Hand-Wired Bouquets: Roses and Hyacinths

A stylish nosegay achieves its perfect domed shape with wired pink roses and hyacinth blossoms with yellow floral pins at their centers. A coiled bouquet cuff is a lighthearted accent: Wire wrapped in pale-pink ribbon was shaped into a looped design and attached to the stem to frame the bouquet. Matching satin ribbon is wound around the wire stems and tied in a graceful bow.

Tools and Materials
To make the bouquet cuff seen here, you will need:
22-gauge white cloth-wrapped floral wire, which comes in precut pieces 18 inches long
Silk embroidery ribbon 7-mm-wide
Floral tape
A dowel or broom handle that's about one inch in diameter.

Wire Bouquet Cuff How-To
1. Lay the end of the ribbon against the end of the wire at a 45-degree angle, and affix by wrapping with floral tape. Then wrap ribbon tightly around wire to cover. Cut away excess ribbon, and secure end with floral tape.

2. To create the looped design, wrap the center of the ribbon-wrapped floral wire around the dowel three times, as shown above. Slide off dowel. (If you'd like tighter coils, use a smaller dowel.)

3. Shape the curled wire by pulling the loops apart slightly. Bring ends together, creating a stem, and tape together. Repeat with as many wires as needed to surround the bouquet (our bouquet required 15 wires). Arrange the coiled segments around the bouquet, and tape stems of coils to handle of bouquet with floral tape. Bend wire loops outward.