Fabric Flower Extravaganza!

I am a crafty soul and I always intended on DIY-ing some elements of the wedding. As it gets steadily closer, I feel the pressure to get going on some of the projects. Luckily my crafty spirit came out this weekend and I was able to tackle a very fun project. I have been looking for something to wear in my hair and my search generally leads me to Etsy. I am in love with the fabric flowers various artisans make but have not been in love with the price. Many pieces start around $50 and go up from there. I thought they looked reasonably easy to make and so I decided to give it a whirl. Originally I planned to just wing it, but last minute I went searching for tutorials mainly so I had a good quality plan before I started cutting fabric. I am glad I did that because what I stumbled on turned out amazing and I think easier than the method I originally planned to use. The tutorial I used can be found here. Here are my step by step instructions.

I purchased 1/3 of a yard of 3 different types of synthetic fabric. I selected a satin, chiffon, and an iridescent organza. I definitely think the mix of fabrics creates a better look but of course you could use just one type. The grand total for the fabric: $3.34.

I printed out the pattern of circles on regular printer paper, cut out the circles and then pinned them to the fabric. I actually printed out a few patterns so I could pin them all to the different fabrics and cut everything at once. Stick your pin through the middle of the circle and you will never see the little holes.

Cut out all the circles and cut the little slits before you take the pattern off the fabric. Now you are ready for the fire! Get a candle ready, I used a tea light which worked really well.

The tutorial suggested using tweezers and I followed the instructions for about two seconds. I thought it was much easier to use my hands as I had more control. Fold all the other petals down so only one is exposed and hold it near the flame. If you touch it to the flame it could A. catch on fire or B. you will get little burn marks on your petals. The fabric burns really easily and quickly. Be careful because if you touch part of the hot part to another part, it will stick together. The organza was especially prone to stickiness. The flame will cause the fabric to fold under giving it that petal like look so hold the side you want to show down. Generally the shiny side.

Last step: Sew or glue the pieces together and bedazzle them to your liking! The more layers the better so definitely use all 8 on the pattern for this size flower. I sewed the pieces together and used some clear beads to make a little center. Because I used one pattern on each piece of fabric all the flowers are different which is fun. Layer the pieces together and play around with them until you get it looking how you want and then attach them. I loved the results but I wanted a bigger one so I enlarged the patten on my printer and I used a lot more layers.

I plan to add some little pearl beads to the middle of the big one and maybe even a little something blue. Come wedding day, this will be the perfect touch to my hairdo and you may even see them in some other places! I made one large flower and 3 of the smaller flowers and I still have enough fabric to make a few more. The project was easy and I believe anyone despite their level of craftiness, could make these beauties! Of course you could make them in any color or for any occasion. I did spend about 3 hours making them as all the steps were tedious. But in the end I spent under $5 and to me that is worth it.

What do you think?