How to make a willow sphere

Use fresh willow if possible as it is easy to bend and work with. Dry and old willow snaps easily and makes working harder. If you can't get fresh willow to work with, try to soak the willow you are using very well beforehand. If you don't finish your work of art at once, keep it moist until you continue by wrapping it in a wet terry towel and putting it in a plastic bag.

In these step-by-step pictures we are working with very dry willow and therefore are we making very big spheres - linking 3-4 willows together.

Before you start making the sphere, have a play with willow to see how much you can bend it until it snaps.


Find all the equipments you need:

• about 10cm pieces of wire
• about 5cm pieces of masking tape on the edge of your working table
• tongs
• shears

Cut away the most thick and thin parts of your willow to make sure it bends equally thoroughly.

STEP 1

STEP 2

 STEP 3

STEP 4

STEP 5