Making Lavendar Wands

Making Lavendar Wands – Anja Bartlett ©2005, 2020 M. Bartlett

You need:

• ¼ inch ribbon
• Freshly cut lavendar (use the English variety, preferably – longer, tougher stems.)
• Scissors, knife or other cutting device
• Patience during the learning process! You will get much faster as you get familiar with the process and work out how this goes.

Instructions

1. Cut your lavendar when it first begins to bloom, when only a few flowers are open, early in the morning, before the sun gets hot. Traditionally, don’t use a regular knife, but use one of copper or bone, but scissors work. I have a pair of plastic kid scissors that I use alternately with my boline.

Put what you have cut into water immediately.

Take an odd number of stems, (no fewer than 7, but 9 or 11 work best) strip them of extra blossoms and leaves and then line up the bottoms of the heads. Trim the stems off so that they’re all the same length.

Tie a slip knot in the end of your ribbon.

Tighten

I’m going to try to get a better pic of this, but it’s “Loop it over the heads of the lavendar right at the base and tighten. “

The first two rounds of weaving are more a folding down process…. Hold the lavender bunch head down with the ribbon end tucked inside the flower heads. Fold down every other stem as you wrap the ribbon around the flower head bunch and hold them down, spreading them out evenly around the flower head bunch. Tighten the ribbon.

After the first time around continue on, wrapping the ribbon over the first “round”. At this point you should start to see the “over, under, over, under” of the ribbon going around the stems. Tighten the ribbon.

After you’re all the way around the 2nd time, continue the “over, under” process, tightening the ribbon after each round, trying to tuck errant blooms back inside. You will lose some bits. This is normal.

When you’re nearing the base of the bunch and you find the “vase shape” starting to tighten in, you can pick up the dropped blooms and tuck them in from the bottom, if you wish.

When you’re nearing the base of the bunch and you find the “vase shape” starting to tighten in, you can pick up the dropped blooms and tuck them in from the bottom, if you wish.

THis is the point where you tuck in the dropped bits, if you’re going to.

When you’re at the point where you’re at the end of the flowers, or it’s getting difficult to keep weaving, loop the ribbon around the bunch and through the loop as in the picture.

Tighten

Do it again, as in the next pic.

Tighten

Leave a long end of ribbon and either wind it around the stems so that they dry straight or take a piece of string or scrap ribbon and tie it around the ends for the same purpose.

Hang them to dry in a place with good ventilation.

13. After a day or two, undo the knot at the base of the “vase” and tighten up the weaving, then re-knot it and wind the ribbon down the stem and knot at the base as before. (see pic) You should probably put a dot of glue inside the final knot to keep it secure.

Wind extra ribbon around the stems as shown.

Keep winding

Glue and cut, if you wish, or just leave the extra for hanging or just pretty.

Some finished ones.

Let dry for at least a week more if they will be shut up in a drawer, otherwise use and enjoy!

Tips

• Be careful to keep your ribbon flat and untwisted. This makes the best container for the blossoms as they dry.
• Use English Lavendar! The stems are longer than perfume (French) lavendar and more flexible than the other types. Cut it and keep it in water.
• Use ¼” ribbon. Narrower can be pretty, but it takes forever. Wider will be harder to make flat and tidy and if there are larger gaps, bits will fall through the weaving.
• The scent will last for quite a while; years even, in a quiet spot, but it can be refreshed with lavendar essential oil. About 3 drops will do it.

Moar Lavendar (among other) tutorials!

Making Herbal Sachets! – https://wp.me/P2xgQ8-2W2

Tutorial – Homemade Extracts (yes, lavendar is possible, follow the same instructions!) Tutorial – Homemade Extracts

Bundling Herbs for Drying – Bundling Herbs for Drying

Moar pix

Lavendar growing, see the long stems?

Another pic of it sitting in water. You can also put jars like this on a table to perfume a room, or brighten a dining table.

Up close blossom

Lavendar bundles like these make great gifts! Use about a foot of narrow ribbon to tie them together with a square or surgeon’s knot. Lightly loop the ribbon over itself around a hanger or dowel to hang to dry. After a few days undo the end and tighten around the stems and they’re ready!

Lavendar herb sachets with purple fabrics

English lavendar and white french

 

Anja Bartlett ©2005, 2020 M. Bartlett

Page published 7/24/2020 (C)M. Bartlett
Last update 7/24/20.