DIY Mid Summer Flower Crown
“I must have flowers, always and always”
I have a confession, if I could I would probably wear flower crowns every day, I love them! Clearly that won’t work in an office environment so I have to save them for special occasions or just when I’m pottering around the house, much to the amusement of my boys or any neighbour that peeks through the window.
Given we are on the cusp of mid-summer I wanted to share with you my method for making a very simple flower crown, so we can all adorn our heads with these beauties come Saturday.
But first a little about the tradition of mid-Summer in Sweden particularly. The flower crown, Blomsterkrans specifically, can be directly linked back to Sweden’s agricultural roots, when the Swedes would welcome with open arms the months of fertility ahead. In connection with this, the flower crown has traditionally been seen as a symbol of fertility.
For a nation that spends half the year in total darkness it is no surprise that they celebrate the longest day (expect nearly 20 hours of light) with such passion. Cities lie empty as Swedes head to the countryside to spend the magical day with the friends and family. There is food, dancing, a maypole, which takes centre stage, and garlands of flowers, which also adorn the head. Sounds rather wonderful doesn’t it?
I often look with admiration at the Scandi countries for their outlook on life. The value that is placed on family, nature and general wellbeing is so in tune with my own approach to life (when I am feeling level headed that is!). I would move there in a heartbeat if it wasn’t for the dark winter days, for someone that suffers with SAD this wouldn’t work too well! So for now I will admire from afar, being influenced where I can and where better to start than by wearing a flower crown?
What you will need
You will need to gather:
· Floral wire
· Floral tape
· Scissors/snips
· Pliers to wind the wire
· A selection of seasonal flowers, fillers and bold statement flowers. It’s best to go for flowers which you know won’t flop quickly to give your headdress longevity. I have used cornflowers, ox-daisies, yellow button buddleia and fillers like Lady's Mantel (which dries very well)
· Pretty ribbons (mine is from aspetalsfalls)
How to:
1. Start by cutting a large length of wire 15 cms long. It needs to be long enough to robustly hold the flowers plus form a small loop from which to thread the ribbon through.
2. Taking one end of the wire form a loop and secure tightly by winding the wire around itself and then clamping with your pliers
The first bunch
3. My technique is an overlaying of lots of small bunches of flowers. So to start you need to make a small bunch by taking a base of filler, sit it on top of the wire with the loop laying under the flowers (rather than the stems) and start to wrap the opposite end of the wire to the loop round the stem of your filler. Slowly introduce a few of your other smaller, softer flowers, all the while tightly winding the wire around the stems. Remember all the flowers should be facing outwards or upwards away from the wire.
4. Next cut another slightly smaller piece of wire. Gather a similar small bunch, securing them together with the wire, by wrapping around, ensuring you have a length of wire left over
5. Lay the second bunch on top of the wire of the first bunch and using the spare length of wire secure the second so it lies just under the first to form a perfect flow of flowers. Wrap the wire around to secure tightly together.
Laying the first bunches together
6. At this point you need to start introducing florist tape to hold everything in place. The way I work is to keep the florist tape on the roll at all times so you have one continuous length to work with. It’s a bit fiddly but I find it is much more secure. So starting at the base of the second bouquet wrap the florist tape tightly around.
7. Then continue with a few more bouquets until you have a good length of side crown
8. The next stage is to introduce your bigger, bolder flowers which will sit at the front of the crown and on your forehead. You follow the same technique as with the previous bunches and position the statement flower in between the filler flowers so they nestle nicely. Please note if you use heavy flowers such as peonies or roses you may need to use extra wire to secure the heads.
How the back should look
9. Attach to the flower crown in the same way as before, securing the bunches with wire and then taping securely with the florist tape.
10. After about five statement flower bunches, move back to your filler/small flower only bunches and work your way to the end. How many you will need depends entirely on the flowers you have chosen and how you want the crown to sit which is why I am not being prescriptive here.
11. I recommend trying the crown out on your head every so often to check it is the length you want.
12. When you are happy with the size and length, make your last filler bunch with an extra long length of wire, build your bunch in the same way as before, attach and then fold the wire back to form a loop at the other end. Then twist the wire around the final stem and clamp with your pliers. Note that you want to avoid any wire showing so it’s best to make the hoop as close to the last stems as possible.
13. Finish by wrapping the florist tape around and around until all wire except the loop is covered and then cut the tape ensuring the end is secure
14. Now for the finale – thread the ribbon through each end, position where it is most comfortable and won’t slip and tie a beautiful bow at the back of your head.
The Finished Crown
I hope you enjoyed the tutorial, I’d love to see what you make, please do tag me on Instagram if this post inspires you to make like a Swede and crown up this Mid-Summer day.