Wednesday, May 18, 2011

DIY: Fabric Flower Wedding Bouquet

 The complete fabric flower bouquet from beginning to vows.
Part 1
Start with circles cut in 2", 3" and 4" diameters from a variety of fabric scrap fabrics. 
Preferably synthetics because they will melt and not burn.
Carefully burn the edges by waving close to a candle flame. 
See more here.

  
Begin by layering petal after petal and stitching together.
Here's the secret:  
Off set and use your burned circles as petals. Do not just center them one on top of the other.

Continue added petals and increasing them in size. 
Petal after petal, stitch after stitch.
 
 Don't worry about "messy stitches...they will all be covered up. 
The goal is to get everything to hold together.

 Now is the time to pull out all the fun brooches, buttons and broken earrings 
to add to the centers of your flowers.
 Part 2


After the petals are all stitched together and centers added, you're ready to attach a backing. 
You can create them into corsages at this point by attaching brooch pins. Or add loops to attach bobby pins to wear in your hair.
In order to add stems for a bouquet, this is the easiest way I could come up with.
Supplies needed:
Wire 20 gauge
Florest tape
Needle and thread
Long nose pliers
And always a good pair of scissors

 Bend wire in half and twist the entire length down,
leaving a loop at the top about the size of a quarter.

 On the back side of your flower, behind one of the petals, insert the wire.

 Hand stitch around the wire through the back petal and into the petals on the other side of the loop. 
There are so many layers of petals that you won't see the stitches on the front. 
This will hold the wire and flower in place.

 Now bend the wire stem and loop 90 degrees.

 Beginning about 2" down from the flower begin wrapping the floral tape up to the flower then back down. Pulling tight and twisting until you come to the end.

 Cover the entire stem.

 I did all my stems this way. When I decided how to arrange them, I added a thicker fake flower stem to some of the flowers beginning about 3 1/2' down from the flower base. 
I only added this stem to a select few. 
This gave some girth to my stems for the bouquet to be held but not too thick.

 On the backs to cover up the stitching add a silk leaf or two with the glue gun.

 You really can't see the backs when there done but,
you'll know that it would hold up in a 4-H fair judges critique!

 Now you're ready to assemble them together.
I added a few silks in with my fabric flowers and brooches. I felt like it needed that third element to give it textural interest. 

 Wrap all the stems together with florist tape.
 I covered my stems completely by wrapping with lime green cotton ribbon and added the pearls to the ends of the loops.

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19 comments:

Pat Winter Gatherings said...

These look real and are the best I've seen. I have to try this one day. Thanks for such great directions.
Smiles,
Pat

Deborah H. Bateman said...

This is beautiful. You are very talented.

*jean* said...

sooo lovely! thank you!

thecraftytulip said...

pretty!!!

Debbi Thinks Deep said...

I had just finished posting about making your own Bridal Bouquet . . . just encouragement really, no wonderful step-by-step instructions like you have, when I popped in to see what you were up to, and you had just posted this! Mine are natural flowers {because I am a florist, or was . . . am I still if I don't do it very often anymore? hmmm . . . I need to ponder that}, but you took it many steps further! So I did the opportunistic . . . er . . . serendipitous thing, and linked to your post! :) A world of brides thank you! {Me, too!}
~Debbi

Say It In Color said...

Truly beautiful! Your eye for texture and color and details AND design are fabulous! What a lucky daughter ....I know you feel blessed!! We certainly have been!

Midwestie Lady - Linda said...

Such beautiful flowers! Thanks for sharing the tutorial with us! I love the different jewelry you used for the center too!
Linda Harbin
MidwestieLady on Etsy and ArtFire

reimaginedtreasures.blogspot.com said...

Really beautiful. I especially like the ones in yellows and orange with pearls on the tips of the leaves...I have been off the blogs for months, but nice to see your beautiful work. Come by and say hi! Kathi

Sachiko said...

These flowers look so beautiful! Thank you for sharing your tutorial with us!

Unknown said...

Beautiful. And I really like the added "leaves". :D

jenna said...

so beautiful. i am going to make a special corsage for my mother and my mother in law for their june birthdays! so lovely! i found you on maybe matilda.

Unknown said...

This is a fabulous tutorial. I have hundreds of Vintage petals that I purchased at Brimfield's last year. I also wanted to combine my own fabric somehow. You have given me the perfect step by step to creating something lovely.

Your photography is equally as perfect. When I make one, I am going to link back to your amazing post.

Have a beautiful weekend.

Karen

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Fabulous, both tutorial and the flowers; they are simply Grand!

sonyaeverding said...

absolutely gorgeous

Maija said...

Thanks for the tutorial!! Those flowers rock, and you made it look easy to make!!

Deb at the Greenhouse said...

Thanks so much for the tutorial. I'm a florist and one of my brides is horribly allergic to flowers. During the consult she broke out in hives! This is a beautiful alternative that dwill allow her to have her dream wedding. Thanks again!!!!

Shakina Farhan said...

tq for the tutorial! :)..love it to the max!

Anonymous said...

I've been looking for diy fabric flowers, so I can make corsages with a personal touch for my bridesmaids. These are by far the prettiest fabric flowers I have found (and I've been searching the internet for aaaaaages). The instructions are so easy to follow as well! I just had a first go and love love love the result! Thanks for sharing :)

Unknown said...

I need to teach people how to make these flowers in Hamilton. I think people would go crazy over them!