How to Make a Lavender Wand

Hello friends,

“The blue hues of lavender inspire a poet’s voice, an artist’s hand and a gardener’s eye…”

Lavender Wands

It is lavender time. This beloved herb abounds in my garden, its sweet, spicy, herbal aroma wafting through the air. 

Simple tools are needed to weave the wands: ribbon, scissors, toothpick or skewer to help tighten the ribbon and the fresh lavender stems. 

During the Victorian time, young girls and ladies of the house would sit in their elegant parlors in late spring and fashion ribbon and fresh lavender stems from their herb gardens into wands to freshen the linens and closets.

If you have access to fresh lavender, you can create these charming, fragrant delights. I have various varieties of lavender.  This particular plant is new to my garden and it had wonderful extra long stems which is great for making the wands. 

Cut fresh lavender stems as long as possible. Use the fresh cut stems or they will not be flexible enough. It is good to cut the lavender in the morning after the dew is gone.  Count out an odd number of stems, the more stems the larger the finished wand. Eleven stems makes a small size wand I like to use 21 stems, it must be odd number so you can weave properly.

Remove any leaves and side stems.  This plant has 3 blossoms on each stem so I remove the smaller ones and use those for tiny wands.  Save the leaves as well for sachets.

For the larger lavender wands, I like to stagger the stems to give you a longer head.  Keeping them even yields a wider bottle type wand.  Either one is fine, just personal preference. 

Using about 45 inches of the ribbon of your choice, I prefer a thin ribbon, tie the stems tightly just below the flowers leaving the ribbon for weaving. Leave one end about 12 inches, this will be used to make a top hanging loop if you want one.

Gently bend the stems over the flower heads, spacing them evenly around the bouquet.

Tie the short end of the ribbon into a loop at the top. Have the remaining piece of ribbon running down the center of the bouquet, you will use it to tie off the end of your weaving.

Begin weaving the long end or the ribbon over and under each stem, distributing them evenly to form a cage around the blossoms. Keep the ribbon tight to the previous rows.

Continue to weave the ribbon around the wand until you come to the end of the flowers. Using the skewer or toothpick, go back and tighten the ribbon.  It is important to have the ribbon very tight as the lavender will shrink as it dries and the ribbon will loosen if it isn't tight.

You can tie off the ribbon at the bottom of the wand to the end of the loop ribbon. You can braid and weave it to the bottom, finish it with a bow or embellish it with some beads. The wand is ready to place in your lingerie drawer, hang in your closet or car, keep it in your gym bag or locker. As the lavender dries it can be freshened with some lavender essential oil or simply crushed between your hands to release more fragrance.

My garden lavender beds have been established for over a decade. They continue to propagate, growing every more plentiful with each growing season. Such a fantastic addition to any herb garden.

You can find lavender wands, soaps, powders and more for sale in my on line shop alleghenyhearth.com.

Thanks for visiting.

Bonnie

Reader's Comments


By Guest on 11/08/2013 @ 09:55amThanks for sharing this :) I will try weaving my lavender soon. Vicki Johnson


By Guest on 07/26/2013 @ 01:45amHi, this is my first season making wands. Your instruction is thorough, so clearly written, and the pictures are helpful. My top loop is off to a side rather than in the middle. I'll experiment with different tying methods. As I weave, my thoughts go to so many women friends...what spontaneous and appreciated gifts these will be. Thank you, Anne in Oregon


By Guest on 07/11/2013 @ 07:53pmHi! I've been weaving lavender wands for many years now, but never thought about tying a top loop before. Thanks for the creative thought! Monica Canaris


By Guest on 06/14/2013 @ 10:56pmThanks for writing such clear instructions - I'll be making myself some wands soon :) Peggy Davis