| There are many types of artificial flowers including | | | | or with waxed coated tape to make it self |
| those made from glass, paper, porcelain and | | | | sticking. And finally the assembler has to take the |
| plastic, just to name a few, but the most popular | | | | individual flowers and the set of sprays of leaves |
| artificial flowers are made from silk. All petals are | | | | to the stem to complete each flower. |
| made from white silk cotton and rayon fabric, | | | | This is the last and final step in the artificial flower |
| regardless the finished colour. The fabric is die-cut | | | | making process. All of the completed flowers are |
| into many petal shapes and sizes for one single | | | | then taken to the packing department. Each |
| type of flower. In the first process the petals are | | | | flower stem is wrapped in floral paper and then |
| dyed using cotton balls and paint brushes to touch | | | | the flowers are placed into boxes as if they are |
| colour onto the petals beginning from the edge of | | | | real flower bouquets that are to be delivered. |
| the petal working towards the center. The dyeing | | | | These boxes are then sealed and stored for |
| of one petal can take up to an hour of | | | | shipment. |
| concentrated work. | | | | Artificial flowers are also made by individuals who |
| The next step is to give the petal their distinctive | | | | like this sort of thing as a hobby. Their method is |
| look, with wrinkles, curves lines and other sorts of | | | | much simpler that the manufactured products and |
| shapes needed to create a real and live look. The | | | | some of their finished products can be quite |
| petals are then placed into molds where heat is | | | | impressive. They acquire the necessary materials |
| then applied to press them into there unique and | | | | from their local craft shops, such as a clear fast |
| individual shapes. After these petals are pressed, | | | | drying glue, scissors, wire, wire cutters, floral tape, |
| some of them are stiffened with the use of very | | | | paint brushes and craft paints. They also have to |
| thin wire, which is covered with floral tape to hide | | | | purchase the materials with which the flower is |
| the actual wires. The wires are inserted into the | | | | going to be made, such as paper, stockings, or |
| petals by hand and glue is pasted on to keep the | | | | cloth; some even use dry flowers and berries to |
| wires in place. After this is done the petals are | | | | use in their creations. After collecting all the |
| made into flowers by the use of glue or by | | | | necessary materials, they then create a mold of |
| running a wire through them to give them the | | | | the flower they would like to make with a stencil |
| desired shape. | | | | or some such tool, after which each petal has to |
| The separate flowers and spread of leaves are | | | | be made individually and colored and then they |
| each assembled individually but several of them | | | | are joined by a wire stem which is covered in |
| may be joined together to create one single | | | | floral tape. The petals are not as intricate as the |
| stem. Another process of the work is to take | | | | manufactured products and instead of placing wire |
| wire precuts of specific lengths and properly | | | | in the petals they just usually draw the outlines of |
| cover the entire length of wire with floral paper | | | | them onto the petals before painting. |