Solawood Flower Basket

Sola wood is a naturally obtained material. It is Tapioca peel, treated for craft purpose with which variety of things can be made.  It is available in the shops where craft materials are sold. Here we are making a flower basket, a very attractive piece of art.

Materials Used

   1.      Sola wood - about 20 rolls
   2.      Thermocol - 1/2 meter
   3.      Hard Board -2 1/2 meters
   4.      Cloth - Cotton/Satin/Felt/ Velvet
   5.      Glue ( Fevicol)
   6.      Flower Making thread
   7.      Scissors, carbon, tracing, design, cutter

First choose the design you want to work.

   1. Trace the design onto the thermocol using tracing paper and carbon paper.

   2. Draw the outline of the basket on the thermocol using a pen or pencil.
   3. With a thermocol cutter cut the thermocol through the outline carefully.
   4. Once the cutting is over, remove all the chipped out portions.
   5. Now your basket on thermocol is ready. Keep it aside.
   6. Take your hard board. Cover it with the black or any dark colour cloth. Cover it properly and stretch out or bring the four sides to the back side of the hardboard and paste them to the board using glue( Fevicol).
   7. Your hard board should be of appropriate size, so that your thermocol design can be properly stuck to the board.

   8.  Now paste the cut thermocol basket on the hardboard. Then take the sola wood. Press it slightly without pressure so as to make it smooth. Please do not press it hard, so that it becomes too flimsy. Now you have to do the 'weaving' design on the thermocol basket.

To make the Basket : Cut the sola wood into strips of even length and width say, approximately 2cm x 2cms. Each piece can be stuck on the design of the basket  lengthwise and breadth wise.

Another method of making a basket :  To weave the design of the basket :- Cut the sola wood into strips of even length. Paste the strips at the top edge and side of the basket and leave it loose and weave alternately. After  weaving, paste the edges to the thermocol and chop excess sola wood pieces. Sides of the basket should be covered neatly with the sola wood.   Now the basket is ready.

 To make the Roses:- Cut the sola wood in the shape of petals. Cut the petals of 3 different sizes approximately 200 -300  in nos.

Take a small petal. Roll it and tie it at the bottom with the flower making thread. Arrange 5-7 petals around it and again tie with the thread. Now the flower is ready.

Make around 50-60 flowers of different sizes. Since the solawood is fragile, care should be taken while tying with the thread.

To make Leaf:- Carefully cut and shape 20-30 leaves with the sola wood. 

First arrange the flowers and leaves on the top portion , just above the basket.  Once you are satisfied with the arrangement, paste them onto the positions using glue (fevicol).

Arrangement and pasting should be done in such a manner that it should look as if the flowers are arranged from within the basket.
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