A Pillowing Basing Technique for Flowers

Chrysanthemum Poms

• 1

  Cut the stems of the chrysanthemum poms to a 2- to 3- inch height with a sharp knife or floral shears. Regular or daisy chrysanthemum poms work best for a pillow form.

• 2

  Insert a round toothpick straight up into the center of the stem of the pom until it is wedged in. Be careful to keep the stick from showing at the center of the top of the blossom. This is called a picked stem.

• 3

  Insert the end of the toothpick into the foam of the pillow form by holding the center of it with your fingers firmly. Plunge it down into the foam to be sure it is securely in place.

• 4

  Fill the entire top of pillow foam base in with the picked flowers. Stagger the heights of the flowers slightly to create a textured appearance to the base of the funeral pillow.

Carnations

• 5

  Cut the carnations stems to a 2-inch height with a sharp knife.

• 6

  Hold a wired pick against the stem of the carnation.

• 7

  Wrap the wire around the stem of the carnation to secure it tightly.

• 8

  Start at the outer edge of the pillow foam form and insert the picked carnation into the foam. Insert carnation picks around the entire outer area of the pillow.

• 9

  Fill in the interior area of the pillow form with carnation picks.