No.4: Seed Flowers

Do you like pumpkins? I like pumpkins very much. Now you must be thinking of pumpkin pies, pumpkin cakes, pumpkin puddings, etc. When you cook pumpkins, I guess that you throw away the seeds. But don’t throw them away. Today I would like to show you how to make a beautiful flower from pumpkin seeds.

1. Remove the seeds from the pumpkin.
1. Remove the seeds from the pumpkin.
2. Dry the seeds under the sun until thin transparent skins come off. Then remove all the skins.
2. Dry the seeds under the sun until thin transparent skins come off. Then remove all the skins.
3. Cut a circle with a diameter of 3.5 to 4.5 centimeters out of a piece of paper, and then cut it to the center.
3. Cut a circle with a diameter of 3.5 to 4.5 centimeters out of a piece of paper, and then cut it to the center.
4. Glue the sides together at the line where you cut to make a slight cone shape.
4. Glue the sides together at the line where you cut to make a slight cone shape.
5. Push a pin through the center of the cone from underneath so that the cone will contain the ball of the pin.
5. Push a pin through the center of the cone from underneath so that the cone will contain the ball of the pin.
6. Glue pumpkin seeds on the cone one by one until it looks like a flower.
6. Glue pumpkin seeds on the cone one by one until it looks like a flower.

7. Pumpkin seeds are placed in one layer. If you want to make it more beautiful, add some seeds in the inner part.
7. Pumpkin seeds are placed in one layer. If you want to make it more beautiful, add some seeds in the inner part.
8. Pumpkin seeds are placed in two layers. This looks gorgeous!
8. Pumpkin seeds are placed in two layers. This looks gorgeous!

Instead of plastic beads in the center, you can substitute them with buttons, clay, crumpled cloth etc. The size of the round-shaped paper and the degree of the cone will differ, depending on the size of the seeds, the number of layers, and the shape of the flower that you want. A two-layered flower requires a larger round-shaped paper than a one-layered one. If you want to make a flower in full bloom, you need a flatter cone than one that makes a flower halfway in bloom. You can also try with other kinds of seeds. Below is a flower made from sunflower seeds. Why don’t you create different kinds of flowers with different kinds of seeds available in your village? The sky is the limit with the creativity you come up with. Let’s BEAR!

The seeds of the two-layered flower are placed on a flatter cone than a one-layered one.
The seeds of the two-layered flower are placed on a flatter cone than a one-layered one.
This flower is made of sunflower seeds.
This flower is made of sunflower seeds.

<Acknowledgement>

From No.1 to No.4 of “Let’s BEAR!,” the members of the Art Center Maple in Nambu, Aomori, Japan, taught me how to make those dried plant ornaments. Thank you very much!

seedf-groupphoto

“We are (Be) Empowered with Available Resources. Let’s BEAR!”
(The Art Center Maple, Nambu, Aomori, Japan)