How to Make a Double stranded Orchid Lei

Creating an Orchid Lei is fun and super easy to do. I will provided you with a step by step guide to make your own beautiful and exotic tropical lei. Get as creative as you want by adding different varieties of orchids to your flower lei.

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Materials Needed

      -Long Needle: Look for the longest embroidery needle you can find. This will  make stringing the flowers easy.

 

Professional lei makers use particular needles that are intended for lei making. These needles are 6-12 inches in length and contain a pointed end on one side and a hooked end on the other.

 

    -String: twine, dental floss, 8 to 10 pound fishing line, ribbon

   -Fresh Flowers: orchid…..I will be using a Dendrobium Orchid for this specific flower lei.  

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Double Stranded Orchid Leis 

1) Collect Fresh Orchids: Making a 40 inch double strand Orchid flower lei you will need to collect around 100 flowers.

2) String the Needle: Cut a piece of string about 80 inches. Loop through the end and fold in half making sure that each end is even with the other.

Note: You may want to make cut the string slightly larger due to the extra knots you will be adding at the end.

3) String the Flower: Pierce the needle through the side of the Orchid. Continue to string all your Orchids in this fashion. However, each time you pull the Orchids down your going to have the open end of the Orchid face the opposite way. Think of it as making the letter “t”. Top, bottom, side and side. Once you have a set complete pull the flowers down towards the knots.

Note: Try not to manipulating the flower lei to much. The less fixing of the flowers the fresher the flowers will appear.

5) Final Step: Cut the string from the needle. Tie both ends together making 3 or so knots in the same area.

* If you have the proper Lei needle unhook the string from the needle and tie the two ends together. 

Tip: Once the Orchid lei is complete you may want to add a ribbon of choice over the knots. This will conceal the knots without trying to rearrange the flowers.

      

Place over your head and enjoy your beautiful Hawaiian Orchid Lei.

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Preserving your fresh flower leis

If you are not going to wear your Orchid lei at that very moment follow the following procedure.

1) Mist the floral lei lightly with water

2) Place the floral lei loosely in a plastic bag.

3) Store in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator. Check on your lei every now and then. You are checking to make sure that the flowers are not being damaged from the cold. 

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To make other tropical flower leis

For the following tropical flower leis I have included different types of stranding techniques. You may use these different techniques with any of the tropical flowers.

Plumeria

Hibiscus

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Orchid Leis are absolutely beautiful! Want to find out more about growing these beautiful tropical flowers? You will find out how easy it is and benefit from the amazing orchid blooms for weeks to months. 

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