The flower lei is known worldwide as the epitome of the Hawaiian aloha spirit! Charming colorful and fragrant, lei can represent love, friendship, luck, and other positive sentiments. You will often see it at graduations, weddings, birthdays and many other events. This wikiHow teaches you how to make a traditional Hawaiian lei out of fresh flowers, plus a method for making a lei out of crepe paper and money.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Making Fresh Flower Lei
Step 1. Collect some fresh flowers
A lei can be made from any type of fresh flower – plumeria, rose, daisy, and carnation are popular choices – but you can choose any flower, leaf or fern from your garden.
- You'll find that it's easier to make lei from medium-sized flowers with strong stems and long-lasting petals. Flowers with delicate petals that fall off or break easily are not a good choice.
- To make a 40-inch (1,016-meter) strand of lei, approximately 50 flowers are needed. Try picking each flower at the base of the stem to make sure the stamens are intact.
Step 2. Cut the stems of each flower
Leave about - inch (0.635 cm – 1.27cm).
Step 3. Cut the thread
Cut a piece of cotton or fishing line 100 inches (2.54 meters) long. Folded, into 40 inches (1,016m) lei with 5 inches (12.7cm) at each end for tying when you're done.
Step 4. Thread the thread into the needle
Take a large needle and thread the thread through the eye of the needle until the thread is halved. Tie the two ends of the thread to form a knot – this is to hold the flowers in the necklace.
- Be sure to leave 4 or 5 inches (10, 16 or 12.7 cm) of yarn hanging under the knot – this is for tying the lei once it's done.
- In Hawaii, they use 12 to 18 inch (30. 48 to 45. 72 cm) steel lei needles to arrange their flowers - so if you can get one of these needles, great. Otherwise, any large needle is fine.
Step 5. Arrange the first flower
Take your first flower and stick the needle right in the center of the flower's face, until it goes through. Gently push the flower along the string.
- Alternatively, you can stick the needle through the stem until it passes through the center of the flower. The method you choose will depend on the type of flower you are arranging.
- Be very gentle when pushing the flowers in the thread – if you push too hard, you can damage the flowers or even tear them.
Step 6. Arrange the other flowers
Continue to arrange the other flowers in the same way, pricking the needle through the face or stem of each flower. You can arrange with the flowers all facing the same direction, or alternately to add texture.
- Some lei craftsmen prefer to arrange a bunch of flowers at once (five or more), which makes the process quicker, but can result in damage or tearing of the flowers if you're not careful.
- If you're working with flowers of different colors, it's a good idea to separate them into different groups – this way you can work faster and prevent the color order from getting mixed up.
- Continue adding flowers until the lei is about 40 inches (1,016 m) long. Try wearing them around your neck in front of a mirror to make sure you're happy with the number and placement of the flowers.
Step 7. Finish the lei
When you have finished arranging all the flowers, arrange the placement of the first and last flowers so that they are strung together, then tie the two ends of the thread in a dead knot.
- Leave the excess thread in the knot for a handle before you gift the lei – this excess thread acts as a holder to prevent the flower from touching your hands.
- Trim the excess yarn, and if you like, add a curly ribbon to make it more beautiful. Now your lei is ready to be presented to the recipient!
- A lei can be worn more than once. Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator when not in use to keep the lei fresh. Wet lightly with water to stay hydrated.
Method 2 of 3: Making Crepe Paper Lei
Step 1. Gather your materials
To make crepe paper lei, you will need sheets of colored crepe paper {20 inches (50 cm) long and 2 inches (5cm) wide} – the amount of paper you will need will depend on how long you want the lei to be. You will also need a needle, thread and scissors.
Step 2. Fold the crepe paper
Take a piece of crepe paper and fold it, accordion style, all the way through. The length of each fold is about inch (0.635 cm).
Step 3. Thread the thread into the needle
Thread the thread through the eye of the needle, double it and tie a knot at the end. You'll need roughly two yards of yarn, but again, this depends on how long you want the lei to be.
Step 4. Pinch the folded paper with your fingers and stick the needle through the center of the paper
Push the crepe paper up to the end of the thread.
Step 5. Twist the crepe paper
Unfold the folded crepe paper slightly, then turn it clockwise to create a flower shape. Try to keep the crepe paper as firm as possible – this will make the lei look full.
Step 6. Repeat with the second color crepe paper
Take a second sheet of crepe paper, in a different color (or the same color, if you prefer) and repeat the folding, stringing and twisting process. Work one at a time with each piece of paper until the yarn is filled.
Step 7. Finish the lei
Once you've filled the entire string of twisted crepe paper (this may take an hour, depending on how tight the twisted crepe paper is), thread the needle through the crepe paper on the opposite end and tie a knot to close the lei. Cut the crepe yarn.
Method 3 of 3: Make Lei Money
Step 1. Gather your materials
To make a money lei, you'll need 50 new, good-looking notes, a collection of colored beads, two 50-inch (1.27 m) threads, glue sticks and twenty small binder clips.
Step 2. For banknotes
Take a note and fold it in half, right in the middle. Make sure the two edges are perfectly balanced.
- Place the folded note on the table in front of you, then fold it back one edge, to the edge with the white border. Continue to fold the note and do the same on the other side.
- Continue folding each half of the note, accordion style, until you reach the center. Make sure that each fold is the same size and that you press firmly to get a crisp edge.
Step 3. Make money interest
Once you've completed the accordion fold style, the note should look like a rectangular cut. Fold the piece in half, down the middle.
- Unfold the folded one so that it forms a "V". Take your glue stick and apply a small amount of glue to the inside edges of both sides of the V. Don't apply glue in the middle, apply only to the top of each side.
- Glue the two sides of the V together and use a binder clip to hold it in place while the glue dries.
- Pull the outer edge of the V, until the note forms a circular flower shape. Glue the two outer edges of the flower together (leaving the bottom glue free) and secure with binder clips.
- Repeat this process for the other 49 notes – this will be the interest for your lei.
Step 4. Arrange the lei
Once the glue on the flower has dried, you are ready to assemble your lei. Take two strands of yarn and tie them together at the ends.
- Sew the beads (in any color combination you like) into a double layer of thread, then take a single flower, remove the binder clip and thread the thread through the center of the paper.
- Continue this way, adding three beads and then a flower until all the notes are gone and the lei are full. Tie the two ends of the thread together to close the lei.
Tips
- Don't turn down a lei when someone offers it to you, as that would be considered disrespectful and disrespectful.
- Flowers traditionally used in making Hawaiian lei include: Walahe'e Haole (Mock Orange), 'Awapuhi ke'oke'o (White ginger), 'Ilima, state flower (Hibiscus), Kepalo (Bougainvillea), Kiele (Gardenia), Kupalo (Tuberose), Loke (Rose), Male (Stephanotis), 'Ohai Ali'i (Poinciana), 'Okika (Orchid), Pikake (Jasmin Arabic) and the most famous lei flower, Melia (Plumeria).
- Imitation flowers may be used if real flowers are not available or not possible.
- After putting on a lei, never throw it in the trash. Instead, place it somewhere outside so it can return to the ground. Important: Cut the thread first to make sure no animals will get entangled in it.
- You can also use waxed dental floss to floss your lei; it is stronger than regular thread and easier on the neck.
- Lei plumeria generally lasts about two days.
- Different threading methods are used for different flower types: one method directly pierces the center of each flower, while the other pierces in a circular/double pattern through the “stalk” of each flower. There are even additional variations beyond these, but piercing straight through the center of the flower is the most common, most widely used, and easiest.
- According to Hawaiian tradition, visitors must throw their lei into the ocean when leaving the island. If the lei is dragged back to the beach, this is a sign that the visitor will return to Hawaii one day…..
Warning
- Plumeria flowers contain a poisonous sap. Allow to dry in the open air before assembling.
- Do not refrigerate the plumeria lei; this dries the petals, causing the lei to turn brown more quickly. If you need to refrigerate it, moisten it with water to keep it moist.
