large fleur-de-lis ice sculpture displayed in Baton Rouge, LA. Notice that I used two regular trays linked together since it’s really going to drip off the side petals.
updated 7/14/23 with seo but also some new info and links
first shot at a new fleur-de-lis ice sculpture design ⚜️
The fleur-de-lis (flower of the lily) is a classic symbol of New Orleans. It adorns everything from the football team to City Hall. Now, after the storm a while back (meaning Katrina), it’s more popular than ever. The fleur-de-lis shows up at weddings and corporate events regularly now. And I know that, with New Orleanians scattered all around the country, I’m probably not the only one carving them. Below is my version of a larger, ornate fleur-de-lis. The design shown is slightly different from the picture above, but the basics are the same.
If you take a look at my other fleur-de-lis ice sculpture design on the site, you’ll see the similarities right away. In fact, you might wonder why they’re even separate designs. The structural assembly though, is very different. I decided to use the other design regularly, while I would only use this one if I needed something unusually large. What happened was that I learned that this method is harder than it needs to be and I didn’t need to try so hard. The other fleur-de-lis ice sculpture design was more than good enough and this one is probably overkill.
However, the scrollwork pattern that I first came up with for this sculpture has remained almost unchanged in most of my later fleurs-de-lis. So that’s a really important part of this design that’s held up well.
what’s the deal with fleurs-de-lis and New Orleans anyway?! This blog post from Gambino’s Bakery is a bit sloppy (which fits right in), but it offers some possibly accurate insights into the relationship between Nola and the “flower of the lily”
putting the sculpture together
The tough part about this design is the center weld. Your best bet is to set one piece of ice on it’s side and weld in the horizontal position rather than the vertical. Then the tip of the fleur-de-lis becomes the most important part. Getting a tight weld there is crucial. I’ve added a diagram below that illustrates how I go about completing this weld. Not that the top piece is largely cut out while the bottom piece is still an uncut slab. It’s easier to do the weld if the top part is lighter and easier to handle.
I think a CNC machine would make this fleur-de-lis ice sculpture design significantly easier. Maybe I’ll get a chance to try it out sometime. I’ll be sure to add some pix here if I do!
The final design is shown below. I’ve added a base for stability and some extra insurance on the center weld. You will probably need a large tray for this design since those outside petals are REALLY going to drip and this piece is pretty wide.
this fleur-de-lis ice sculpture design gives you a piece that’s MUCH wider than my other design.
links and stuff
If you have any questions about my large scrollwork fleur-de-lis ice sculpture design, email me or comment below. (It might not let you though, since it’s an OLD post; try IG.) If you would like to use this ice sculpture design or any other design on this site, please check the design usage guidelines. The design collection page lists designs on the site.
You might also find photos and info from this entry on the ice sculpting secrets Instagram account and you can comment there as well as below. Thanks!
