DIY Lavender Wand

The lavender from last week's Lavender Festival is still working it's magical wonders on me and our home. I thought I would create a DIY post for making those magically wonderful lavender wands.They are rather fun, quick, and easy to make.

The wand in this tutorial is not as big as the ones pictured above, however it is still fragrant and just as lovely to scent a drawer or closet.

What you will need:
11 or 13 fresh lavender reeds (picked from a lavender plant). It is quite important that the lavender is fresh and green as the reeds are pliable and not rigid.
1/8 inch wide ribbon (or 1/4 inch, but no wider) I used 1/8 in wide.
scissors

So to get started, cut your lavender reeds where they grow from the foliage of the plant. This will encourage new growth for the plant.You need an odd number of reeds and for your first attempt 11 or 13 is just right.

Strip your reeds of all the little foliage, so that it looks like this.

Next, bundle your reeds, so that the base of the lavender buds on each reed match up in the bundle.

Tie your reeds together at the base of the lavender buds with your ribbon, leaving one tail rather long (about 24 inches or so) for weaving in and out of the reeds.

So cute, right? I know, but it gets better. Now, fold the reeds over the lavender buds, so that the reeds are wrapped around the lavender buds. The reeds will encase the lavender buds. Does that make sense?

 Does that picture help? What about this one?

Are you still with me? Ok, so lets keep going, shall we? Here is where we get to weave the ribbon in the reeds.
Move the reeds around a bit so they are roughly even, all the way around the lavender. As you begin to weave and tighten the ribbon, this will shape up better. Make sure the short tail of your ribbon is tucked in well. Start to weave the long tail of your ribbon over and under each reed. It doesn't matter if you start over or under, just make sure you stay with your pattern.

Kinda looks like a spider, doesn't it? So keep gently weaving over and under each reed. When you reach your starting point, you will start your second row, which will automatically go over the reeds you wove under, and under the reeds you wove over. The beauty of using an odd number of reeds.

So now, all you have to do is keep weaving around, gently tightening as you go. Just keep weaving, just keep weaving, just keep wea-ving, wea-ving. . . (sorry, it just popped into my head). As you weave further down the lavender buds, your weaving will start to get smaller.

Now all we need to do is tie off your ribbon. First wrap the ribbon around the wand base one time and tie a half hitch in the ribbon, securing your woven ribbon.

Next, take your ribbon and make one loop on the right side of the wand, so that the ribbon is trailing behind the wand. The picture makes more sense.

From here, make a second loop on the left side of the wand, with the ribbon trailing on top of the wand.

Now, tie the two loops together like you did when you were learning to tie your shoes.

See how the ribbon tail is up? Pull it down over the first tie of your loops, and then tie your loops again to make a knot.

Trim off the ribbon tail and you are finished!

Set this lovely wand aside to dry for a few days. Give the bulb end a squeeze, inhale the relaxing, peaceful aroma, admire your handiwork, and slip it in a drawer or closet. Or package it up for a gift, or even use it as a gift topper. When you need to freshen the scent, just squeeze the bulb a few times and it will stimulate the lavender aroma again.
I LOVE these, and since I had a wonderful harvest of Lavender this year (thanks to the wonderful merchant at the Ferrell Shop in Oak Ridge), I am making several for gifts and for my linen closets. The more you make, the easier and faster it goes. Do you think you may try one? I would love to see pictures.

Heaps of love,

Shannon