Filed under Raffia Crafts by admin
This project is a bit difficult but once you get the hang of it, the possibilities are endless.
I used only one package of raffia for the baskets I made. The amount will depend on how large you want your finished basket to be and how large the package of Raffia.
Start by gathering about ten strands of raffia, line the ends up and twist them a bit. Begin rolling the raffia towards itself. Once you have rolled it twice around, begin to stitch it to itself. The thread will be become part of the design of the basket. Every time you go around, stitch the pieces together. Once you have the bottom the size you want, start building the walls up. To do this, you use the same technique. The only difference is, you will wrap the strands on top of each other, stitching them as you go. Continue in the same way until you have the desired height.
A handle can be attached by braiding several strands of raffia together. Attach the handle by stitching it in place.
Supplies needed:
Filed under Raffia Crafts by admin
I topped my tree with one of these angels, my family loves it. It has that primitive rustic look. I have also made smaller versions for ornaments. These can be hung anytime of year.
I find a hot glue gun works best with this project. If you don’t have a glue gun, a needle and thread can also be used. Start by gathering approx. 30 pieces of raffia (depending on the size you would like the angel to be). Cut the raffia strands in half and match up all the ends. Fold the raffia in half and tie about an inch down for small angels and two inches for larger ones. This is going to be the “head” of the angel.
Gather several strands from each side and braid them, knotting them on the ends. These will become the angels arms and hands. I hot glued them in place on the front and I also glued a star to the hands. You can hand stitch these if a hot glue gun is not available. The angel looks as if she is holding the star. You could also glue dried flowers to her hands. Another idea is to cut out a small square piece of paper and fold it in half , giving the look of a book.
The wings that I made for my angel were made by threading wire into a piece of lace trim, the wire will allow you to bend them to the desired shape. I cut two pieces of lace trim the same size and also two pieces of wire the same length. After threading the wire through the lace, I bent the edges to the ends of the lace so it wouldn’t come undone. I gave the wings the shape I liked and then hot glued them to the back of the angel. You can hand stitch them if you don’t have a hot glue gun.
For the halo, I beaded a piece of wire with clear beads. I twisted the ends together and slid them into the top of the head towards the back and bent it so it would stay. I also added a small piece of the lace trim around the neck for an extra touch.
You can glue ribbon to the back or twist wire to the back to hang them. For the larger one, to use as a tree topper, I took several pieces of the scrap raffia and braided them together. Glue (or hand stitch) one end of the strand to the back of the angel, about half way up the body. Glue ( or hand stitch) the other end to the back, making a ring shape. This ring is going to go around the top branch of the Christmas tree, so make sure it isn’t too big or too small.
Supplies Needed:
