Known for their delicate petals surrounding a dramatic black center, we love anemones in fresh white to mix with our favorite greenery. The petals are dried in a gently cupped former to create a flower shape that is easy to nestle next to others in an arrangement. For an alternative version, dry the petals flat to create an open anemone as shown below, and use them layered over the gap between other flowers, or cascading down the side of a cake.
1. Roll a small 3⁄8–1⁄2in (8mm–1cm) ball of black paste until smooth, and secure it to a hooked 20g wire (see Getting Started).
2. Gently press the base of the ball with your fingers to make it slightly v-shaped. Allow it to dry completely.
3. Apply sugar glue or leaf glaze to the entire ball and dip it in black pollen mixture. Tap off any excess. Let it dry before adding the stamens.
4. Bend 20 stamens in half over the middle of a 6in (15cm) 30g white wire. Secure the wire tightly underneath the stamens by twisting several times. Make four or five bunches of stamens depending on the fullness desired.
5. Attach the loose end of a piece of waxed dental floss around the flower stem, and then attach a stamen bunch around the anemone center, wrapping tightly three times with dental floss at the base of the flower center before adding the next bunch of stamens. Add the remaining bunches in the same way, securing each one tightly and spacing them around the center as evenly as possible.
6. Once all the stamen bunches are attached, cover the stamens completely with floral tape to make a single stem. Use your fingers to adjust the stamens as needed to make them look evenly spaced around the center.
7. To make the small petals, roll white paste thinly on the groove board and cut a 11⁄8 x 13⁄8in (3 x 3.5cm) rose petal shape.
8. Dip a 30g white wire in sugar glue, insert it 1⁄2in (1cm) into the groove, and secure at the base (see Getting Started).
9. With a ball tool and working on the foam pad, thin petal edges and then lengthen the center of the petal with two or three strokes.
10. Press the wired petal in the veiner.
11. Working on the foam pad and on the reverse side of the petal, create some gentle movement on the petal edges using the ball tool – create gentle waves, not strong ruffles.
12. Place the petal front-side up in an apple tray or other gently cupped former to dry. Make five or six small petals per flower.
13. To make the large petals, start the petal in the same way up to securing the wire, using a 13⁄8 x 15⁄8in (3.5 x 4.3cm) rose petal cutter. This time, stretch and widen the petals using a few strokes with the ball tool. Press in the veiner, use the ball tool on the back side edges to create movement, and lay in the former to dry. Make six or seven large petals per flower.
14. The mix of small and larger petals will give the anemone flowers a natural look and some visual interest.
15. Using half-width floral tape (see Getting Started), attach a small petal at the base of the stamens where the tape begins.
16. Continue taping all the small petals at the same height, spacing them evenly around the stamens.
17. Begin adding the large petals, attaching them directly below the layer of small petals.
18. Gently steam the anemone flower for a few seconds to finish (see Getting Started). Let it dry completely before using.
