How to Make a Fresh Flower Lei

The fresh flower lei is probably one of the most definitive of all Hawaiian icons. A lei traditionally expresses love, reverence, respect congratulations and welcome. There are about as many different types of leis as there are reasons to give one. Ancient Hawaiians used braided human hair, bird feathers, shells and dog teeth, but the more modern version includes a vast assortment of fresh flowers, foliage and more. Read on to learn how to make a fresh flower lei.

Things You'll Need

• 40 to 80 flowers for an adult size lei
• String for a lei
• Waxed dental floss to string a lei but you can also use 8 to 10 lb. fishing line or number 10 crochet thread
• Needle
• Tape measure
• Scissors
• Felt tip marker
• Clip for one end of the string
• Petroleum jelly
• Water mister
• One gallon Ziploc plastic bag (if you're going to store the lei)

Instructions

1. Cut a piece of dental floss, fishing line or crochet thread 50 inches long. This will give you a lei that is 40 inches long with 5 inches on each end that you can tie together. If you are using number 10 crochet thread cut it to 100 inches long and use a double strand.

2. Use the felt tip pen to mark the string 5 inches from each end.

3. Place a clip on the opposite end of the string from where you will be stringing the flowers.

4. If you are using a lei needle, pull the string through the hook of the needle and either hold it back to secure it or use pliers to squeeze the hook closed so it makes an eye. If you are using another type of needle, thread it. Use a single strand if you are using dental floss or fishing line and use a double strand if you are using number 10 crochet thread.

5. Remove the stem from each blossom before you string it.

6. Slide the needle through the center of each flower. Some lei makers prefer to not to string through the center, but instead prefer to make a new hole in the flower just below the center of the stem.

7. Nest each flower against the previous flower.

8. After stringing all the flowers nest the first and last flowers and tie the string in a square knot, leaving a tail so the lei can be carried without touching the flowers. Remove the tail before presenting the lei to someone.

9. Mist the lei lightly with water.

10. If you need to store the lei, place it loosely in a plastic bag after misting and store it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator. If the lei gets too cold the flowers will be damaged.

Tips & Warnings

• Some lei makers stringing five flowers onto the lei needle before pushing them gently to the end of the string. Other lei makers recommend sliding flowers down the string one at a time to prevent the flowers from tearing.

• Some lei makers like to tie a pretty ribbon to each end of the lei and tie the ribbon in a bow. This step is optional. Many lei makers prefer to hide the point where the two ends of the lei were joined together.

• Some of the most commonly use lei flowers include plumeria, dendrobium orchids, white ginger, red ginger, pikake, ilima, gardenias, tuberoses and carnations but many other flowers can also be used. The smaller the flowers the more flowers you will need.

• History and folklore warns about presenting leis to pregnant women. It is believed that such a thing jeopardizes the health of the unborn baby.