Making Elder jewellery is a favourite activity in outdoor craft sessions in the Dell at Wick Court – we often see the results being worn home! Why not try it yourself or as an outdoor activity with children.
About the Elder
Elder is widespread across the UK, growing in woodland, scrub, wasteland and hedgerows. The leaves are feather-shaped, with five to seven oval leaflets with serrated edges. It flowers from late May and produces berries from late summer. Its flowers and berries provide food for insects, birds and small mammals.
You can find photos and lots more information about the Elder on the Woodland Trust’s website.
Elder has a soft, pithy core that is easy to remove leaving a hollow branch, perfect for making beads!
What you’ll need:
- A branch of elder, between 1-2cm in diameter
- A pair of secateurs
- A tent peg or thin stick
- A length of string or thick thread
- Felt tip pens (optional).
Making your Elder jewellery
- Using the secateurs, cut a length of Elder branch. Choose a branch that is light grey or brown (not green) with little bumps. Carefully cut the branch into as many ‘beads’ as you need. 2cm is a good length for each bead, but they don’t need to be exact.
- Discard any beads that have split or have knots in them.
- Use your tent peg or stick, carefully hollow out the beads. Push and scrape out the pith out of the middle, making sure your fingers aren’t in the way of the peg or stick. If you’re lucky, the pith might pop out in a single piece!
- If you want to decorate your beads, peel away the bark and leave the beads for a few minutes until the surface is dry. Use your felt tip pens to create a design of your choice.
- Once your natural or decorated beads are ready, tie a stopper knot at the place in the string where you’d like your beads to start so they don’t slip off. Thread them on one by one. Tie another knot at the end of the last bead to hold the beads in place and then tie both ends of the string together to finish your Elder necklace or bracelet.
- Finish up by washing your hands and enjoying your beautiful new accessory!
Looking after yourself and nature
This is a great activity for children, but make sure they are supervised. The wood of Elder is poisonous if eaten, so make sure you wash your hands when you’re finished.
Use the Woodland Trust information to help you correctly identify Elder. Free apps like Pl@ntNet can also be really useful. Remember, only take what you need and from where it is plentiful.
