Fabric Flower Tutorial #1 – Pointy Petals

Today, I am giving you a tutorial on how to make one of the types of fabric flowers I have been making recently.  We will start with the pointy petaled flowers, because this is the first kind that I made.  They’re easy… I promise!

You will need:

• Fabric Scraps
• Scissors
• Fabric pencil or marker (depending on fabric choice)
• Something round to trace (I recommend a cheap plastic cup)
  • remember the larger the object, the larger the petals
• Iron
• Needle & thread
• Button
• Small piece of felt
• Hair clip/Brooch pin/Etc.

Process:

Start by picking out your fabric.  You can cut all of your circles with matching fabric, or use different fabrics.  Fabric material also doesn’t matter, but it will change the overall feel of the piece. (I do recommed that you use the same type of material for the whole project, even if the fabrics do not match.)  It’s completely up to you.  For this tutorial, I have used matching fabric out of a silky material.

Lay your fabric out on a flat surface and trace out the circles.

Cut your circles out using a sharp pair of scissors.

Iron your circles.  This will help them hold their shape.  Remember to press the iron down flatly on your fabric and lift.  Running the iron across some fabrics causes it to stretch.

Once you have nice flat circle, fold them in half and iron them.  Then fold in half and iron again.  You should have triangles with a rounded edge.

Thread your needle.  I use a double thread, for extra hold.

Take your first triangle and sew a long gathering stitch along the curved edge of the triangle.  (A gathering stitch is about 1/4 inch long, and will allow you to gather the fabric.)

Once you reach the end of the first petal, start on the second without tying off the thread.  I recommend always starting on the same side of the petal (i.e. if you started on the open side, always start on the open side; it will make your flower more uniform).

Once you have sewn all of your petals into a string, gather the fabric and tie the last petal off to the first one.  This is what makes your flower.

Then sew a button onto the center of the flower, to cover the rough edges of fabric on the front.

Then flip your flower over and sew (or glue – with fabric glue) a piece of felt to the back.  This will cover the rough edges of fabric in the back.  You will also use the felt to attach the hair clip, brooch pin, or attachment of your choice.  This completes the flower.

This is a great and completely free project for those of you with left over fabric laying about your house.  It’s really nice to make flowers that match outfits you’ve already made by using the leftover fabric scraps and buttons.