Today, for a change of pace, I taught a plant-making class. The people in the class were all new miniaturists interested in learning about plants. (Three others weren't able to make it; among other things, our area has been hard hit with a respiratory flu that takes weeks to get over.) Two of them own Ruth Hanke's book about making houseplants, but needed guidance how to proceed.
In the morning, we made a sanseviera (snake plant or mother-in-law's tongue) out of my rapidly dwindling stock of paper twist ties. There were some beautiful pots made available by one of the participants, and I got three nice pots to add to my collection. This plant is fairly easy to make, uses cutting and painting techniques, and gives a good sense of accomplishment.
In the afternoon, we made a rubber plant (Ficus), using floral tape, wire, paint etc. This one was rather more challenging, but you can see that the participants were all quite successful. With the basics under their belts, they can now attempt some of Ms. Hanke's designs on their own.
It was a fun class, I really enjoyed myself, and they seem to have found it a good day's work too.
