These little flowers are sew lovely and simple to make. You can use them in numerous ways - for example: hair bands, rings, brooches, bracelets, scrapbooking etc.
Here's what you'll need:
fabric scraps (chenille, organza, tulle - you can use just one type of fabric or mix all three)
candle
clothes pin
needle and thread
decorative accessories (seed beads, sequins, pearls, rhinestones etc.)
glass of water
STEP No. 1 Decide on the size of flower you are wanting to create (for my rings, my largest cirlce is approximately a 1" diametre, for brooches and headbands 3" diametre) Cut your fabric scraps into cirles. These don't have to be perfect circles, in fact, the more imperfect the better. Start with your largest circle and cut 2-3 of this size then start decreasing the sizes until you feel you have enough to acquire the 'fluffiness' you want. I normally use between 7-10 petals for my small flowers and 12-15 for my large flowers. It's probably a good idea to cut some extra in case any go up in flames.
STEP No. 2 Burn baby burn! Now please be careful with this step as every fabric burns at different speeds and I do not want to be held accountable for any singed fingers. Start with your largest circle - pinch the fabric in the clothes pin and hold about 4-5" over flame. If the fabric starts to curl too quickly, hold fabric higher above the heat and begin to rotate fabric to complete the petal. If fabric catches fire, quickly drop into the glass of water and start again.
STEP No. 3 Now that you have all your petals, begin stacking them. Because they will all be a slightly different shape and size, try rotating the petals to achieve fullness. Once you are happy with your composition, carefully pinch all layers together and start to sew. Starting from the back, bring needle up through the centre of all layers and back down diagonally - you are wanting to create a small 'x' in the centre of your flower. I like to to sew over the 'x' twice to assure it's secure.
STEP No. 4 Time to decorate. I love to use little pearls, sparkly seed beeds or rhinestones for my centres. The skies the limit - have fun with this step!
There you have it - one pretty, dainty and sweet little handmade lovely. Enjoy!
