Fabric Flower Tutorial/Video

Over the last couple of months I’ve posted various projects on my blog that have included a little fabric flower—those little flowers have generated interest on how to make them. Since this is my month to hostess the monthly challenges over at ACP, (I’ve been doing vintage themed challenges and swaps), I thought it’d be a good time to share my version of how I make them.

I learned how to make this flower with a group of friends during a kind of “show and tell” flower making day at my friend Kathie’s house. It was a fun day and we learned how to make several types of flowers. Kathie told me she learned how to make this particular flower from an E-Workshop she took from Teresa McFayden. I’ve never taken one of these E-Workshops, I may have to try one!

I wonder if you’ll be as resistant to learning how to make this flower as I was.  Because this flower involved hand sewing, it wasn’t one of my favorite flowers to make that day. I was pretty resistant to picking up the needle and thread – but I did try it. And after I did it, I thought, nope, not gonna make that one again --- too confusing…where to start, which sides to stitch, my thread kept knotting up, which strings to pull first? don’t pull too tight…definitely confusing for someone that already didn’t want to pick up a needle and thread! My first flower looked pretty bad and I’m pretty sure it ended up in the trash as it didn’t resemble a flower at all…more like a crumpled bundle of fabric. I thought to myself, I’ll stick with heat-gun flowers! Quick and easy.

As the months passed, Kathie kept making these large, beautiful flowers (larger than I would use on my projects…another reason I didn’t need to learn it, right?) and putting them on various fabric projects like bags and purses or making pins out of them. The more I saw them, the more I was willing to take up that needle and thread and give it a try again.

I posted the picture of this little muslin flower on my blog last month.  It's the same sewn fabric flower.   I remember showing the flower to Kathie, and she said I had to show her how to make it. I laughed and told her that she is the one that taught me how to make it!  So you see, you can make these flowers look different depending on how large or small you make them, how tightly you pull the threads, and how you embellish them when you’re done. Adding a flower center creates a different look.

We all have different ways of learning. And, as I made more of them, I  developed my own version/style that I found easier to make.  So this video shows a slightly different way of making the flower than the original way I was shown. Hopefully, you won’t be as resistant to giving it a try as I was.

Supplies needed:
Needle and thread—coordinating color is preferable but not necessary

Square of fabric (4x4, 5x5 works best to begin with)
*lightweight, soft fabrics works best…think muslin, velvet, organza…or recycle clothes headed for donation. Kathie and I like looking for inexpensive velvet children clothing at yard sales and thrift stores. I’ve also made these flowers with a wide sheer (removing the wire first), fabric ribbon, died and scrunched coffee filters, napkins and paper towels.  The end of the video shows samples of some of these as well.

And while making this video yesterday, I discovered an even easier version of making this flower, (easier if you’ve already been making them…but maybe not if you’re new to making these)…it involves less sewing…so to me that’s easier. Here are a couple of practice ones I did...not too bad...maybe I’ll do another video on that one too.

So, what do you think? Are you gonna give it a try?

Altered Tin Swap

My secret sister, Joy, received the altered tin I made for her, and she likes it so I’m very happy! I don’t know about you, but I always worry that what I create for someone will be good enough, or their style, or…or…or!

And I’ve received an altered tin (and more!) from my own secret sister too. My secret sister is my friend, Lani, and she was apparently having some of those same doubting thoughts that I was, which just made me giggle. I guess we all do it to a certain extent. It was so cute to read in her card to me (and she also gave me permission to say this heehee!) “Girl, you know how much I love you, and have to know how super excited and scared I was when I got your name, you are on an inspiration to me! And yes, you can say princess said it…I tried my best girlfriend…”

Well, princess, you did an awesome job! I love the alcohol inked tin which was filled with lace. Since I’ve been working with fabric, needles and pins lately, I think I’ll keep my needles in it. And I really got spoiled and received an altered box too! And it’s ivory colored…with buttons and bling and glitter, and filled with more things that I love. As I've said before...I'm a sucker for ivory colored things and it's going to look lovely sitting in my scrapbook room! I think it will sit on my table and hold little bits and pieces of lace to use on my projects.

Here’s a picture of the altered tin and box that Lani made for me…












along with some of the goodies she sent. Oops…I included a picture of the popcorn – that wasn’t for the tin swap…that was a bingo prize. And as you can see from the half-ful bag…I loved that too…but I did have a little help with it.


















Notice the little package of “Princess Posies”pictured on the right? It’s a package of blue organza type flower shapes, and I’ve never noticed those before in the scrapbooking world. I always cut my own from fabric either freehand or using my diecut machine.

If you haven’t made a heated flower before, here’s how. Just take a few layers of flower shaped, thin fabric – think organza – any thin polyster type fabric. I like to use at least six layers – and I also like to vary the size going from large at the bottom to smaller at the top. These Princess Posies came with two different sizes.

Stack them together like this -- I like to alternate the pedal shapes...

















Put a brad into the center –the Princess Posies already had holes in the center. And don’t use a rhinestone brad or it will melt. Or, you can keep the pieces together by attaching a small safety pin to the back.











Put the flower onto a heat-safe surface (I use my craft mat) and then I hold it down with something (I usually grab my scissors) so that when you heat the flower, it doesn’t take off on you. I give the top of the flower a quick heat shot using my heat gun….we’re talking really quick! and you’ll also want to move the heat gun around a bit to get all sides.
















Then, still holding the flower down with my scissors, I take the heat gun to the side of the flower to get to the lower flowers without reheating the top flowers I just heated. When I heat from the side, then the flower will usually spin a bit which is great because all sides get heated. I will then just take a quick shot of heat to wherever I feel it needs to be more flower shaped.

And the final results --- I added a prima bling center to it…
Thanks Lani!