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Lotus Leaf Mushrooms
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Posted by bonecarver z6NY (My Page) on Sat, Jul 25, 09 at 13:39
For any of you lucky enough to have access to some lotus leaves..
I did a bunch of these last year as the lotus were dying back in the fall. I made a couple of stems on a trial bases and think I have basic shape in place, now I just need to pop them out of the mold when they are still "green" and do a little bit of carving and shaping on them. Anyway here is what I did.
It works too.
I have a couple of dozen caps now I just need to take time to make the stems for them..
Placing damp sand in a plastic tub I simply dug out a little dome shaped hole in the sand and pushed in a lotus leaf with the vein side up.
I have different size plastic funnels which I have cut the ends from and also cut length wise 
which I use for molds for the stems, and also as a "cookie cutter" on the mushroom caps.
Remember to spray them with slippery stuff of some sort or another. 
Once I put the mortar mix into the lotus leaf and it has set for a short time I take what ever funnel I think best matches the size of the leaf and I cut out some of the mortar mix from which will leave a spot to hold the stem of the mushroom.
I then take the funnel closed at the end and around slit in the side. Fill it with mortar and let it sit.( this is what I need to work more on is to give the stem a little more character then just a round stem, so I will be doing some carving in future stems)
Then once they harden just put the 2 together.
The cool thing is no 2 are a like.
I have also played around with using PVC connectors and pipe to put the cap and stem together.
Other leaves might work as well or better but the lotus leaf with all the veins running to the center just seem to be made for this...
Have fun
Curt |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Lotus Leaf Mushrooms
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| cool...thanks for the instructions...I had been wondering how to make a mushroom. |
RE: Lotus Leaf Mushrooms
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Curt, Great job! You can use a large toothed hair comb to carve into the cap stem or your surform tool. If you want a straight stem start saving all your cardboard tubes from toilet paper, paper towels, reynolds wrap. These make nice size stems. You can also use aluminum flashing to form tubes for stems, cut a piece, roll into a tube and put several rubber bands around to hold. You can put a piece of rebar down the center with a few inches sticking out the bottom to put into the ground.
I just make an indentation in the sand and carve the cap. Similar to how you carved the sides of your leaf castings. Billie |
RE: Lotus Leaf Mushrooms
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| You have some really good looking mushrooms! They look really big! How big are they? Thanks for all instructions. I'd like to copy if that is ok! Thanks Kathy |
RE: Lotus Leaf Mushrooms
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| Kathy copy away! They are all different sizes, some no more then a couple of inches and some over a foot across.
I give them to the gentleman next door to me to paint. He had a stroke which limited his vision so to get him something to do I have him paint all my stuff for me. Billie I will try some of your ideas, I have learned a lot from you and the others over the past couple of years of hanging around here. Most my time at home is spent in the gardens or in working on the pond. I do need to make more time for this stuff. I do want to get a water feature done using the leaves. I have spot all picked out for it..
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RE: Lotus Leaf Mushrooms
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bonecarver, LOVE your garden! And that's a nice thing you're doing for your neighbor. Must help keep them occupied.
You can also make small mushrooms by hand. With your gloves on, take some hypertufa and roll it into the shape of a hotdog, the mix has to be a little wet. Then tap one end on a hard surface to flare it out on that end. Use your thumbs to make hollows in the sides of the cap. I have small funnels (really small from candy making) that I oil and work into the flared end. That helps with the flaring of that end and makes a hollow for your stem. If you don't have small funnel use a teaspoon to hollow out the end or sharpen the end of a stick/dowel to make an opening. Set on a piece of plastic and lightly wrap.
Take another hypertufa hotdog shape; you make this shape around a piece of rebar. Taper the opposite end to a point that will go in the hollow that you made in the bottom of the cap. It will look like a corndog with a piece of the rebar sticking out one end. When the piece is finished you push the rebar into the ground. Roll up (like rolling up cookie dough to refrigerate) in a piece of plastic wrap or dry cleaner bag to start curing. For each piece, come back in about 20-30 minutes to carve or wire brush the cap and stem. Place back in a plastic bag to finish curing, wrap lightly so you don't mess up your carving. After both pieces are cured you can cement them together with hypertufa or mortar mix. Billie |
RE: Lotus Leaf Mushrooms
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| Billie...is it possible for you to post pictures of your mushrooms...I'd like to try your instructions. Thanks,sharon |
RE: Lotus Leaf Mushrooms
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| Thanks Billie I will give it a try with my next mixing. 
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RE: Lotus Leaf Mushrooms
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good stuff - any more suggestions on how tro make the stem -
Mike |
RE: Lotus Leaf Mushrooms
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| Back when I was doing this w/ a OCD passion, I made stems ahead of time - filling plastic beverage containers of various sizes with the medium being used. After they cured, I used them to make a depression in the wet mud of the cap...just as you see in some of the pictures here. After cap cured, you can put them together - either permanently - or when shrooms are too big (as mine were) - it was easier to move as two pieces. |
RE: Lotus Leaf Mushrooms
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| I do the same as wannadanc. It is a good way to use up leftovers. I insert a rod of some kind to insert in the ground. |
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