 Making
a Hawaiian Lei
Give your summer parties an exotic feel by
making your own Hawaiian Lei. Just follow
our easy step by step instructions.
Step 1: Cut a length of
thread (doubled) or dental floss (not doubled)
50 inches long and thread your needle.
Step 2: Mark each end 5
inches from the end with the felt-tip pen.
(It's helpful to place a clip of some sort
at one end.)
Step 3: Pluck the stem
from each blossom, one at a time or pluck
them all before you start.(If you're making
a lot of leis, have one person string and
one pluck.)
Step 4: Sliding the needle
on the 'lip' of the flower, pierce the flower
about a 3/8-inch below the stub of the stem.
Step 5: Continue adding
flowers on the needle, gently nesting the
end of each flower into the 'mouth' of the
next. (The line of pierced blossoms should
look like a stack of nested hats).
Then grasping every 4-5 blossoms gently
in the palm of your hand move them down
to the end of the thread. (You'll need to
string about 80 blossoms for a 40 inch lei).
Step 6: Finish the lei
by nesting the first and last flowers and
tying a square knot. Leave a 'tail' to carry
the lei with until you are ready to present
it.
Step 7: Finally, lightly
mist each lei as you complete it and store
in the refrigerator in loose moistened plastic
bags until ready for use.
Helpful Hints: Orchids
are a lot like lettuce, they don't like
to be too cold and they will turn clear
if they directly touch the sides of a cold
refrigerator. It may help to turn your refrigerator
down a little. The leis will last up to
five days in the refrigerator, misting as
needed - however, they are still best used
no later than the next day.
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