Lately, there have been several stick crafts including painting sticks, weaving between and adorning with fiber and beads. My plan is to fill up this basket with an assortment of sticks. This project is far from done, but thought I’d share what I’ve done so far.

To begin with, I want these sticks for my new bedroom. I want the colors to match my bedroom area rug

 

the basket

and my house paint colors. The paint in these bowls are the paints from the walls of my house. I have used them, in part, to paint my first few sticks.

I began by pruning one of my witch hazel bushes. This bush it trying desperately to cover our shed so regular pruning is warranted 🙂

I cut the branches to fit in a woven vase.

I began by weaving one of the forks. Since I planned to paint the branches, I probably should have done that first, but, oh well, in the end it worked out! There are many detailed tutorials online for weaving in general, and weaving branches specifically. Simply do a google search on Branch Weaving and you’ll find plenty to help you. Here’s a Readers Digest Condensed version of what I did. This is NOT a detailed explanation! 

Select a stick with at least 1 fork. Do not use brittle branches or the branches will snap when you put pressure on them. Freshly cut branches work great or if you have access to drift wood, the branches are hard and can hold up to weaveing.

Begin by tying string or yarn near the V. I used Lily Sugar ‘n Cream 100% cotton yarn. 

Begin winding the thread back and forth between the two branches, wrapping the thread around the branch each time to prevent the thread from sliding. My threads are close together but you can make them farther apart if you like. The most important thing is to keep the thread taut and the wraps evenly spaced. Use your finger to hold the thread tight so the thread does not slip. When you get to the top, simply tie off the thread.

You can weave the strings any way you want. I used a basic under/over to weave my branch. I left a long tail at the bottom and worked up and down one side then switched to the other side going up and down. As I worked up the branch, this created a “V” design in the weave, but there is no right way to do this. I simply tied the end of my string to a blunt yarn needle and used a fork to push the woven rows together. 

When you run out of thread, simply add a new piece to the back of your work, making sure to leave a long tail. When you are all done you can weave the tails into the stitches and hide. Here is my finished piece.

I then proceeded to paint some of the branches. I tend to like things whimsical, so I made fun strips. I used some of the paint from the walls of my house and arcylics.

And there you have it! I have more branches to collect and paint, and I have some ideas for weaving different branches. Plus, I want to add some fibers and beads to some branches. When I am finally done with my branch “bouquet” I’ll share again!