fabric flowers

Slowly but surely I am tackling my to-do list. Today I worked on re-decorating my fireplace mantel. I don't have any concrete plans as of yet, but I know flowers will be involved. I love the look of fresh flowers but have been in the market for something long-lasting. Fake flowers are nice, but DIY flowers are more my style. I picked cotton fabric in yellow & tulle fabric in a soft white for my flowers. I think the tulle makes for a nice airy flower, while the cotton adds some texture. 

To make your own fabric flowers, you'll need a few things:

• Fabric 
• Needle & thread
• Scissors
• Floral tape
• Wire
• Pliers

Step 1 // Cut your fabric into small squares, about 3" wide & long.

Step 2 //  Cut your squares into circles. Don't worry about the shapes being exact, a little lopsidedness is okay!

Step 3 // Fold 3 or 4 (depending on thickness of fabric) of your circles in half, then in half again, then in half again! Stitch through the bottom to hold in place.

Step 4 // Repeat step 3 as many times as desired, stitching each cluster into the next. The more clusters you add, the bigger your flower will be! Wrap remaining thread around the base of your flower, sew through, then tie off.

Step 5 // Wrap wire around the bottom of your flower, then lead the wire down as far as you'd like your stem to be long. Bend the wire back up & wrap around the flower again. This doubling adds thickness to your stem.

Step 6 // Twist the wires of your stem together.

Step 7 // Wrap the stem in floral tape, starting with the top, & ending at the bottom of the stem. Make sure you wrap up around the base of the flower to cover the wire.

Now you have fresh spring flowers that will last for ages to come!  

There are many ways to make DIY flowers, & lots of different material options. I'm going to try experimenting with paper flowers next!

xoxo, 
-m.e.

Related // Tissue Paper Flowers & Dried Roses.