have made generally has thinner stems.
You will need:
- Size 11/0 or 10/0 seed beads
- 26 or 24 gauge colored copper wire to match your beads
- Wire clippers
- Bead spinner (optional)
Make sure your flower stems have been wrapped in a color of floral tape that matches your beads as closely as possible as it is likely that a little will show through the gaps between rows.
You will need:
- Size 11/0 or 10/0 seed beads
- 26 or 24 gauge colored copper wire to match your beads
- Wire clippers
- Bead spinner (optional)
Make sure your flower stems have been wrapped in a color of floral tape that matches your beads as closely as possible as it is likely that a little will show through the gaps between rows.
1. Leaving your wire attached to your spool, string on several strands of seed beads. The actual amount will vary depending on the length and thickness of your stem.
Leave a tail of bare wire which you will press against the flower stem. If your flower has sepals, wrap bare wire between the sepals and petals a few times to blend it in and tie off the wire. Bring your wire down between two sepals and slide the beads up to the end.
2. Begin wrapping around the stem, catching the tail wire under your wraps to cover and secure it. Keep your rows tight and close together to minimize the amount of floral tape that shows through.
Don't allow any spaces between beads. Keep them tightly together.
I find it easier to hold my beaded wire in position with one hand while I slowly spin the flower stem with the other.
3. Once you reach the point where you want to stop your beads, wrap a bare section of wire around your stem just below the last row of beads 3-4 times and trim close to the stem.
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