♪♪ >> "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following... >> That flower feeling.

♪♪ At home.

♪♪ At work.

♪♪ Or anytime.

♪♪ CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom," where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists at Albertsons Companies.

>> With additional support from the following... ♪♪ >> Today, I'm happy to have my flower friend Sue Muldoon join me to learn about weaving.

From chairs to baskets to trays, Sue shares her passion as I enjoy the many uses for flowers her projects provide.

Then Sue and I trade our best baking tips as we make scones together.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ I'm J Schwanke.

Welcome to "Life in Bloom."

♪♪ Today, I am joined by a special flower friend who I've known for many years now.

I met Sue Muldoon when she worked for a flower seller in Connecticut, and we became fast friends.

I gave presentations about flowers where Sue worked, and we kept in touch over the years.

Sue has reinvented her career several times, and we've stayed connected.

Currently, her passion is weaving with rattan and other materials.

Weaving and flowers just seem to go together, much like our friendship has remained woven in place over the years.

Let's see what we all can weave together in today's show.

♪♪ We formerly knew each other in the flower industry.

We all change things.

Things happen different in our lives.

And you went back to weaving.

I never knew you did this before.

>> I didn't do exactly this kind of stuff before.

I did seat weaving, and I maybe made a couple baskets, but I did get back into it, actually, after I broke my ankle and had some time.

So I started caning chairs again.

>> And then it parlayed itself into all of this.

>> Yeah.

>> So, for those who don't know, this is caning, and this is what you do.

>> This is hand caning.

This is done hole by hole.

It's woven piece by piece.

So if you see a chair that has all these holes around the edges, it's called hand caning or lace caning.

This is called sheet cane or loom cane.

There are some chairs where there's a ridge around the seat... -Uh-huh.

>> ...routered out, that you soak this.

>> Okay.

>> And then you put it into the chair.

This is probably done around 1920s or so after that.

So you can -- sometimes you can tell the age of a chair by if it has the holes or if it has the routered area around the chair.

>> Tell me about the flowers.

>> I did it in some nice bright purple colors.

I've done them in seasonal Christmas colors.

>> Okay.

>> Red, green and white.

I've done them in turquoise, blue, and white, and it makes a nice wintry kind of look.

>> Okay.

>> I've done them in yellow, and they look like a sun.

And I've made -- >> Of course!

>> I've made them as small as this and as big as this.

>> Wow!

>> So you just change up whatever your size of reed and how long you make it, how wide you make it.

It's two pieces.

>> Okay.

So those two pieces join together, side to side, like this.

Okay.

>> I do dye my all my own reed.

I have fun with color.

>> Okay.

>> And this one, this is a 3/8-inch-wide flat reed, and I've -- I'm about halfway done with with this one.

>> Now, let me ask you this.

'Cause this seems fairly intricate.

Is there something that you make, maybe a heart, that you could teach me how to do?

>> Oh, I can teach you how to do a heart.

>> You can teach me how to do a heart.

Okay.

So let's do that.

>> Okay.

>> Let's do that.

I think that that would be fun.

And then, we'll come back, and we're going to visit the other kinds of things you create, as well.

♪♪ So, you're gonna try and teach me how to make a heart.

>> Yeah.

>> [ Laughing ] This will be great.

>> That's why I brought these.

>> Okay.

So this is a trick.

I like this!

It's like our trick.

>> I don't want you gluing yourself to anything else.

>> Okay.

'Cause we're gonna be working with super glue, right?

>> Yeah, yeah.

You're right-handed?

>> I'm right-handed.

>> So we're going to be doing stuff with our right hand, but we're going to be holding it with our left hand.

>> Holding with my left.

Okay.

All right.

>> So, I do my first two fingers and my thumb because this is what's going to touch.

Those are the fingers we don't want to glue.

>> Got it.

>> So that way we can just take them off after we're done gluing.

>> Perfect.

Great idea.

We each have 10 of these, right?

>> Yep.

>> Okay.

>> So we're gonna use -- we're gonna start with two pieces.

>> Two pieces.

>> So the most important part is, we want to make sure this stays at a 90 degrees.

>> Okay.

>> So we're going to put a little dab of glue.

>> Got it.

>> One on the bottom.

>> Okay.

>> Put this on the top.

And clamp it.

>> Oh!

>> Because we want it to match the other side.

>> Got it.

>> I use body parts a lot for measurements.

>> Perfect!

>> Because it works.

>> Okay.

Good.

>> Right.

So we're going to put these about a finger's width apart.

>> Because this reed is about a finger's width wide.

>> Sure.

>> So when we put it a finger's width apart, then we're going to make nice, even squares.

So the next one we're going to put under.

>> Okay.

We're gonna put under.

And I need it to be a finger width apart.

>> Yep.

Because when we start weaving here, we're going to be doing an over-under pattern.

>> Got it.

>> So we're going to start with an over-under pattern when we glue.

>> Got it.

>> So then I've got a little dot of glue here.

And this dries pretty quick.

So we went over, under, over.

>> Okay.

>> So the next one is an under.

♪♪ Okay.

So, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

>> Five.

Okay.

>> So we're going to end with an over.

And then we're going to weave.

So if this was an over, we're going to go under here.

Okay.

Now we're going to go over and under.

Over, under.

And we're going to end on an over.

See, here?

We started with an under.

>> Got it.

>> So our next one's gonna be an over.

And we want to make sure that these are all nice and square.

See how we have all these little squares in here?

>> Uh-huh.

>> And that makes it uniform.

>> Aha.

Okay.

So then I'm going to do it again?

>> Yep.

Put in a third one.

And this was starting to lean a little bit, so I'm gonna make sure that I'm pulling it out straight.

So I have that 90 degrees here.

>> I see.

Gotcha.

♪♪ Okay.

So I'm adding one more in there, right?

And then I do a fourth one.

>> Yep.

We'll end up with five.

>> Okay.

>> So, what I'm gonna look at here is that this is a nice square.

This is a little bit out here, so we're going to pull this piece here and this piece here.

>> Okay.

>> Okay.

Now you see the square?

>> Uh-huh.

I do.

>> So glue it there.

>> Okay.

>> And this is my point.

>> This is the point.

>> And so this needs to dry for just a little bit.

>> Okay.

>> So, these are what I call our point weavers.

This is the bottom.

This is the top.

So this is the point that we start with.

We started with the outside.

>> Right.

>> But when we glue the other side, we're going to start with the inside pieces here.

We're going to do the same patterns.

>> Okay.

>> And glue it and make sure it's 90 degrees.

>> How do we know which one to be on top?

>> It doesn't matter.

You just start with one, and you start with the opposite the next time.

>> Okay.

>> We're going to go to the next set.

We're not going to use both of them.

We're just going to use one.

I go from the left.

And we're going to do the same pattern, but we're going to go under the next time.

About a finger's width apart.

These are all cut the exact same size, but sometimes it doesn't seem like it.

So what I'm going to do is make sure that this shoulder lays nice and flat.

Because I made the shoulder match up, it's going to be a little bit long on this side, so yours may or may not be like that.

But just see if you get that shoulder.

Yep, yours is laying flat.

>> Got it.

>> So, my shoulder's nice and flat.

♪♪ >> So, now, are these going -- are these going underneath or should they be going over the top?

>> It doesn't matter.

>> Oh, okay.

>> It doesn't matter.

Mine go over.

But if it goes under, that's okay.

>> Oh.

I started going under.

Should I switch that?

>> No, no, no.

You're already glued.

>> I know.

>> So, all the way to my fifth one.

>> All the way to your fifth one.

♪♪ >> So you started with the first one over here, and these are glued, so then we're going to start with a second one on the right-hand side.

Gonna do the same as we did before.

Over, under, over, under.

>> And since I did under on the one side, I should do under again.

>> Yep.

>> For my shoulder being under.

>> Yeah.

Yeah, keep it consistent.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ >> Okay.

>> Cool.

So we're gonna do the same thing we did last time.

>> Oh, we're going to glue our point up here.

>> We're gonna glue our point.

>> So if you have any that are hanging over... >> Okay.

>> ...just go ahead and trim them flush.

>> Just like... >> Yeah, those are great clippers for this.

>> Yeah.

So we're gonna let these dry again for about two minutes or so.

>> Yeah.

>> Okay.

>> All right.

So, we've got our nice square here.

>> Yes.

>> We've got our nice square over here.

And they're going to match up at the points.

I find the easiest way to do it is to put glue on the last three weavers.

1, 2, 3.

>> 1, 2, 3.

>> 1, 2, 3.

A nice line of glue.

>> Uh-huh.

Okay.

>> There.

>> All right.

>> And it's easier to kind of push and fold it.

So I'll just put the points together, and I'll hold it down.

>> Oh!

>> See how they match up?

Because we were paying attention to our widths and our 90 degrees.

>> Correct.

>> So it'll match, for the most part, from one side to the other.

And this should dry a little bit longer because there's a lot of tension on there.

>> There is.

>> And we did use more glue than a dot.

We used a nice, solid line of glue.

>> Wow.

>> So that's it.

>> And that's it.

>> And you did it!

>> And I did it.

It's all done.

I love it.

Okay.

So, what I think I'm going to do is, I'm going to make an arrangement in this.

>> Okay.

>> Okay?

♪♪ I have a plastic container that has flower foam inside it.

I've punched two holes in the side, and we're going to suspend that in here, and we're going to conceal it with some moss.

So we have moss as a background to the woven heart, and then we'll add our flowers.

First, we need to line the basket with moss so we won't see any of the mechanics.

I simply cut dried sheet moss and fit it inside the basket.

Then we can attach the container with the craft wire.

♪♪ ♪♪ I'm also going to attach a piece that we can hang the heart from so that we can hang it on a hook.

We can even place it on a door if we like.

♪♪ Then we simply add our flowers.

We're adding red hanging amaranthus first so it will cascade down.

♪♪ You know how much I love a red carnation, and it's perfect because it matches the heart.

We'll create the line and define the shape of the arrangement with those carnations.

♪♪ ♪♪ Then we can add some beautiful piano roses.

This is a spray rose, and it opens flat.

It's a garden-type spray, and it's just lovely.

♪♪ ♪♪ Then we'll accent the line of our arrangement using our foxtail fern and finally finish with these voluptuous peonies.

♪♪ It's a wonderful way to fill this great heart basket.

♪♪ ♪♪ Hanging amaranthus, or Amaranthus caudatus, is a species of annual flowering plant.

It goes by common names such as love-lies-bleeding, pendant amaranth, tassel flower, velvet flower, and foxtail amaranth.

Hanging amaranthus is most recognizable for its striking flowering panicles that can reach up to 90 centimeters long.

The color of these highly dense flowering panicles can be black, red, green, and, more commonly, white.

Hanging amaranthus is originally from Central and South America and was used as a staple grain by the Inca, Maya, and Aztec civilizations.

When ground, it can be used as flour but also as breading for sweets and main dishes when crushed.

Seeds can be popped as popcorn on a pan.

And, like oats, can be eaten with milk as cereals.

♪♪ I don't know if you know this, but you inspired me to learn to make scones.

>> Thank you.

>> So I thought, with this shaker basket, the cute one that you made, we should have scones in it.

>> Good.

>> Right?

So, I just got this butter out of the -- out of the fridge, so very cold, right?

But I cut it up first a little bit before I cut it in there.

I've already put in our flour, our baking powder, and our sugar.

So we have eggs and heavy cream that you can whisk together.

♪♪ We need, like, a little -- I don't know.

Do you follow that puddle in the middle when you do that?

Do you do a puddle in the middle?

>> I do, yeah.

>> Okay.

All right.

So, puddle in the middle.

♪♪ ♪♪ And I use frozen blueberries because I feel like it keeps it cold.

>> Yeah.

>> Right?

I mean, just out of convenience.

And then a little lemon zest.

♪♪ Okay.

So, now, the fun part, right?

Flour.

Now you're gonna stop me -- right?

-- if I'm not doing something how you do it?

>> No, you're doing great.

>> Okay.

>> The only thing I was taught about scones was to handle it the least amount you can.

>> Correct.

I just make sure everything's wet.

And this is the part that always is a little scary to me and takes me a little bit more time.

>> Because it doesn't look like a whole lot of anything when it's in this big pile like that.

>> Right.

You're like, "Oh.

Great, J.

That's nice."

Right?

So we're gonna make it into a circle.

♪♪ And so it's just kind of getting into shape.

Right?

>> Yeah.

♪♪ ♪♪ >> Okay.

So, now this is the part that I always have a lot of trouble with.

>> Transferring?

>> Uh-huh.

>> Yeah.

>> And it just -- you know, it's going to happen the way that it happens.

♪♪ I'm sprinkling some sugar on top.

>> Yeah, some more coarse sugar, called turbinado sugar.

>> Exactly.

>> It gives it that nice sweet crunch on the top.

>> So now we'll put this in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 to 22 minutes.

>> Wow.

>> See, like, when they get all messy.

>> Yeah.

>> So, I have a tradition here at "Life in Bloom."

When people come to visit, I make a flower crown for them.

>> I know your flower crowns.

>> [ Laughs ] And so I made you one with peonies and roses... >> Tulips.

>> And let's see how it fits.

It looks great!

It looks good!

Yay!

>> Thank you.

>> Do you like it?

>> Thank you.

I have combating smells.

The flower crown smells so good.

And then this comes wafting up, and this comes wafting down.

>> Peonies and scones together.

That's awesome, right?

Right?

>> It can't get any better than that.

>> I know we have to wait for these to cool.

>> Yeah.

>> But we're going to eat them while they're warm.

>> Even more perfect.

>> Right, right, right.

Because that's what we should do.

Thank you for making the trip.

It means so much to me.

And here, let's have a little scone and see how I did.

♪♪ >> Mmm.

>> Are they Sue Muldoon-worthy?

>> Yes, they are.

>> [ Laughs ] ♪♪ ♪♪ >> So, another part of your library of fabulous things that you make -- right?

-- is a leaf tray.

>> Yep.

>> And I love this.

What's the specific purpose for a leaf tray?

>> The leaf -- It's a Japanese leaf tray.

And they were usually done flat.

And so it didn't have this curve and this handle like this.

It would have been a flat tray.

And they're traditionally used for, like, hand-pass food, serving hors d'oeuvres, and things like that.

Or for decoration.

>> Sure.

>> But when I started making them, I tend to have some fun, and I played around with the shape, and I started tugging at it so that I got this nice curve.

And a lot of people will use this -- they'll make a bigger one -- they'll use it as a cornucopia.

>> Oh, sure.

Sure.

Obviously.

Okay.

Right.

>> And then -- >> I mean, and a fruit basket, bananas.

>> Yeah.

>> Whatever.

I mean, I got it.

>> And I get some of my best ideas from my customers.

>> Sure.

>> And somebody said, "Why wouldn't you put a nice lamp in there?"

You know, put a salt lamp or use a nice light and use it like a sconce?

>> I was looking at it this way, too, so I thought it would be good to use a vase down inside there and then do flowers.

So that just has a little foot on it.

>> Yeah.

>> That fits nicely down inside there, and it's perfect.

>> I haven't done that yet.

>> Yeah.

So, we've got a beautiful basket, and we want to accentuate that basket with the flowers that we have.

So we've got stock and tulips, ranunculus, spray roses, and even some billy balls.

And we'll use some lily grass and also some curly willow to create a structured arrangement inside the vase.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ It's time for my favorite part of the show -- flowers from you, the viewers.

Today, I have flowers to share from viewer Shirley Howell, who watches the show on WKNO in Tennessee.

Shirley writes, "I enjoy your show so much.

I love flowers.

I would be thrilled for you to share my pictures.

I don't miss a show.

You are so creative."

I was so mesmerized by Shirley's photo.

She's an incredible flower designer.

I love the flower tower with the green grapes.

It's so elegant.

And the parrot tulips with the green viburnum, this arrangement is lovely.

And then she added another photo showing the flower scape on her credenza.

I love to see pictures of your flower arrangements inspired by "Life in Bloom."

We call them Schwankes after a viewer's nickname.

Send them to j@ubloom.com -- that's the letter J at the letter U bloom.com -- and watch for more Schwankes on upcoming shows.

I think you can tell my friendship with Sue has woven us together over the years, and I am thankful for our shared history of flowers and friendship.

What special friends are woven into your life?

When you have the chance to catch up with a special friend, be sure to do so.

The rewards are many and will resonate for years to come.

For "Life in Bloom," I'm J Schwanke.

You have special kinds.

Some people get these for wine or for picnics or for -- I don't know what.

Bunches of flowers, stuff at the farmers market.

But you also have interesting things that people like to put in their backpacks.

>> Snakes.

>> Perfect!

So, at your Renaissance Fair, a lady brought up her python.

>> Yes.

>> We have -- Look, we have a picture of her.

>> Oh, good.

>> Yeah.

Lookit.

And there she is.

And so her python loves her, loves the backpack, and loves to be inside it.

>> Stayed in there, all nested in there.

That particular one was lined.

I lined it with fabric because there wasn't any reed that she would scratch herself against.

So it was really nice and cozy inside all that calico.

>> "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is filmed in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

>> Visit J's website, ubloom.com, for flower projects and crafts, complete recipes, behind-the-scenes videos, J's blog, flower cocktails, and more.

"J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following.

>> That flower feeling.

♪♪ At home.

♪♪ At work.

♪♪ Or anytime.

♪♪ CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom," where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists at Albertsons Companies.

>> With additional support from the following... ♪♪ Closed caption funding provided by Holland America Flowers.

♪♪