How Tuesday - Making a Lavender Wand

For years I have talked about making Lavender wands, but I never had enough tall lavender stalks to make them with.  I grow a short form of lavender in my production garden which I keep fairly well trimmed, as a result I never have 12 to 18 inch long stems needed to make an attractive wand.  However my home lavender is now three years old and this winter took a terrible hit.

When I took this picture after the last snow melted in April, it looked like it would never recover.  In May I trimmed out the dead branches, and by the end of June it looked like this:

Making Lavender Wands 

To make a lavender wand you need an odd number of long stems.  I used 15 for mine, but you can make cute ones with only 7 stems.  Cut the stems when the lavender is still in bud form, but not flower.

Flowers on left, buds on right

Besides the lavender stems you need ribbon, I like a 1/4 inch ribbon, but a narrower or wider ribbon will also work, it just takes different lengths.  Don't precut the ribbon, but you will need about 3 feet of 1/4 inch ribbon to make a wand.

Once you have the number of stems you want and need, the first step is to strip the leaves and other bits off the stems, leaving only the flower heads.  Grasp the stem in two fingers and strip down removing the leaves.  Save them for tea or sachets.

When you have all the stems have been striped, then you need to bunch the stems with all the flowers at the same location.

Stack them together with the bottom of the buds lighted up together.  Don't worry that the bottoms of the stems are not even, you will trim them later.

When the stems are all stacked together.

Gather the stems together and tie tightly in a knot with the end of the ribbon.  Trim the  ribbon short so you only have one tail to work with.  Rather than cutting the ribbon, allow it to come off the spool so you can use as much as you need.  It takes about 3 feet of ribbon for one wand.

To make a wand you are going to weave the ribbon over and under the stems of the lavender after folding the stems back over the flower heads.  To start the wand need to push the knot to within 1/4 inch of the buds.  Hold the stems at the flowers with the stems pointed up, then bend the stems down over the flower heads and the knot.

When you have bend them all down you will have a cage around the buds.

Slip the ribbon out the cage and then begin winding among the stems placing the ribbon over one stem, then under the next.  It is awkward to get started, but by the second turn around the stems it becomes easier.  Use your thumb to press down on one stem to raise up the next.

Don't worry of the stems split, the cage and ribbon together hold everything nicely.  Just continue to wrap the ribbon over and under.  Be sure not to miss a stem or you will throw off the pattern.  However, if you do, don't fret. It is hardly noticeable when you are all finished.

The lavender flower heads will try to poke out between the stems as you work.  Just poke them back inside.  A few buds may stick out among the ribbon too, just pull those off when you are finished.

It will take about 15 to 30 minutes to complete the weaving.  Not tedious, and the smell while you work is wonderful. Once you reach the bottom of the flower heads pull the stems tightly together, and make a loop bow to hold it. 

You can see by the shape why these are sometimes called lavender bottles.  A loop bow is made by making two loops of ribbon and cross knotting them over the stem.  You can leave the ribbon hanging at this point or wrap it around the stems and tie at the bottom

                                    

I made one in blue with smaller ribbon, only 1/4 inch wide and another with white ribbon 1/2 inch wide.  I liked the 'bouquet' of the third, so I just tied the stems and wrapped them.

You can use the wands to decorate, or place in a drawer as a sachet.  The ribbon holds the lavender inside, so these will dry and age well.  Give the bundle a squeeze and the scent will be released, even when they are years old.