Making a Tussie Mussie
Making a Tussie Mussie
Materials needed:
roses, rose-scented geranium, ivy,
herbs, sage, artemesia,
lambs ear, veronica,
baby breath, salvia,
daisies, sweetannie,
globe amaranth
dusty miller, queen anne's lace,
rosemary, lavender,
ribbons, clover,
lace, leaves, doilies
floral tape, wire (narrow gage), tissue paper
A Victorian nosegay, A "bunch" of flowers that have a floral language, or "speak" from the heart of the sender to a loved one, Is a Tussie Mussie.
A nosegay made in the form of a circle of flowers with a main flower, centered,(as a rose, symbol of love) Rosemary (for remembrance), and surrounded by herbs, other flowers and dressed up with a leafy edge, lace and flowing ribbons.
Material needed- floral tape, wire (narrow gage), ribbon, lace or paper doily, flowers, herbs and leaves.
Fresh or dried? Your choice. Do cut your stems with garden clippers. Angle the cuts.
Use wire to help hold the flowers and herbs together. If fresh flowers are used, dampen material- spagnum moss, or paper tissue, to keep the materials moist and fresh.
Strip the leaves from the stem of the flowers and herbs. Selecting a single blossom for the center, surround this center flower with about 5 sprigs of a small contrasting flower or herb.
Evenly space other flowers of a contrasting color. Spikes of veronica, lavender, salvia, maybe
5 to 7, placed to balance the herbs, (salvia is blue or white) making the circle each time.
Always use an odd number of sprigs and space them evenly each time.
Nosegays, tussie mussies, can be made up in a 5" -7" or 9" size, you decide.
A small nosegay at 3" can be outlined with a circle or rose-sented geranium, sage, artemesia, lamb's ear or ivy: this will expand the size to about 5 ".
For a fresh tussie, keep it so by binding the bottom parts of the stems with wet spagnum moss.
I use wet facial tissue, cut to fit, and wrapped in plastic wrap.
Cover with green or white floral tape stretched to fit.
For a dried material tussy, wrap with stretched floral tape.
Add a paper or real lace doily. for a paper doily, chip and x in the center, so that the underside of the tussie rests on the doily.
Wrap with floral tape, stretching and overlapping as you work diagonally.
Tie a bow on the handle or insert on side.
Tie lovers' knots on ribbon ends.
NOTE: "A Talking Bouquet" speaking in the language of flowers.
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