# Making Wooden Flowers



## Ronbrush (Nov 18, 2013)

*Making the Wood Shavings*

Some people have asked me how I make wooden flowers like the ones in my spring bouquet. I hope that this tutorial helps those of you who want to make your own flowers. I'll try to add to the blog as time permits and when I have something that I feel might be useful to add. Your comments are appreciated!

Ron

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*Step one - Make the Wood Shavings*

I have been using basswood as my preferred wood for flower-making. It's a relatively soft hardwood and has very little grain so it can be shaved into paper-like sheets with comparatively little splitting. It also absorbs water quickly and holds the moisture which helps it to stay pliable during flower construction. I've tried other wood (i.e. cherry, ash, etc.) but I find that, because they are denser and harder, they don't absorb and hold moisture as well.

I've been using a 60 year old Stanley No. 7 Jointer plane to make my shavings. You might notice in the small inset in Figure 1 that the sole plate of my plane was broken just behind the blade mouth at one time during its 60 year life (before I owned it). In spite of that, it still does the job. More critical is the need for a sharp blade.

I take the shavings from a block of basswood about 1 3/4" wide and 8" to 10" long . The width is sufficient for the sizes of flowers I'm currently making. The thickness of the shavings can vary. I've worked with shavings that are quite thin and wood which is closer to the thickness of light cover stock. If the shavings are a little on the thick side but still workable, it will probably help in avoiding accidental breakage. Experimentation and experience will teach you what works best for you.

The petals (and leaves) made from this material are quite fragile, especially after they dry. At the end of each project, I use many coats of clear spray to give the flowers strength. More on that later. 








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*Notes on my Plane*

I have no particular expertise when it comes to the tuning, adjusting and using a hand plane. You will find many experts elsewhere who have more to offer than I will ever know. My comments here are offered only insofar as they might be helpful in obtaining good shavings to use in this project or others like it. If you have more informed wisdom regarding the subject, please chime in.

In my experience, when I use a plane a in normal situations, I am concerned with the workpiece (i.e. the big piece of wood from which the shavings are being removed). While the shavings can help me diagnose a condition that needs attention, in most cases I'll probably be getting results that are "good enough" to get the job done. In that case, I'll leave things alone and continue with the project. However, when the shavings themselves are the workpiece, my plane needs to be working better than "good enough" or the results will be disappointing and the tasks that follow will be difficult and frustrating.

In my experience, two items regarding my plane are critical in order to obtain the best results for this project: 1. a sharp blade and 2. accurate blade alignment.


Blade Sharpness
It is critical to have a sharp blade in your plane. The best way I know of determining if the blade is sharp enough is to look at the shavings themselves. The photo below shows two shavings from my old Stanley No. 7. I've sharpened the detail to show the fibre breakage that occurs when the shaving is sliced from the blank and forced through the mouth and over the chip breaker. 
The top shaving is closest to what I'm looking for. Fibre breakage occurs in very small increments and the curl is tight and uniform. Pieces made from this shaving (petal, leaf, etc.) will be uniform in appearance and resistant to breakage. 
In the bottom shaving, (made before I sharpened the blade) the fibre breakage is in larger increments, indicating that the blade pushed through the wood instead of slicing it. Although this shaving could be used, the results would be less impressive and the item would be more prone to having pieces break off.








Alignment
The photo below illustrates the influence of blade alignment. These two shavings have been flattened (procedure described in part 2 of this blog). The goal is to create shavings which are uniform in thickness like the one in the bottom of the photo. This requires that the cutting edge of the blade be parallel with the mouth of the plane. I also find it helpful to keep the cutting edge of the blade at right angles to the length of the wood blank rather than angling the plane as in some other operations.


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## Pimzedd (Jan 22, 2007)

Ronbrush said:


> *Making the Wood Shavings*
> 
> Some people have asked me how I make wooden flowers like the ones in my spring bouquet. I hope that this tutorial helps those of you who want to make your own flowers. I'll try to add to the blog as time permits and when I have something that I feel might be useful to add. Your comments are appreciated!
> 
> ...


Thanks for posting this Ron. I look forward to seeing the process.


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## lightweightladylefty (Mar 27, 2008)

Ronbrush said:


> *Making the Wood Shavings*
> 
> Some people have asked me how I make wooden flowers like the ones in my spring bouquet. I hope that this tutorial helps those of you who want to make your own flowers. I'll try to add to the blog as time permits and when I have something that I feel might be useful to add. Your comments are appreciated!
> 
> ...


Ron,

You are an excellent writer and teacher. This will be a very good tutorial. Thanks for your willingness to share your expertise.

L/W


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## Ronbrush (Nov 18, 2013)

Ronbrush said:


> *Making the Wood Shavings*
> 
> Some people have asked me how I make wooden flowers like the ones in my spring bouquet. I hope that this tutorial helps those of you who want to make your own flowers. I'll try to add to the blog as time permits and when I have something that I feel might be useful to add. Your comments are appreciated!
> 
> ...


I apologize but your comments, questions and my memory have caused me to go back to some entries of this blog to make additions (and it could well happen again).

So, if you are interested in the process, keep checking through each entry and keep asking questions. I can only speak from my experience but I'm more than happy to do that.

Ron


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## Ronbrush (Nov 18, 2013)

*Flattening the Shavings*

*Step Two - Flatten the Shavings*

The shavings need to be flat so they are usable for flower making. This is easily done by soaking the shavings in a container of water for ten minutes or more. The shavings will still be curled but running a hot iron on the shaving as it is unrolled will evaporate the water and leave a flattened strip of paper-like wood. Please don't use the iron that you use for ironing clothes and other fabrics! The process described here is not kind to the iron as you can see in below.

If you don't have an iron that can be dedicated to shop tasks, read the alternate method of flattening below.










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*An Alternate Flattening Method*

If you don't have the luxury of an iron that can be "sacrificed" for shop tasks, you might consider this alternate method of "pressing" your shavings. It helps to protect the sole of your iron from being coated with resin. This method requires a little more dexterity - or a second set of hands if you can enlist a helper.


Cut a piece of soft cloth about 6 inches larger than your shavings when they are uncurled.
Start unrolling a shaving and cover the exposed section with the cloth. Continue until you have the entire shaving uncurled and covered by the cloth. 








With your iron on its hottest setting, run it over the cloth until the shaving remains flat.
Turn the shaving over; cover it with the cloth and iron again. 
Repeat a few times until the shaving remains flat.


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

Ronbrush said:


> *Flattening the Shavings*
> 
> *Step Two - Flatten the Shavings*
> 
> ...


If you've ever seen me iron you'd know tgat is what my iron looks like without even ironing wood

Okay who am I kidding ironing isn't something you're gonna catch me at doing every year LOL!


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## CL810 (Mar 21, 2010)

Ronbrush said:


> *Flattening the Shavings*
> 
> *Step Two - Flatten the Shavings*
> 
> ...


Thanks for this blog Ron. Don't know if I'll ever have the skill/patience but I favorited it in case I am ever inspired.


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## lightweightladylefty (Mar 27, 2008)

Ronbrush said:


> *Flattening the Shavings*
> 
> *Step Two - Flatten the Shavings*
> 
> ...


Ron,

I just cleaned my iron tonight after pressing a denim patch to repair the knee of my shop jeans. It wasn't quite that bad, but I've never had denim leave a mess on an iron before!

I've got an old rusty iron that uses hot coals. Is that the one I should single out for the job? 
L/W


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## Ronbrush (Nov 18, 2013)

Ronbrush said:


> *Flattening the Shavings*
> 
> *Step Two - Flatten the Shavings*
> 
> ...


L/W,

I've added an alternate approach to flattening shavings that might help - and it doesn't need denim!

Ron


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## Ronbrush (Nov 18, 2013)

*Cutting the Petals*

*Step Three - Cut out the Flower Petals*










If you wish to make a rose like the ones in my spring bouquet, you will need 28 flower petals for each rose. You can eliminate one or two rows but the result is less impressive in my opinion. The petals are arranged in layers or tiers when the flower is assembled. It helps to cut out a template from stiff paper or card stock. Use a soft pencil to trace the shape onto the basswood shavings.










A sharp pair of scissors will do the job of cutting the petals. Volume production can be achieved more easily with a punch like the ones sold in craft stores. Using the punch eliminates the need for tracing the petals but it also confines your creations to one or two sizes.










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*Grain Direction in Petals*

The direction of the grain in petals has a significant influence on the final appearance of a flower. This is due to the "stiffening" nature of the joint between two adjacent petals. Since the joint area consists of two layers, it resists tight bending. In contrast, the remaining areas which are a single layer in thickness are more pliable.

When the grain runs lengthwise in each petal (Figure 1), the result is a flower with sharper curves in each petal creating an angular appearance.










When the grain runs crosswise in each petal (Figure 2), the result is a flower with gentile curves in each petal creating a softer overall appearance










The photo below shows the difference between the two approaches. In the flower on the left, the petals on the outer four rows have crosswise grain. In the flower on the right, all petals have lengthwise grain.


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## lightweightladylefty (Mar 27, 2008)

Ronbrush said:


> *Cutting the Petals*
> 
> *Step Three - Cut out the Flower Petals*
> 
> ...


Ron,

Is the wood grain direction important? Or can the petals be laid out to create the least waste? (I'm not very good with a hand plane and not certain how hard it will be for me to create enough pieces.)

Thanks for keeping each blog short. It's so much easier for me to open with this lousy dial-up!

L/W


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## Ronbrush (Nov 18, 2013)

Ronbrush said:


> *Cutting the Petals*
> 
> *Step Three - Cut out the Flower Petals*
> 
> ...


L/W,

Thanks for the question on grain direction. You helped me realize that more information on the subject might be helpful. With that in mind, I've added a short commentary about grain direction.

Ron


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## Latease (Feb 2, 2017)

Ronbrush said:


> *Cutting the Petals*
> 
> *Step Three - Cut out the Flower Petals*
> 
> ...


love it. thanks for sharing how your mastered such beauty! breath taken, I want that rose for my Daughters. Its perfect. I will be doing this the rest of the month but i pray it will be at lest 1/3 of yours and i am winning.


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## Ronbrush (Nov 18, 2013)

*Starting the Assembly*

*Step Four - Assemble the Centre Petals*

I prepare the petals by soaking them in water for a few minutes to make them pliable.










I set a few petals on tissue to absorb excess water before gluing.










I use cyanoacrylate adhesive because it is fast setting. Moisture helps to speed up the curing process. This makes it the ideal adhesive for this project. I also keep a can of acetone and several cotton swabs handy for those inevitable times when my fingers become part of a flower!

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It helps to have a set of patterns to help position the petals when gluing them.
There are seven rows or tiers of petals in the roses I make. 
They are arranged and glued to resemble the pattern below.










I cover my pattern with a sheet of acetate to protect it from glue and moisture.
The sheet you see on my drawing board has patterns for two sizes.










You can see the process of assembling the first three rows in the next series of photos. 
The fist row (the centre of the flower) consists of one petal. 
Each subsequent row gets one more petal added to it. 
Each row is bent into a cone shape and glued.

I have a set of sharpened dowels of various diameters to help with this task. The points on the dowels are wrapped with packing tape to make them less likely to get stuck by the adhesive.
The photo below shows the fist petal being rolled around a thin dowel.










Here is the centre petal after gluing.










Using the pattern to place petals for the second row.










The second row is glued and ready for bending.

Notice that the petals in these three rows have the grain running lengthwise. 
This helps in rolling the petals into tight cones.

In this example, Rows 4-7 will have the grain running from side to side, creating a flower with gentle curves (Refer to notes on grain direction in the previous entry).










In the photo below, the second row has been rolled and glued into a cone and the single petal is being inserted.










Here is the third row, glued and ready for bending into a cone.










Here are two special "centre guide" tools made from lengths of wire with one end rolled up to make a handle.










I use the centre guide to help align the centre openings of the flower rows. Keeping these openings aligned makes it easier later in the project to insert the wire which will make the flower stem.










Three rows now completed to form the centre of the flower


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

Ronbrush said:


> *Starting the Assembly*
> 
> *Step Four - Assemble the Centre Petals*
> 
> ...


Instead of the CA glue could you use hot hide glue? From what I've been reading of Paul's (shipwright) posts HHG has fast setting properties without the toxic risk of the acetone or the stuck fingers of CA glue. I'm not sure what the downsides would be.


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

Ronbrush said:


> *Starting the Assembly*
> 
> *Step Four - Assemble the Centre Petals*
> 
> ...


This is so cool.
Thanks for showing us.

Steve


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## Ronbrush (Nov 18, 2013)

Ronbrush said:


> *Starting the Assembly*
> 
> *Step Four - Assemble the Centre Petals*
> 
> ...


Mark,

Thanks for your great questions.

I have no experience with hot hide glue so my comments are based on what I've read about it. With many admirable qualities, it does sound like the right adhesive for many projects. I like CA glue for the project under discussion here primarily because, in my experience, the adhesion is virtually instantaneous when the materials to be joined are moist. This is because water acts as a curing agent. There is no need to hold the parts together for more than a second or two (at least these small parts). Perhaps I misunderstand the characteristics of hide glues but I'm not sure that I could achieve the same instant bonding with them. With this project, the instant bond helps with the petal assembly but also when I attach leaves to wire stems. More on that in a future posting.

Regarding the use of acetone, perhaps my remarks seemed a bit "off the wall" as I tried to inject some humour into some dull writing. I treat solvents with great respect and try to understand their properties from a health and safety perspective. Although the odd stuck finger is "inevitable", with some care, it's not a common occurrence. My reading of health and safety sheets on acetone suggest that, at least when compared to other solvents, its toxicity is on the low end of the scale, especially when used only occasionally in very small amounts. Although this might have changed a bit, it has been the main ingredient in most nail polish removers. Using a cotton swab (AKA Q-Tip) soaked in acetone from time to time seems less of a health hazard than cleaning nail polish from one's fingers.

All this being said I would greatly appreciate information from anyone who has more knowledge and experience with hide glues and/or acetone. I guess the bottom line is if you have any health or safety concerns with one or more of the techniques that I describe, please don't do it. As you suggest, Mark, there is often another way.


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

Ronbrush said:


> *Starting the Assembly*
> 
> *Step Four - Assemble the Centre Petals*
> 
> ...


No worries Ron. I've just started using CA glue myself and have had a few minor cases where my fingers stuck to a tiny amount of squeeze out. It was actually my recent experience and then reading your blog that got me to thinking about hide glues again as my gluing of small parts is not dissimilar to your gluing of the petals.


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## lightweightladylefty (Mar 27, 2008)

Ronbrush said:


> *Starting the Assembly*
> 
> *Step Four - Assemble the Centre Petals*
> 
> ...


Ron,

I see that you have answered my question about grain direction from part 3 here. Thank you.

L/W


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## lightweightladylefty (Mar 27, 2008)

Ronbrush said:


> *Starting the Assembly*
> 
> *Step Four - Assemble the Centre Petals*
> 
> ...


Ron,

I see that you have answered my question about grain direction from part 3 here. Thank you.

L/W


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## Ronbrush (Nov 18, 2013)

*Adding the Final Rows*

*Assembling Rows Four to Seven*

Adding rows 4 to 7 follows the same procedure as described in the previous section:

The photo below shows the fourth row glued together and ready for bending.

Notice again that the grain on these petals runs crosswise in order to create a soft curve when the row is bent and glued into a cone.










Here is the result after the centre rows have been inserted.

Remember to use the "centre guide" (see previous entry) to keep things aligned.










Row Five assembled and ready for bending.










After the rows One to Four have been inserted.










Row Six …



















The final row!

This one is a very shallow cone - almost flat.










Here is the flower with all seven rows assembled.

Notice again how the crosswise petal grain helps to create gentle curves.










In the next step, the sepals will be added to the bottom of the rose…


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## lightweightladylefty (Mar 27, 2008)

Ronbrush said:


> *Adding the Final Rows*
> 
> *Assembling Rows Four to Seven*
> 
> ...


Ron,

Thanks for the clarification on the grain directions. Your blog is really excellent. You actually make it look easy. The true test will come when I try to do it!

L/W


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## Ronbrush (Nov 18, 2013)

*Adding Sepals (the Calyx)*

If you have been waiting for the next instalment of this tutorial, I apologize for the delay!

This step is not absolutely necessary but I think it adds character to the finished flower.

I create a star-shaped calyx by cutting three dart-shaped pieces from along the length of a shaving. These pieces are then soaked in water to encourage them to curl. With all three pieces placed with curls moving in the same direction, they can then be glued at the centre to form the calyx as shown below.










Once the glue is dry, a hole can be punched in the centre of the unit to enable the wire stem to pass through (I'll describe that in Step 7). I use a leather punch but a paper punch would probably do or even a large nail set if care is taken. Use whatever tool you have that will make a clean hole.










Before attaching the calyx to the petal assembly, I wet the completed calyx again so that it becomes pliable. CA glue works well to attach the calyx to the flower petals since water acts as a curing agent. I try to work the form of the calyx so that the central part assumes the form of the flower. The quick-setting CA glue is great for this procedure.


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

Ronbrush said:


> *Adding Sepals (the Calyx)*
> 
> If you have been waiting for the next instalment of this tutorial, I apologize for the delay!
> 
> ...


This a great gift to have, I have seen some very amazing ones. I bet you can dye them for added appeal. Great job, thank you for sharing


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## tomd (Jan 29, 2008)

Ronbrush said:


> *Adding Sepals (the Calyx)*
> 
> If you have been waiting for the next instalment of this tutorial, I apologize for the delay!
> 
> ...


Thanks for the tutorial, very interesting, haven't tried it but will soon.


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## Ronbrush (Nov 18, 2013)

*Making a Leaf/Flower Stem*

*Wire Size*
In making flower stems, I use several gauges of galvanized wire, ranging from 14 GA to 30 GA as well as single strands from picture wire. Although some people use thin brass tubing (available from hobby shops), I have found that wires of varying gauges are sufficient to create a pleasing result for this project. I use two gauges of wire for each flower. The thicknesses will depend on the size of your flower - bigger flower, thicker wire. The heaviest gauge will form the flower stem and the lighter gauge provides stems for the leaves.

*Notes on Soldering*

The wires which form the stems are joined together using solder. I use a pencil-type soldering iron with an adjustable temperature control. Any pencil-type soldering iron will work. These tools are normally used in soldering electronic components. I would not advise the use of an open flame (e.g. propane or butane torch) for this work. The chance of setting your flower on fire at some point is too great.

Any type of solder will do. The key is getting your target joint hot enough so that it - not the soldering iron - melts the solder. I like to use thin (20 gauge) rosin or acid core soldering wire. The rosin core is generally used in electronics and the acid core is primarily used in plumbing. Regardless of the type of solder you use, it is important to prep each joint by coating it with soldering past or "flux" (founding in your local hardware plumbing department). When the wire is sufficiently heated, the flux will draw the melting solder onto the joint, giving it strength.










*Stem Assembly*
The stem assembly for the leaves consists of two wires soldered together in the shape shown below.










This assembly will, in turn be soldered to the main stem. The three stem components are shown below. Note that the "V"-shaped component has a small notch bent into it at the base of the "V". This small detail is the key to joining the two wires of the leaf assembly.










You will find that a small hobby vise very useful during the following procedure.

I join the two wires using the following technique:


1. Take a single strand of light weight braided picture wire. Thinner is better since its use is to provide a means of creating a temporary joint for the stem wires.


2. Slide one end of the picture wire strand into the notch in the "V"-shaped wire. Bend the end back along the length of the wire.











3. Coat the two wires with flux and then solder together




















4. Take the second stem wire and place it along the vertical axis as shown in FIGURE 1 above.


5. Wind the strand of picture wire around the joint as shown below. It's not necessary to wind the entire length of picture wire. You just need enough to hold the joint together.











6. Apply flux and solder.











7. The joint will probably look pretty ugly at this stage (photo above) so it will require some grinding to define the shape and clean up the rough edges. I like to use a micro motor for this job. I start with a 1/4 in sanding sleeve and finish finer details with a diamond bur.










You can see the final result below.










I use a heavier gauge wire to make the main stem for each flower. I solder the three-pronged leaf stem to the flower stem. The result is shown below. The circled area is where the rose will be attached.










In the next part we will add the rose and leaves.


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## pipecreek (Jul 23, 2015)

Ronbrush said:


> *Making a Leaf/Flower Stem*
> 
> *Wire Size*
> In making flower stems, I use several gauges of galvanized wire, ranging from 14 GA to 30 GA as well as single strands from picture wire. Although some people use thin brass tubing (available from hobby shops), I have found that wires of varying gauges are sufficient to create a pleasing result for this project. I use two gauges of wire for each flower. The thicknesses will depend on the size of your flower - bigger flower, thicker wire. The heaviest gauge will form the flower stem and the lighter gauge provides stems for the leaves.
> ...


Hi Ron, please, please finish the series… you've left us hanging! Your creations are beautiful and inspiring.


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## Ronbrush (Nov 18, 2013)

*Adding Stem and Leaves to the Flower*

To those of you who thought I had abandoned this blog, it is because of my wife's ill health that I have not been able to continue with the tutorial until now. I apologize if you have been waiting all this time for the concluding entries.

Thank you for your patience.

Ron

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In the previous section, the leaf/flower stem was soldered to produce the result shown below. The circled area is where the rose will be attached.










The rose head is threaded onto the main stem as shown below










I create a circular "eye" on the end of the rose stem (shown in the circled part of the photo below). This serves to capture a drop of quick curing epoxy which is dropped into the centre of the rose after it is pulled upward onto the eye.










The photo below shows the rose in its final position on the stem.










Leaves for the rose are made using the same technique that was used with rose petals. They are the same size and shape except that one end of the oval comes to a point, as shown in the photo below.










The stem/flower assembly is positioned on my vise, ready for leaves to be added.










As was the case with the rose petals, the leaves are soaked in water so they are pliable. CA glue is spread along each of the leaf stems - work on only one stem at a time. The viscosity of the CA glue allows it to follow along the stem until the entire stem has a light coating of glue. (See photo below).










The leaf is carefully centred on the stem. The leaf is lightly rubbed along the stem to bond it to the stem.










The process is repeated for each leaf.










The leaf stems are trimmed at the tip of each leaf.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

Ronbrush said:


> *Adding Stem and Leaves to the Flower*
> 
> To those of you who thought I had abandoned this blog, it is because of my wife's ill health that I have not been able to continue with the tutorial until now. I apologize if you have been waiting all this time for the concluding entries.
> 
> ...


Thank you for this blog and the clear pictures and instructions.


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## htl (Mar 24, 2015)

Ronbrush said:


> *Adding Stem and Leaves to the Flower*
> 
> To those of you who thought I had abandoned this blog, it is because of my wife's ill health that I have not been able to continue with the tutorial until now. I apologize if you have been waiting all this time for the concluding entries.
> 
> ...


Nicely done and very interesting project.


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## Gilley23 (May 9, 2017)

Ronbrush said:


> *Adding Stem and Leaves to the Flower*
> 
> To those of you who thought I had abandoned this blog, it is because of my wife's ill health that I have not been able to continue with the tutorial until now. I apologize if you have been waiting all this time for the concluding entries.
> 
> ...


Awesome work, that looks fantastic!


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