How to Make a Fancy Pikake Lei
It is traditional in a Hawaiian wedding for the bride to wear a necklace of pikake (white jasmine) buds and for the groom to wear of garland of green maile leaves. Both the garland and the necklace are leis. The groom's is a kind of lei called a "kipu`u," which is sometimes tied short and worn like a crown. The bride's is a "kui pololei" which is a kind of lei that includes puka shell necklaces. Your pikake lei should be about three feet long when it is done. During the summer you will need about 85 pikake buds, and in winter you will need about 125.
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Things You'll Need
- 85 -- 125 fresh pikake buds
- #1 sharps (sewing) needle
- 45 inch length of waxed, white, carpet thread
- Scissors
Instructions
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Tie one end of a 45 inch length of waxed, white, carpet thread to a #1 sewing needle. Professional lei makers use a 10 inch long lei needle for speed but a large sewing needle will make just as nice a lei.
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String the flowers onto the thread by piercing the center of the pikake buds with the needle. Pierce the buds from front to back and after you have strung three or four buds push them down the string before continuing.
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3
Tie the string with any knot you know after you have made a lei that is 34 to 36 inches long. Trim the loose ends of the string with scissors.
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Tips & Warnings
Your pikake lei will stay fresh for four to six days in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
References
- Photo Credit Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images
