Aloha can be used as a welcome or a farewell meaning peace, love and compassion be with you.
Gifts of aloha are gifts that are given freely out of compassion and love. They are gifts given to strangers or loved ones that show welcome and goodwill. Leis are a special gift of aloha that are beautiful and represent the gift of sharing one's time with you. It is a wonderful honor to be given a lei because the lei's maker spent a long time creating it just for you. Common gifts of aloha that are given on the Hawaiian Islands are fresh flower leis, artificial flower leis and kukui nut leis.
Instructions
Fresh Flower Lei
1. Cut a piece of carpet thread or dental floss to 45 inches long with scissors. Tie a small knot 4 inches from one end of the piece of thread or floss. Thread the other end of the thread or floss through the eye of a 10 inch sewing or lei-making needle.
2. Pierce the needle through the center of the flower to thread it onto the thread or floss. String the rest of the flowers front to back onto the thread or floss until 36 inches of the string is covered in flowers.
3. Tie the free ends of the thread or floss into a double knot. Cut the excess thread off with scissors. Store the lei in a plastic bag in the front of the refrigerator for up to a week if needed. Spray the fresh flowers with flower sealant often to keep them fresh.
Artificial Flower Lei
4. Cut a piece of heavy string to 45 inches long. Tie a small knot 4 inches from the end of the string. Thread the string through the eye of a 10 inch sewing or lei-making needle.
5. Cut coffee straws into 36 1-inch sections.
6. Disassemble the artificial flowers by removing the plastic parts from their backs. Use scissors to remove hard plastic pieces.
7. Thread the needle through the center of one flower. Push the flower to the end of the string against the knot. Thread a coffee straw onto the string after the flower. Thread another flower onto the string. Continue alternating flowers and straws until there is 4 inches of uncovered string left.
8. Slide the needle off the string. Tie the string ends together in a double knot. Cut the excess string with scissors.
Kukui Nut Lei
9. Cut a piece of thin satin ribbon in to a 8 to 10 foot section. Fold the ribbon in half. Tie the free ends together in a knot 4 inches from the end.
10. Pull the looped end of the ribbon through the eye of a 10 inch sewing or lei-making needle. Pull the knotted end of the ribbon through the loop to secure the needle from slipping off the ribbon.
11. Peirce the top of a kukui nut with the needle. Push the needle through the nut and out the bottom. String the nut all the way down to the knot in the ribbon. Tie a knot in the ribbon after the nut. Thread more nuts onto the ribbon and make a knot after each one of them until there is 4 inches of uncovered ribbon left. Pull the needle back through the loop to remove it from the ribbon. Tie a knot after the last nut.
12. Tie the ends of the ribbon into a bow. Cut the excess ribbon off with scissors.
Tags: thread floss, with scissors, inch sewing, inch sewing lei-making, inches from, knot inches, knot inches from