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This is definitely a learn-by-doing sort of craft. Please share any tips and tricks you pick up along the way... you never know what tip will end up making all the difference for somebody having trouble with a particular detail of this project.
Thanks!
My wands definitely got better with practice. I think I like the look of the one with the bare stems, too (white ribbon with just a bow under the woven portion).
A friend visited yesterday and tested out these directions for me, making a wand without any input from me other than pulling up the article on the computer. She had a couple of comments...
She noted that a lot of little blooms get shed in the process (my lavender was pretty well bloomed out by this time -- with tightly budded stems this would probably be less of an issue), so she suggested making sure you do this where a bit of a mess isn't an issue. Actually, I think it smells wonderful every time I vacuum since I've made some of these and vacuumed up the lavender bits afterwards!
She also mentioned that you have to be somewhat delicate with the stems, and that it sometimes feels like they're cracking when you're lifting them to slip the ribbon around them... but not to worry, because weaving the ribbon over and under seems to stabilize them, and she didn't actually manage to break any of them as she went along.
Thanks, Leslie!
OK... who else has a comment or tip to share about making these?
Jill, Who doesn't love lavender? Your wands are beautiful, precise and yet delicate. It's been several years since I made one and I had so little lavender, there was not much room for practicing. Your lavender plants look wonderful. I have this dream of having so much lavender, I don't know what to do with it all. I always enjoy your articles.
One of the things I liked best about this craft is that it takes only SEVEN stems of lavender to make a wand! That's a lot less than it takes to make a tidy bundle or to fill a vase with dried blooms...
Pam, come up to see me next summer when the lavender is in bloom. I'll share! :-)
My bloom heads which I chose were a bit past their prime. Don't do that or don't make it while sitting on the living room couch. At my age another mess is just one more line in a book of many boo boos.
