So today I decided to try making a Ti Leaf Lei. Always liked how they look in pictures, super vibrant green and kinda traditional. Figured, how hard could it be?
First Stop – Getting the Stuff
Right, needed ti leaves. Drove around a bit hoping to find some in a garden center, but no luck. Ended up at the local nursery place near my house. Found a plant! Paid like twelve bucks for it. Got home, grabbed my sharpest kitchen scissors – I ain’t got fancy garden shears – and cut off about six of the biggest, healthiest leaves near the bottom. Made sure they were nice and long. Sniffed them – smells grassy, fresh.
Cleaned off the counter, laid everything out:
- The leaves (obviously)
- My kitchen scissors
- A thick needle (the one I use for sewing buttons)
- Some heavy-duty thread I had lying around from a project last year
The Prep Work Was Messier Than Expected
Took the first leaf. Needed to strip off that tough middle spine. Tried just pulling it off with my fingers. Big mistake. It ripped the leaf badly. Oops. Lesson learned quick: cut that spine out carefully! Grabbed the scissors again, snipped a tiny bit into the leaf bottom right where the spine starts. Peeling it back was way easier after that. Had to be gentle though, like peeling tape off fragile paper. Did this for all six leaves. Took way longer than I thought.
Time to Actually String Them Up
Threaded the needle. That thick thread was a pain to push through the eye. Took a few stabs at it. Finally got it tied on good with a big knot at the end.
Now, folding the leaf. Held the tip of the first prepared leaf and folded it towards me. Started rolling it tightly, from one end to the other, kind of like rolling a really thick cigarette? Made sure it felt firm in my hand. Didn’t want it flopping loose.
Poked the needle right through the thickest part of that first rolled-up bit, near the fold. Pulled the thread all the way through until the knot stopped it. Okay, first leaf on!
Grabbed the second leaf. Folded and rolled it the same way. Took the needle and poked it right through the center of this second roll, really close to where it had gone through the first one. Pulled the thread tight, smooshing the second roll snug against the first one. Saw how they started stacking? Nice.
Just kept doing that. Fold, roll, stab the needle dead center through the new roll, pull tight, pack it close. Repeat. My fingers got a bit sore pushing the needle through the thick rolled layers.
The Grand Finale… And Almost a Disaster
Got to the last leaf. Folded, rolled, stabbed it on. Pulled it tight against the others. Now, how to finish? Needed to make it a circle. Took the needle and pushed it back through the very first leaf roll I made, right near where the knot was hiding. Pulled it through super tight, trying to pull the end leaf and the start leaf together. Looped the thread around a couple more times through that starting roll, stabbing randomly to really secure it. Worried it would just pop apart!
Finally, snipped the thread, leaving a short tail. Tried to hide the end by tucking it back into the leaves messily. Not the neatest knot job ever.
How’d It Turn Out?
Held it up. Felt solid in my hand, all those tightly packed rolls. It looked… kinda lumpy? Definitely homemade. But the green was beautiful and deep, really vibrant. Put it around my neck. It smelled like fresh-cut plants, that nice green smell. Felt a bit rough, the leaves were still kinda stiff.
Was it perfect? Nope. Did it look exactly like the fancy ones? Not really. Was it fun? Yeah, actually! Took way more patience than I expected, especially stripping the spines and pushing that needle through. But hey, I made one! Might try soaking the leaves first next time, see if that makes them roll easier. Definitely a satisfying little project to actually finish.