Things You'll Need:
- Varieties of flowers
- Cutting board
- Sharp pair of scissors or razor blade
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Step 1
Sketch the floral arrangement you're considering. Experiment on paper with stem lengths in the design until you find one that suits you.
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Step 2
Remember that long stems allow the wearer less movement. When two people are dancing, longer stems tend to fall out of place and sometimes snag a partner's clothing. This is particularly important with wrist corsages. The shorter the stem length, the more freedom of movement the wearer will have.
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Step 3
Lay each flower on a cutting board. Score each stem at the point you intend to cut with a sharp pair of shears or a razor blade.
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Step 4
Gather the flowers into a bundle and make certain you can attach them to one another using only the area above the score marks. Anticipate ¼- to ½-inch of stem for the wire wrapping. Remember that you'll need a small portion of stem to extend beneath the floral wire. If any of your score marks are too high on the stem, make new ones further down so you'll know where to cut.
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Step 5
Use the razor blade or scissors to cut the stems diagonally, one by one, using the same angle and direction of cut for each piece. Cut in one sharp motion, rather than sawing back and forth. Sawing the stems will causes ragged edges instead of crisp, clean lines.
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Step 6
Trim any rogue edges that appear once the corsage or boutonniere is complete. For a professional look, all stems must be the same length on the finished product.
