I decided that thrift store ties would make great flower pins. Here's how I made them:
Materials:
-Scissors
-Needle & thread
-Tacky glue
-Tie
-1" bar pin
-Big bead (or button or whatever you like!)
1) Wash, line dry and iron the ties if you want to get rid of that thrift store funk. I used woolite and cold water and my ties came out fine.
2) Cut 8 to 10" off the wide end of the tie, then fold back the end of the longer segment and trim about 3/4" from the interfacing at an angle:
3) Fold the cut end of the tie down inside itself, and handstitch closed.
4) Starting about 2" from the narrow end of the tie, make a running stitch along one edge:
When you get to the other end, keep going along the cut and sewn edge. You should end up at the longer end of the angled cut you made (at the top in the picture in Step 2).
5) Gather as you go; the tie should curl up nicely:
6) When you're done, pull the gathers very tight. Arrange the spirals that the tie makes so that they form three tiers of "petals." Pull the 2" tail you left in Step 4 down through the center. Fluff and arrange the gathers to your liking.
7) Flip the flower over and stitch the end of the tie to the little tail you pulled through to secure it.
Then stitch or glue the tail down to the underside of the flower.
8. Glue or sew your bead to the center top of the flower.
9) Cut a square from the leftover tie fabric, and a circle about 1.5" across from cardboard.
10) Glue the cardboard circle into the center of the fabric square, and then fold the extra fabric over the edges of the circle and glue that down too.
11) Grab yourself still more glue and coat the underside of the fabric/cardboard circle.
12) Press the circle against the underside of your flower. Then glue your pin to the circle.
And here's the results:
