Ornament and method for producing ornament

Abstract

To provide an ornament capable of suppressing a change in time of a shape of a straw flower and a method for producing the ornament.SOLUTION: Strawflower 10 uses the bud-like parts 11 of the involucre leaves, which are cut from the involucre leaves after drying and when they are in an open state. After being picked, the strawflower 10 begins to open from the outer involucre leaves, which dry easily, but the inner involucre leaves continue to dry while still in a bud state. By using the bud-like parts 11 of the involucre leaves, deformation can be suppressed, allowing the beautiful condition to be maintained for a long period.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ornament using straw chrysanthemums and a method for producing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Straw chrysanthemum, also known as Emperor Shell Craft, is a plant of the Asteraceae family native to Australia with a low water content and dry involucre (flower leaves). What appear to be petals on straw chrysanthemums are not petals, but petal-like bracts that are composed of dead cells and are dry like paper. Straw chrysanthemums also have the characteristic of developing a metallic luster when exposed to sunlight and remaining resistant to wilting and fading for long periods of time even after picking, making them widely used as a material for dried flowers.

[0003] Typically, when dried straw chrysanthemums are used to make decorative items such as wreaths or swags, they are used with their beautiful bracts half-open. However, over time, the straw chrysanthemums dry out and the bracts open too much, which can cause the flowers to look like they have finished blooming, or the bracts can even curl back, damaging the attractive shape and beauty of the straw chrysanthemums. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-332038 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Patent Document 1 describes a method for producing dried flowers in which fresh flowers are coated with a coating liquid as a pretreatment, allowing the flowers to be preserved and appreciated for a long period of time with color and shape almost identical to those of fresh flowers. However, the specific method is completely different from that of the present invention.

[0006] The present invention has been made in light of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an ornament that can suppress the change in shape of straw chrysanthemums over time, and a method for manufacturing the ornament. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The ornament of the present invention uses straw chrysanthemums, and the straw chrysanthemums use bud-like portions of bracts cut from opened involucral bracts.

[0008] The method for manufacturing ornaments of the present invention is for manufacturing ornaments using straw chrysanthemums, and includes a drying step for drying picked straw chrysanthemums, and a cutting step for cutting open bracts after the drying step, and forming bud-like portions of the bracts whose vertical length is longer than their horizontal width when they are stood upright with the receptacle side facing downwards. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, the bud-like portions of the bracts cut from the open involucre are used, which prevents the bracts from opening too much over time, and therefore allows the straw chrysanthemum to maintain its attractive shape and beauty for a long period of time. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the structure of a straw chrysanthemum used in an ornament according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an ornament using the straw chrysanthemum shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating a step in a manufacturing method for a decorative item according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional ornament using straw chrysanthemums. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0012] FIG. 1 shows the structure of straw chrysanthemums 10 used in decorative item 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention, with (A) being a side view and (B) being a top view. FIG. 2 shows an ornament, which is an example of decorative item 20, using straw chrysanthemums 10. Decorative item 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention uses straw chrysanthemums 10. Examples of decorative item 20 include, but are not limited to, wreaths, swags, and ornaments. These decorative items 20 are constructed, for example, by attaching straw chrysanthemums 10 to a base by adhesive or the like.

[0013] The straw chrysanthemum 10 is made by cutting open bracts and using bud-like portions 11 of the bracts. After being picked, the straw chrysanthemum 10 begins to open from the outer bracts, which dry out easily, but the inner bracts continue to dry while remaining in bud form, making them less likely to deform and allowing them to maintain their beautiful appearance for a long period of time. Figure 1 shows the flower head of the straw chrysanthemum 10, and shows the bud-like portions 11 of the bracts, which have been cut from open bracts.

[0014] This decorative item 20 can be manufactured, for example, as follows: First, it is preferable to pick the flower heads of the straw chrysanthemums 10 while they are still in bud (picking step). If the central part opens even slightly, the bracts may open too much in the subsequent drying step, making them unsuitable for processing.

[0015] Next, for example, the picked straw chrysanthemum 10 is dried (drying process). Note that, before the drying process, the picked straw chrysanthemum 10 may be washed if necessary. Drying may be performed using a dryer, but natural drying is preferable. This is because applying hot air or the like may cause the bracts to wrinkle or shrink, or may cause the bracts to open in an unnatural shape. Upon drying, the outer involucre 13 of the straw chrysanthemum 10 opens, while the inner involucre 12 remains in a bud state (see Figure 3). The outer involucre 13 begins to open as it dries, stops opening as the drying progresses, and then opens again and deforms as the drying progresses further. Therefore, it is preferable to perform the drying process until the outer involucre 13 begins to open and stops opening.

[0016] After the drying process, the open involucre is cut off and, in a standing state with the receptacle side 14 facing downward, a bud-like portion 11 of the involucre is formed, the length of which is longer in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction (cutting process; see Figure 1). It is preferable to cut the open involucre from the base.

[0017] After the cutting step, the straw chrysanthemum 10 is attached to a base by gluing or the like (attaching step; see FIG. 2). When attaching, it is preferable to tightly attach the straw chrysanthemums 10 so that their sides are adjacent to each other. This is because tight attachment can further prevent the bracts from opening.

[0018] The ornament shown in FIG. 2 has been made for over a year. It can be seen that the beautiful shape is maintained even after a long time has passed since its production. FIG. 4 shows an ornament 200 made in the same manner as the present embodiment, except that the cutting process was not performed. The ornament 200 shown in FIG. 4 has also been made for over a year. It can be seen that the ornament 200 shown in FIG. 4 has bracts that are too open or warped, and is deformed, and there are individual differences, making it uneven overall, which detracts from its beauty.

[0019] As described above, according to this embodiment, the bud-like portion 11 of the bract, which is cut from an open involucre, is used, so that the bracts are prevented from opening too much even over time, and the attractive shape and beauty of the straw chrysanthemum 10 can be maintained for a long period of time.

[0020] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified in various ways. For example, it is not necessary to include all of the components or manufacturing steps, and other components or other manufacturing steps may be included. [Explanation of symbols]

[0021] 10... straw chrysanthemum, 11... bud-like part of involucre, 12... inner involucre, 13... outer involucre, 14... receptacle side, 20... ornament

Claims

1. An ornament using straw chrysanthemums, The straw chrysanthemum is an ornament characterized in that it uses the bud-like portion of the bract cut from the opened involucre.

2. A method for manufacturing an ornament using straw chrysanthemums, The drying process involves drying the picked straw chrysanthemums. After the drying process, the open bracts are cut off and, in a standing state with the receptacle side facing downwards, a cutting process is carried out in which bud-like portions of the bracts whose length in the vertical direction is longer than their width in the horizontal direction are formed. A method for manufacturing a decorative item, comprising:

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