Today I felt like sharing how to make a floral cake- like arrangement. My students really enjoyed themselves while making it yesterday, And I was anxcious to make one myself too. 

Here is the material list you need: 

• leaves which can dry in nicely. Like Eucalypthus, Buxus, Gaultheria shallon
• Gypsophila or other small flowers
• a Rose or CHrysanthemum, Germini, Ranunculus
• piece of floral foam in a round shape (you can also cut it out of a block) mine was about 8 cm weide
• piece of plastic
• rubberband
• needles, 
• scissor
• knife
• ribbons
• beads

First you get the floral foam wet, so the flowers will last longer. Then take a piece of plastic and cover the bottom and sides. By using rubberband/ elastic it will stay around the foam. 

Cut off the plastic  which comes above the foam. It is not nice to see that.

Then rip off the leaves form the stem. Eucalylthus can be easily ripped off when you move your hand upwards. when you have leaves with stems then prepare the leaves by cutting off the stems.

Add a leaf heigher as the edge and fasten it with a needle. The next one will be overlapping. Finish the row, make sure you use the same seized leaves and the top is evenly heigh. 

Then  add row 2

row 3,

row 4

row 5 and 6 till you are done....

now time to cover the foam from the top. I used Gypsophilla as it will dry in too. Make sure you use enoug as when flowers dry they will shrink and it is not good when you can see the foam then. I cut them very short  so it hides the foam easily. 

In the middle I added a Rose, you can also use other flowers , it is up to you. 

now the decoration part: I added ribbons and as I was alone and the knot kept slipping I fastened it with a needle too. Added a bead to it and small beads in the Gypsophila and around the bottom row. 

Hope you will enjoy making it yourself ! 

bloemen, cake, flowers, taartje Hide

Every day I drive to my work in Heerlen I admire all the colors of the leaves from the trees. Each time a new season starts I first need to adjust but then I believe it is the best thing to happen. Do you know that feeling too ?

Yesterday I sorted some leaves out  from the Cotinus coggria : Royal Purple" I couldn't resist doing so.... What do you think?

I made a "feston/ guirlande with the students too. This is my finished example, made with findings out of nature.

How to make one :

Start with adding a longer stem from ironwire to the berries and all which has a short stem. After these preparations you take a piece of rope (as long as you want) Adjust the wire to the rope and take a few leaves and berries etc place them around the rope and  fasten them with the ironwire, leaving the wire attachted, take some new materials you want to adjust to the rope. 

Covering the previous adjusted leaves and wire. It will be like a roofs tiles.... continue this for as long as you want the piece to be. At the end just fasten the wire off to itself and made a knot in the rope. Cover the last part of the wire and stems with a ribbon or wool or whatever you like.

In case you hang it ouside it will not stay longer fresh as inside.

Enjoy Autumn!!

autumn, colors, fall, herst, leaves Hide

I want to announce a very Interesting Textile workshops event:

TASARA INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON TEXTILE, 1 July to 15 August 2012

A residential workshop exploring a variety of weaving and surface-design techniques, in a secluded, family-run setting. Experience India’s legendary monsoon season in a place with year-round mild temperatures on Kerala’s green coast.

Techniques include handweaving, natural dyeing, shibori, multicolour batik, wood block printing, silk screen printing, felting, tie and dye, etc. Instruction will be provided 5 days a week, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Four-week residencies are offered during the workshop session which will run from 1 July (Sunday) to 15 August (Wednesday) 2012. The fee for a four-week residency will be 900 Euros per person, double occupancy, or 1200 Euros single occupancy. The fee covers tuition and basic workshop materials, accommodation in a spacious guest house, and all meals, including breakfast and dinner of south Indian cooking and self-catered lunch.

For more information and to register, please contact by March._26th.

Confirmation of your registration by payment of 50% of the fee will be due by _30th April.
Registration is limited to 10 participants
Email: vasudevantasara@yahoo.com
Web page: www.tasaraindia.com
Youtube: Tasara weaving centre
Skype: vasudevantasara1
youtube:http://youtu.be/h42ZLm0n04o

I have been there last year and I can really recommend it to anyone. It will be an experience for life time. Hope to be able to go back there soon

tasara, technieques, textile event, workshops Hide

I know it is Tuesday today but unfortunately so many things happened last week I wasn again not able to complete the stitch I’ll try to get on track soon I promise…

Last Sunday I was at a music concourse, my oldest had to play in front of a jury  and thought why don;t I take something along to do?  not a difficult question as I just found this tutorial:

crochetting a simple  flower  / bloemetje haken

So I started crocheting and look at the result… I think 17  were made while I listened to the different performances.

Today I went to Amsterdam to a stadion called  the “Arena”  a strike was organised there 50.000 teachers were there. 550 buses from all places of the country drove to it… I sat more hours in the bus than in that Arena, but it was all for a good case: trying to stop the plans of  our minister of education .. On our way back we sadly heard on the radio she still thinks here plans will be super and better for the education  I would love to take her along for a week in our job….

bloemetje, crochetting, haken Hide

As promised I show you the wand when it is finished..  In my previouspost you can see how to make a wand like this too.

I added some embroidery, beads and bells to it and my daughter just loves it.

Two happy daughters…. one in her costume of the local yought carnaval guard the other in her ice/ princess dress

carnaval Hide