Lavender Wands

Lavender wands are a fun and simple craft and are a great way to use up some of the fresh lavender that is abundant this time of year. Put one in a dresser drawer to refresh your clothes or keep one anywhere you think you might benefit from a little calming aromatherapy. They look complicated to make, but they are quite easy, especially once you get into the weaving rhythm.

Supplies

• Fresh lavender, in an odd number of stalks, trimmed so the stalks are the same length

• ¼” thick ribbon

Steps

Begin by picking your lavender while it is in bud. The aroma is stronger, will last longer, and the wands will be easier to manipulate than when they are in full bloom as they take up less space. You will need an odd number of stems for each wand. These were made with 13 stems.

Remove the leaves at the bottom of the stem, so they are nice and clean. Collect the stems and arrange using the end of the lavender buds as the common point. Trim the stems so they are all even.

Cut a long length of ribbon. This wand used about 7 feet of ribbon. Tie your length of thin ribbon around the base of the flowers. One side should be a few inches longer than the length of the stems and will be used to tie off the wand at the end. The other side will be much longer and will be the side that you use to weave your wand.

Now gently, fold back the stems over the flowers. You are creating a cage around the blooms. Some instructions suggest using a spoon to do this part. Either way be gentle with the folding. You do not want to break the stems, only gently bend them. Fresh stems work best as they are more flexible.

The shorter piece of ribbon will be inside the cage. Use the longer piece begin to weave in and out around the cage, over one and under the next, repeat. Once you go around the first time, you will find that what was over on the first round will be under on the second round.

Keep working your way down the cage until you reach the point where all the lavender buds are enclosed. Using the short end of the ribbon that is sticking out from inside the cage and the longer piece you have been working with tie a knot or two for good measure.

Wrap the stems in ribbon, either fully or by leaving enough room between wraps to create stripes of ribbon with the stems showing through.

These wands will last for years. When the aroma depletes, roll the woven blossom section around with your fingers and more fragrance will be released.

This is a great craft for many ages, but a little manual dexterity is needed.

This tutorial was contributed by one of our favourite instructors, Monica Mueller.