|
corsage coach
Nine simple steps to beautiful corsages that will remain intact
through the revelry.
Primarily purchased for proms and other school-related celebrations,
demand for corsages tends to be somewhat seasonal. So as you look
ahead to those springtime events, it’s important to ensure that all
your staff is capable of contributing to corsage creation.
Here, for newbies and as a brush-up for seasoned
designers, we show nine simple steps for completing corsages that
will hold up to close contact and loving embraces. They can also be
attached to wrist corsage holders if needed.
To make learning easier, download a printable version
from our website, so employees can follow the step-by-step
instructions.
MATERIALS: spray carnations,
spray roses, statice, variegated Pittosporum and florists'
wire from favorite suppliers; ribbon from
Berwick Offray; Floratape® Stem Wrap from
Bemis
Company.
For flowers with ample
bases, such as the spray roses and carnations, pierce each
base with a length of florist’s wire. Push the wire through
the base of the bloom until the flower is centered along the
wire’s length. Bend both sides of the wire downward
alongside the stem. Tape around the flower base and down the
length of the wires with stem wrap. |
Bend several lengths of
florist’s wire into hairpin shapes. Insert both ends of one
hairpin into a Pittosporum leaf, so that the hairpin
straddles the leaf’s midrib. Coil one of the hairpin’s wires
around the leaf stem and the other wire, and tape with stem
wrap, forming an elongated stem. Repeat this procedure for
the remaining leaves as well as the sprigs of statice. |
Select a spray carnation
bud, a small spray carnation bloom and the smallest rose.
Holding the carnation bud upright, place the small carnation
bloom a “step” down and to the right of the bud. Tape the
two “stems” together. Add a small rose bloom another “step”
down to the left of the carnation bloom, and tape with stem
wrap. |
Using the same techniques
as in the previous step, add another rose and carnation
blossom to the corsage, beneath the trio assembled in the
previous step. |
Tie a multiloop bow, and
secure it with a hairpin-shaped wire. Tape the wires to form
a “stem,” and add the bow to the base of the flower cluster.
Tape the bow’s “stem” to the group with stem wrap. |
Add the final rose to the
center of the composition, beneath the bow. Add the
remaining three carnations at downward-facing angles, and
tape with stem wrap. |
Add foliage, such as the
variegated Pittosporum, as a backdrop. Start at the
top of the corsage, placing the first leaf behind the top
carnation bud. Then stagger additional leaves to the right
and left, to fill out the shape and create a backing. |
Add sprigs of
wired-and-taped statice throughout the corsage, threading
the wire “stems” through the flower cluster and out the
backside of the corsage. Bend these wires down to meet the
binding point, and tape them into position. |
Add two or three more
leaves to conceal the mechanics on the backside of the
corsage. Gently arch the corsage so it will conform to the
curve of the shoulder or wrist. Trim the stems to a length
of 11⁄2 to 2 inches. |
•
Click here
for a printable .pdf form.
•
Click here
to purchase the current issue of Florists' Review. |
