Sogetsu Ikebana Classes

     Instructor Yasmin Spiegel is a “Sensei“ (teacher) in the Sogetsu School of Ikebana: Japanese flower arranging. Children (8+) may attend as long as they accompany an adult. Cost: $35/members, $40/non-members. Meeting location Gold Hill/Placerville area. A detailed email will be sent once you register online at REGISTRATION LINK

• September 15 - Baskets Ikebana, the art of Japanese flower design, can take many unusual and sometimes surprising forms. We use many materials, leaves and branches to create beautiful designs. In this lesson we will make baskets with rattan, curly willow and rolled paper. These baskets will be free formed, each one a unique expression of the feelings of you, the creator! The flowers, leaves and branches that are added are accents to your arrangement. Come and play!

• October 13 - Working With Bamboo, as a material, is revered in Japanese flower arranging. The strikingly smooth outer surface can be used as a water container by cutting windows between segments. The stalks can be split in half and the inside can be covered with paint or paper to add a new design to your arrangement. In some cases, structures can be built from bamboo alone. The leaves are another texture and offer contrast to the straight lines of the stalks. Cutting the stalks into slim circles expands the possible design options. We will explore these various methods of including bamboo in Ikebana.

• November 17 - Midolino Belts Midolino is made up of long, thin pieces of rattan, which is very flexible and elegant. In this lesson we will make “belts” by laying six pieces of midolino side by side and tying them together with raffia covered wire. The resulting sculpture is a long, flexible ribbon of light wood, which can then be included in any floral design. Two or more “belts” can be strung together to enhance the movement of your arrangement.