Miniature Floral Wreath With Deb Wood Create a Delicate, Delightful Miniature Floral Wreath Headpiece Learn techniques for making several styles of durable, miniature flowers from polymer clay and weave those flowers into a wonderful, miniature headpiece! * Please read through entire lesson before you begin. * Lesson 1 15 Pages Deb Wood /Enchanted Hearts 2015. All Rights Reserved Deb Wood /Enchanted Hearts 2014. All Rights Reserved Copyright Notice and Disclaimer: The instructions herein are copyright protected and any are intended copying, forwarding, the personal reposting use of or the reprinting purchaser of any ONLY. kind Any is strictly copying, forbidden. forwarding, This reposting includes but or reprinting with to the electronic intention duplication. of distributing Any or copyright reselling infringement this information is punishable in any form by is law. strictly The forbidden. information This within includes this document but is not is limited provided to electronic only to those duplication. who have Any been copyright granted infringement permission is by punish- the site is not limited owner. able by This law. class The information is brought to within you this in good document faith and is provided in no way only does to the those author who accept have been any responsibility granted permission for error, by the accident site owner. or injury This to information participants is due brought to the to instructions you good presented faith and in in this no document. way does the author accept any responsibility for error, accident or injury to participants due to the instructions presented within this document.
Welcome! I hope you will enjoy these lessons on making this miniature floral wreath headpiece with me! I think the tiny flowers are especially fun to make, and there are so many ways you can use them! But for our purpose today, we will be weaving them into a wreath to use on a tiny fairy. This creates a Renaissance style headpiece. But you can imagine a vase of them in a doll house or a bouquet of them held in the arms of a Victorian period piece sculpture. The way I will be showing you will yield very durable flowers, you won t need to worry about them breaking even though they are so tiny. This class is presented in two lessons in the first lesson we will learn the flower techniques and in the second lesson we ll put them together in a headpiece. If you re ready, so am I; lets get started right now! 2 2
Supplies Clay: I strongly urge you to get Mix Quick, shown here as this strengthens the clay dramatically. Liquid clay helps adhere the petals on the flowers. Adding Mix Quick is discussed on page 6. If possible, try to find a small leaf like you see here (above right.) This is a plastic leaf I cut from a artificial bush. You can use little leaves like this to make impressions in the clay. You may also use real leaves, go on a search outdoors for tiny leaves and pick several for this project. It s fun! (Don t use fuzzy leaves.) Beyond that, all you will need are tiny bits of several colors of clay. The color scheme is up to you these are the colors I used. You will need a fine wire I used green 26 ga wire but you could use brass too. Mini micro beads are nice to have to create little berry clusters. You will also need super glue, a varnish, glitter paint, interference powders (optional), soft chalks or soft pastel chalks, and 4 mm silk ribbons (not shown) 3
Berry Clusters & Center Buds The foundation for the flowers are the center buds. To make these, cut several small pieces of wire (approx 1.5 long /3.81 cm) and have them ready. Roll out a small coil of clay and cut several tiny pieces. Roll these into balls. Put a tiny speck of super glue on the end of a wire and stick it up into the ball of clay. Shape into a teardrop. Make several of these in assorted colors. For the bead/berry clusters, I used black clay. (above photo) In the photo to the right, you see them in several colors; white, pink, mauve, and black. Bake these according to manufacturer instructions so they are ready to go. TIP: To apply the glue, just put a dot of glue on a piece of paper and dip the end of the wire into it. I use the back of old business cards for this. 4
Berry Clusters Varnish, like the Delta Ceramcoat brand shown here, makes a great adhesive for the microbeads. You will want to have a tray or paper plate ready to catch the excess beads. Brush a coat of varnish on the baked berry bud and quickly sprinkle the microbeads over the bud. The very fine beads work the best for this process. Set these aside to dry. That s all there is to it! We ll make them into clusters a little later on. You might find it very helpful to have a piece of Styrofoam handy to hold the flowers, leaves and beaded stems. Just poke them in and let them dry. 5
Little Leaves For the leaves, I have taken two colors of jade green, a light and a darker shade, and blended them for a third, mid shade. So with three shades of green, I will make my leaves. Roll out a coil of each color, and slice small pieces. Shape each piece into a leaf or oval. We will need two pieces for each leaf, a larger one and a smaller one. If you have a plastic leaf to use as a pattern, press one piece of clay into the leaf texture. Dip the tip of the wire into super glue, and lay the tip of the wire into the clay while it s still on the leaf. (this works the same if you are using real leaves) A Word About Mix Quick- MQ adds strength and flex to regular clay. It also helps to condition dry clay. You can add it to any brand, and as long as you stay within a 4/1 mix ratio, it will hardly be noticeable in any change to the color of the clay. For this class, add 4 parts colored clay to 1 part MQ for the flowers and leaves. Since we are using such small bits of colored clay, this just a tiny amount of MQ. A package goes a long way. You can also use it straight from the package as a translucent clay. More about this on page 14. Place another piece of clay over the super glue and press this additional clay down and blend it onto the leaf back. You can see how tiny these are! If you re using real leaves, you will get a few impressions and then you ll have to use a new leaf. We ll add some extra texture in the next steps. 6
To add extra texture, use a needle to make indents along the outer edge of the leaf. Shape the leaf by curving or curling these leaves. In this series of photos, the same steps are repeated, using the different colors of green clay. The super glue is necessary to hold the wires in the leaves, just baking the leaves on the wire isn t enough to hold the clay on the wire so be sure not to skip this step. Use a paint brush to gently lift the leaves off the plastic leaf mold so you don t distort the design. Chalking will be discussed in the next pages. 7
Interference Powders Interference powders add a wonderful detail to clay. They do need to be applied before baking, and the baking process sets the powder. You will probably still want to apply a finish to the powders to make sure they last. We will do this later. In this photo, I have selected two colors, a green and a light gold. The powders come in a couple dozen colors and are great to work with! Using a paint brush that is used just for this purpose, (you wouldn t want to use one of your sculpting or painting brushes for this, choose a brush you can dedicate for use with the powders and it s fine to use the same brush for different colors) pick up some of the powder on the brush and work the powder into the textured surface of the leaf. Repeat these steps with each of the leaves. Simply clean your brush by wiping it on the paper towel between colors. Set the leaves aside we ll be baking them soon. TIP: Put paper towel down while you work with the powders. They are so fine they will float everywhere you don t want to contaminate your sculpting area with the powders. The paper towel will catch the stray grains and keep your area clean. 8
Sweet Little Flowers Next I will show you the basic steps for most flower designs. Again, we start with those center buds. For these next few flowers, I will use pink or white center buds. To get the petal clay color, I have blended a tiny bit of pink with a little larger piece of while clay and left the blend variegated. Then, roll out a coil and cut several pieces. For the first flower, begin by brushing on thin layer of liquid clay to the center bud, this will allow those tiny petals to grab on and hold. Plus, you have the added benefit of liquid clay adding strength to the flowers. Arrange the first petal as shown, then rotate around the center bud, adding more petals as you go. Use a paint brush to tap them into position. Working with odd numbers, add 3, 5 or 7 petals. 9
Pink Posies Here are those same steps again, using solid pink this time. In the photos to the left, liquid clay is brushed on the center bud. When making flowers, it is helpful to have lots of petals made ahead of time, so all you have to do is pick them up and place them on the center bud. I work on a ceramic tile so I can press the petals flat, then move the tile as needed while building the flowers. In the photo below, again, because these flowers are so tiny I use a paint brush to curl and shape the delicate petals. As each flower is made, it is set aside stuck down into the piece of Styrofoam. That way they don t get damaged. 10
Here are a couple more ideas for you for fun, simple little flowers. For the Purple Posie: Using a slightly larger ball of clay, flatten the clay on a surface, like a ceramic tile or flat dish. Use a needle to press up into the edges of the flattened clay to form petals. Then use a rubber tip tool or a larger size needle to make those indents larger. Poke a hole in the center as shown, then simply slip the wire from the center bud down into the flower. A little liquid clay on the bud will allow this to grab onto the flower and hold it all together. Cute! And easy too. For the Pink Swirl: Next, another easy flower is to take a slightly larger piece of clay, flatten it into an oblong shape. Again, brush liquid clay on the center bud, then set the edge of the long piece of clay against the center bud and roll the clay up. Leave the upper edge of the long piece of clay open, and use a paint brush to stretch it open even more as desired. Using your fingers, press the clay to the stem on the underside of the bud. 11
...and More! This flower is a little more detailed, but still not hard to do. Once again, roll out a coil of clay and cut several pieces of clay. Flatten them, and in the tip of each one, make one indent with a needle tool. Brush liquid clay on the center bud, and pick up the first petal. Place the first petal on the center bud then continue to add these petals as you work your way around the center bud. Overlap each additional petal by about 1/3 over the petal before it, giving the flower a nice, staggered look. Again, continue to add petals to make the flower as large as you want it. These larger flowers become focal points in the headpiece. 12
A Rose, by any other name.. Roses are fun to make too! For this rose, I have rolled out a coil of a very soft pink clay. Notice that the pieces of clay are small, then they get larger. The large pieces will be the largest outside petals on this rose. After applying the liquid clay, the first petal wraps the center bud the next petal overlaps that. The next petal overlaps again, and the upper tips of the petals are folded back. Working around the center bud each petal goes on, covering over the previous petal by about half. With a paint brush, gently shape those outside edges of the petals to get that wonderful wavy edge to the petals on this rose. Consider making pastel shades of roses and brush the edges with soft chalks, just like nature does. 13
A Daisy, too! This sweet little flower is so simple but so striking. This flower was made with just Mix Quick, so after it s baked, it s quite translucent and the chalking really pops. A sweet little daisy comes next, She loves me, she loves me not. A roll of clay is cut into several tiny pieces, each piece is shaped into a teardrop. After the liquid clay is applied, each petal is put on the center bud, and they are bent outwards. Roll the base of the petals together on the wire stem to secure them to each other. 14
Pastel Chalking Now, a few words about chalking. Above, Softy Chalks are being used, these are individual chalks in plastic cases. I don t know if you can get these anymore.. You will be brushing the chalks onto the flowers and leaves BEFORE they are baked. The chalk will bake into the clay. Before we close this session, to the right you see a green base is added to the flower This is an oval shaped piece of clay wrapped around the base of the flower and pressed against the wire. So instead we re using regular soft pastel chalks. You can either scrape chalk powder from the chalk onto a piece of paper, or you can rub your paintbrush right on the chalk itself to pick up color. Make as many flowers as you wish you can always use the left-overs for other projects. Bake all the flowers and leaves on a bed of fiber-fill; covered with Kleenex so the flowers don t pick up fuzz from the fiber-fill. Bake according to manufacturer s instructions. You want the flowers to be good and strong! We will also talk about finishes on the leaves, etc in the next lesson. This concludes this session, we ll be back soon to complete the wreath headpiece. See you then! TIP: The Styrofoam block that was suggested was just to hold and keep the flowers safe until baking. You never want to put Styrofoam in the oven. 15
Session 2 I hope your flower shop is brimming with new blooms! :) In our last lesson I showed you how to make simple, yet cute miniature flowers to use on a floral headpiece, or for accessorizing your doll house or other character dolls. You should have them, as well several tiny leaves and berry stems ready for finishing and assembly in today s lesson. So lets get started and create your own, miniature floral headpiece! 16 2
The Finished Flowers A bouquet of posies! That s what these remind me of. For our headpiece, we will need to leave the long wires in place, this will allow us to weave and wind them onto our wire frame structure. For other applications, like on a garment or other accessory, you will probably be snipping the wire off right at the back of the flower. You can also wind a couple flowers together to make one stem, and do the same with the leaves and berry clusters. We ll go over that in the next steps. Below, these flowers were made with Mix Quick and chalking. Some have outer petals made from solid clay that have also been chalked. Cute, huh. :) 17
LOTS of Finished Flowers! Before we begin assembly look closely at the photo above, and then the photo to the right. Notice that shine? That s the Ceramcoat varnish by Delta, brushed on the interference powder finish on the leaves. This will prevent that powder from rubbing off. It would probably be fine but just to be safe I varnished the leaves with it. You can also do this to the berry clusters to make sure the microbeads stay on the clay base. It isn t necessary to glaze the flowers, the chalking will be fine. Below, I show how to start the wire frame for the headpiece, three wires are used to create the loosely braided band. It doesn t have to be perfect, it gets covered up. To make the foundation for the wreath, take three wires, about 8 long each, (20.32 cm) and braid them loosely. Twist the end so they stay braided, and check for the fit around the doll s head. It should fit on her head with some extra space. Cut and twist the other end. (see the next page for more info) 18
Weaving the Flowers On After checking for the fit, bring the ends around and twist them around each other. This will be the back of the wreath and will be covered with ribbon. Now the fun begins! You will place flowers on the wreath, slip the wire down through the braid and wind the end in and out on the frame. Continue doing this until you have all the flowers on the band that you want. Notice, these flowers don t have the green clay wrap at the base of them. Because the headpiece was so full, I didn t add that extra step to these stems. Alternate colors on the band, and also you can have some flowers sticking out more than others. It s all up to you! 19
Clusters Trim any excess wires off so they don t stick out too much from the braided frame. To make leaf or berry clusters, simply wind the stems together to make bundles of berries or leaves. 2 or 3 per bundle is fine. Twist the stem wires and snip off the excess. Now wind those clusters onto the headpiece, arranging them in a pleasing way. Fill in between the flowers with the berry stems and the leaves. It s coming together! 20
A Nice Finish After you have all the flowers, leaves and berry stems on the wreath headpiece, you can use a glitter paint to seal everything together. This product, (or similar products) work so well. They are strong and flexible and permanent. They give a nice finishing touch. Simply apply the product to the wire frame, on the inside, and anywhere that you can coat the wire braid without getting it on the flowers. Apply some to the back of the wreath too even though we re going to put ribbon there, this holds everything securely. Allow plenty of time for the glitter paint to dry. TIP: A foreceps is such a handy tool. That s what is clamped on the wreath here it gives me something to hold on to, and I can set the wreath down to dry, the foreceps holds it securely so it doesn t tip over. 21
A Silk Ribbon Touch I prefer working with silk ribbons, but you can use rayon or polyester ribbon too. Silk is so soft and it is easy to work with. To apply ribbons to the wreath, a spot of super glue is placed on a card, and using a toothpick, pick up a dot of glue and apply it within the flowers, on the glitter paint. Working with about 8 of ribbon, (20.32 cm) touch the ribbon down in the glue, leaving about a 2 tail of ribbon loose. (5.08 cm) It should grab immediately. Hold for a second, then make another spot of glue and after creating a loop, set the ribbon down in the glue again. Continue gluing and looping the ribbon in and out, among the flowers until you reach the other side. You can repeat these steps with a second color of ribbon if you wish, and if there is room. Otherwise, finish with a few loops in a cluster and leave another 2 tail. 22
The Final Wrap Next, simply take another piece of ribbon, either the same color or a complimentary color, anchor the ribbon down and make a few loops on the side back, then wind that ribbon around the back of the wreath, covering the area that is open. See in the photos here how nice that looks on the fairy s head! Just right. And the ribbons trail down nicely and blend in with her hair. Very Renaissance! You could add a few sprigs of baby s breath too use the preserved kind so it lasts longer. 23
Thank You! This is the final result of our floral wreath. I do hope you ve enjoyed it and learned a few new tricks or techniques along the way! It s been my pleasure to share this project with you. See you in the next class! Hugs, Deb 24