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Kirstie's Handmade Britain
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How To Make Kirstie's Petite Flower Arrangement
Inspired by the petite flower arrangements Kirstie made in Kirstie's Handmade Britain? Here's how to create one of your own.
By Kirstie Allsopp, with the help of Sioned Rowland.
Selection of small foliage, flowers, berries, seed heads
Container – a jam jar lid, eggcup, liqueur glass, porcelain pot. Maximum dimension should be about 10cm
Floral foam (suitable for fresh flowers)
Small knife to cut
A base to go under the arrangement – slate or a slice of wood, for example
An accessory in scale with the arrangement
Small needlework scissors
Tape measure
Water sprayer
Tweezers
Skill
A beginner could tackle this craft easily.
Budget
Depending on how much foliage you can grow at home yourself, the arrangement shouldn’t cost more than £10 to create.
Time
Beginners should give themselves up to an hour to create the display. Those more experienced could create this in under half an hour, not including planning time.
Step One: Prepare The Foam
Cut a piece of foam to fit the container. Only experience will help you here – if it’s too small it may crumble when all the stems go into it, and if it’s too big it may take a lot of material to conceal it – making the arrangement too heavy. Drop the piece of foam onto a bowl of water and let it soak up the water. Do not push it down. The degree of saturation will be obvious – it turns a darker green and should only take a minute or less.
Step Two: Fit The Foam
Fit the foam into the container and make sure it's secure – it might be necessary to fasten it neatly with some narrow floral 'pot tape'.
Step Three: Create The Outline Shape
Start arranging the foliage to create the outside shape of the design, and cover the edge of the container, working to the container being a third of the size of finished design.
Step Four: Position The Main Flowers
Place the main flowers (the spray rose) in a line, graduating from bud in the top to an open rose in the centre and then buds tapering to the right side.
Step Five: Add The Filler Flowers
Add in the filler material (heuchera, lavender) at equal distances from each other and keeping within the triangular shape. These give the design a loose, country feel that's more natural.
Step Six: Check The Display
Check that all the floral foam has been concealed. Check all the dimensions carefully. When happy, spray with water. Remember to wet the foam and spray regularly.
Step Seven: Doublecheck The Rules
The exhibit should not exceed 25cm (9.8in) in width, height and depth (this measurement does not include the diagonal). The scale of all components is particularly important. The entry should appear as a petite version of a larger exhibit.
- Be precise with your positioning because you don't want to be pulling things out and putting them back in again as the foam will break.
- Proportion is important, so get the right flowers, nothing too big and dominant.
- Make sure the flowers chosen have a firm stem so that it's easier to place in foam, soft stems should not be used.
- Cut a piece of card to the required measurement and always work with it checking the size of the design.
- Soak foliage and flowers for at least 12 hours before inserting into foam.
- Always try to hide all mechanics (foam, tape). The finish needs to be really neat and tidy, no bits, threads, loose materials.
- Always have a base to your design so the judges’ eyes stay focused on the display.
- Space is encouraged as flowers need to look as if they have space to breathe – so don’t overcrowd an arrangement.
- For more information on competing in floral art competitions, to obtain specialist leaflets on particular aspects of floral art or to find out about flower clubs and events near you please contact the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies.
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