When giving ikebana workshops to a group of children, the issue of what kind of vase to use is often a concern. Over the past few months my daughters and I have been experimenting with using different items as vases, creating our own as well as using items found around our home. This week we decided to experiment using small woven jewellery baskets.
To create a simple late summer/early autumn arrangement, my daughters collected a variety of materials from our garden. As they collected their materials, I gently reminded them of the need to consider their “vase”. Their materials shouldn’t be too long or heavy otherwise the small vase will topple over or the arrangement will look out of balance.
They each decided upon a variety of grasses, leaves and flowers for their arrangements. A small liquor glass was placed inside their baskets to hold water and act as a counterweight for the plant material.
They gently placed the grasses first, ensuring that the arrangement was in balance. Next they added the flowers and finally the leaves.
Once they were happy with their arrangement they placed the basket lid on an angle, to obscure their small kenzan and to create a feeling of the arrangement bursting out from the woven jewellery basket.
Comments