Make this heart wreath from scratch and decorate with dried lavender flowers

We used to sell dried lavender heart wreaths like the one below in my shop. They were bought in ready-made and were unfortunately expensive to retail. So I thought I’d have a go at making something myself.

Part 1 – Making the heart wreath

Materials needed to make this heart wreath

Salim stems
Raffia
Scissors
Tape measure
A large bowl of hot water
Somewhere warm to dry the stems and something heavy to hold them in place

Method

A little while ago I purchased a bundle of dry salim. This is a wreath-making material a little like grapevine and comes in a big tangled brittle bundle.

The first thing I had to do was try and make the strands tidy and maleable. I managed this by soaking the bundle for a few hours in hot water. I then teased out the strands, taking about 24 lengths, each 50cm long. These I tied firmly together at both ends.

To make the heart shape, I opened the centre of the bundle so that there were about 12 strands in each hand. I then pushed the tied top of the bundle into the gap I had made, to create the heart.

The heart was now shaped correctly but still maleable, so I placed it flat in the airing cupboard, and weighing it down to dry for a few hours.

I trimmed the ends of the wreath – I guess it’s a matter of taste as to how far to take it! I could have tidied it up further but liked the rustic look.