more fabric flowers! and tutorials! yeah!

[trufflegirl]

I wanted to make my little sister a special something for her birthday, and I know she's been admiring the fabric flower brooches in the shops lately, so rather than shell out the $30 CDN for a mass-market piece, I decided to make my own. This is loosely based on a design for a tulle hairpin that I found in (EEK) Martha Stewart Weddings magazine, but because I was working with organza instead of tulle, I couldn't do the folds quite the same way...



To make the petals, cut out a number of rectangles (about 2x4") of fabric. (I made about 24 petals for this flower, but you could make more or less, depending on the look you want.) Trim the top edge into a point, removing the upper corners --- basically, you want the shape of a gothic arch. Then, on each petal, fold the sides to the centre, and to the centre again, until you've gathered the fabric into a little scroll. Sew the bottom tightly together, and trim off any excess fabric. (I tried to take pictures of this process, but it's too fiddly to shop up well, especially with transparent fabric!) If you want the petals to be more curved than tubular, try folding the top edges in to the centre, and then folding the sides in --- the top will unfurl somewhat, but you get a more natural petal-like shape in the end.

Cut a small circle of fabric (something sturdy) and then start sewing the petals to it, one by one. Sew one at each compass poiint (quarters), and then fill in the gaps (eighths), and fill in the gaps again (sixteenths) until the circle is filled out. Then, repeat the process again to create a second tier of petals --- for best results, use slightly smaller petals for the second tier. If you like, add more tiers, until your flower looks full.

Sew a bead or button or whatever you like to the centre, to finish it off and to hide the stiching. I used a plain white glass bead, and then painted it with nail polish to match my fabric (white looked too cheap against the silver).

Sew a safety pin or brooch back to the back of the fabric circle. (Or, if you made a smaller flower, you could sew it to a bobby pin... Or you could attach the flower to a skirt or dress or whatever...)



(Apologies for the blurriness, I didn't want to use a flash because the organza was too reflective.)

I used the flower as a decoration on the rest of my gift to my sister, in coordinating silvery fabrics, but once they're unwrapped she can take off the flower and wear it!

[trufflegirl]

I did promise flowers, not just a flower, didn't I?

Here's one that my sister made for me:



To make it, she chose three coordinating fabrics (in this case, a greeny-blue shot organza, a green silk, and a brown-with-green-flowers rayon) and laid them all out together. She cut out a series of flower-shapes, cutting all three layers at once. Each set of shapes should be larger than the last. Stack them, largest-to-smallest, and turn the flowers so that the layers all show nicely. Sew them together at the centre, add a bead or a button, and sew a pin onto the back. Hey presto!

This design is nice and flat, so it can go under a jacket and not get crushed...

[Goddess]

all of those are fabulous! I do love the one you made for her so very dearly!

[redlipsredboots]

fancy sister-time flowers!! can you feel the love?

[joanieponytail]

They're beautiful. And thanks for the good instructions. I have had this scrap of gold organza sitting on my "desk" for a while. It may well become a flower or two.

[snazziness]

  ive also been admiring these flowers at the mall.. and ive been wanting to make an attempt to sew one of my own! thanks for the awesome tutorial, great job!

[AutuMn NicOle]

Thanks for this tutorial. Now I wont have to buy those overpriced ones! 

[Renazy]

 
Your flowers are fantastic!!! I was just at the Gap today and they wanted $12.50 for a really small flower pin. I am going to pull out some of my scrap quilting fabric and see what magic I can create. Thanks for the pictures.

[trufflegirl]

Just to show a variation on the first type of flower above: I made a poncho to wear to a wedding this past weekend, and added a flower pin to anchor the poncho (otherwise it slides around on my shoulders) and to visually balance the beaded trim on the bottom edge. I used the same technique, but with a button in the centre instead of a bead...

I tried to take pics of the process, to make a better tutorial, but found that trying to take photos of little shimmery bits of fabric with one hand, while holding everything together with the other hand, just really didn't work. I could probably draw the process better, if anyone wants, or else the verbal tutorial will just have to do!

Anyway, here's the poncho: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=15162.0

[jessicapoundstone]

Love the red & green flower - looks like even a non-sewer (ahem, like me) would have a chance at making one that looked pretty good!