How to Make a Corsage

• Clip each flower stem back to 1 inch, push the wire through each stem base, and wrap them in florist’s tape before gathering them like a bouquet.
• Make a bow with wire and ribbon, holding the ribbon loops together by pinching with them the wire.
• Assemble the corsage by attaching the bow, optionally wrapping ribbon around the stems, and sticking a florist’s pin through the bouquet base.

Dress the Flowers

Gather your flowers. You'll need 3 to 4 blooms unless you're working with extraordinarily large flowers.

Clip the stems to a 1" length.

Cut 2 5" (12.7 cm) lengths of florist's wire for each bloom.

Push 1 wire piece through the base of each bloom. Look for the substantial part of the flower where the bloom meets the stem. Pull the wire through until half sticks out of 1 side and half sticks out of the other side.

Poke another wire piece through the base of the bloom. The second wire should be at a 90-degree angle to the other wire so that you create an "X."

Bend all of the wires downward as though creating a new stem.

Wrap the wires in florist's tape starting at the top and working your way down. Use one hand to spin the flower as you slowly release the tape with the other hand.

Continue wiring all of your blooms until you are finished.

Spray the blooms with a floral preservative spray. Be careful not to spray too heavily on dark flowers or you will cause them to look patchy.

Pinch your blooms together at the base to form an attractive bouquet. Consider attractive color combinations, and vary the heights of the blooms.

Add filler to your bouquet. Tight buds, greenery, baby's breath or other less dominating flowers make good filler around the main blooms.

Attach 1 end of a piece of florist's tape to the base of your bouquet. Use one hand to spin the bouquet so that the florist's tape wraps around and covers the entire set of stems.

Cut the wrapped stem to a length of 1-1/2 to 2" (about 4 to 5 cm) using pruning shears.

Make the Bow

Cut a piece of wire about 5 to 6" (12.5 to 15 cm) long. Lay the wire down on a flat surface.

Choose ribbon for the corsage. The ribbon should be about 1/4" to 1/2" (6 mm to 12 mm) wide.

Make a loop. The loop should be about 2/3 of the width of your corsage. When you've finished the loop, twist it at the base to make it more secure.

Make more loops, each with a twist at the base. Generally, 4 to 6 loops will do for a corsage.

Hold the loops together by pinching each loop at its midpoint. Place the pinched loops against the wire at the wire's midpoint.

Use the hand that isn't holding the loops to bring up the wire ends on either side of your fingers.

Press the loops down against the wire with your thumb. Using your other hand, twist the wire ends to secure the loops.

Tape the twisted wire to cover it and to protect the wearer from the sharp edge.

Assemble the Corsage

Decide whether you want to wrap the stem of your corsage with ribbon or to leave the wrapped stems exposed. If you wrap the ribbon around the stem: If you decide to wrap the stems with ribbon, position the wrapped loops at the base of the flower and wrap the stems around the ribbon going downward toward the end of the stem. Wrap the stems again going back upward toward the base of the flower. Cut the ribbon with a pair of scissors when you are finished. Leave a length of about 1-1/2 to 2" (4 to 5 cm) at the end. Tie the loose ends of the ribbon together rightly to secure the bow to the bouquet. Wrap a loop of florist's tape around the tied ends if that will make you feel that they are more secure. If you've used silk flowers, use a dab of hot glue instead of tape. If you decide not to wrap the stems in ribbon: Cut the ribbon, leaving a 1/2 to 2" (4 to 5 cm) tail. The the ends of the ribbon behind the bouquet. Tie them tightly to secure the bow to the blooms. Add florist's tape or hot glue, if needed, for extra security.

Trim the remaining ends of the ribbon so that they aren't visible behind the bouquet.

Stick a florist's pin through the base of the flower stems.

Place the corsage in a plastic box or in a plastic resealable bag. If you use a plastic resealable bag, blow air into the bag before you seal it so that the blooms aren't crushed by the bag.

Store the corsage until you're ready to transport it. If you've used fresh flowers, refrigerate the corsage until you're ready to transport it. If you've used silk flowers, then place the corsage in a cool, dry place so that it won't fade in the light.