Gypsy, Hobo, Folk Flowers

A gypsy flower is a wooden flower carved with a metal blade. They have traditionally been made by the traveling community and were sold along with other wares they sold. When making them at shows the more mature ladies occasionally tell me that their mothers would buy them off the Gypsies when they came through there town or village.
The great thing about them is that are made from hedge row materials all you need is a knife and maybe a drill or awl. The materials are available all year round, hazel is one of the best, but anything works, but I prefer to work willow seasoned. I have also use oak and alder off cuts from the billets I use for the pole lathe, these are first rounded off on the shaving horse and then made using a draw knife.

I have been making gypsy flowers for over 15 years now, and first started by using a knife and thin bits of seasoned willow. These were not very good and some time later I started using a drawknife on a shaving horse, the flowers got bigger.

I have tried many different ways of making flowers and find I can only do it with the drawknife or a knife for the small flowers

The picture above are small flowers made with a knife from willow, note that I always leave the bark on, from 1.5 to 2.5 inches across. I also make smaller ones that are only an inch across that are great for button holes etc.

Again made from seasoned willow, these are 3 to 5 inches across. I love the ones with the bark on, the bark just does its own thing in an unpredictable way, I love this chaos in contrast with the tight curls of the flower.

Made from green hazel, and these are 4 to 9 inches across, the bottom right hand side one has the petal curving anti clockwise at he bottom and clockwise at the top. Old seasoned willow can get a bit brittle if kept very dry and it helps if you can increase the moisture content of the wood by keeping wet for a few days.

Above is a flower that I make without taking the bark off, it is best if dry or nearly dry hazel is used, If used green, the bark petals are easily bent and damaged and when they dry they can look a bit odd.

I have watched a lady make a good size medium flower with just a pen knife held against the knee ( whilst sitting down) and the hazel or willow in the other. the wood is then pulled against the knife. I keep trying this and I am not very good, I also know if I do to much I will damage my hands.
The other way I have seen is by using a horse and a traditional style spokeshave blade. The pictures below are of Sue Hinton who I met at The festival of the tree, Westonbirt. I have again tried this but I know my hands are not good at holding and pulling thin sticks.

Above are flowers made and dyed by Sue

Below is Dale, who I have met at various shows and even on the street making and selling flowers. He, again, has made a horse just for making flowers on.