Sunday, February 26, 2012

gathered fabric flowers {tutorial}

Happy weekend!  I've been spending a lot of time these days trying to come up with crafts that perk me up (because of all the stress), and what better way than to make a bunch of flowers?!

I know, I know.... there are a billion ways to make fabric flowers nowadays (and trust me, I love every method.  I'm pretty sure I've tried every method.), but when I need to make something quick and have it look halfway decent, this is my favorite method. :)



:: Supplies I used ::


  • Fabric
  • Hot Glue Gun
  • Scissors
  • Needle & Thread
  • Felt
Cut a strip of fabric.  You'll be folding this in half, and that will determine how "long" your "petal" is, so keep that in mind when deciding how wide to cut the fabric.  The wider your fabric, the bigger your petals, and the longer your fabric the bigger your overall flower will be.



Thread your needle, and create a knot at the end.  Fold the strip in half and start your sewing near the raw edge (not at the fold).  You'll notice my knotted thread, and I actually sewed around the side a couple of times to secure my knot in place (you really don't want that sucker to get out).



Sew along the raw edge in long stitches.  I kept my stitches at about half an inch.



When you've stitched the entire length of fabric, hold the thread at the end without the knot and gently start pulling your fabric towards the end with the knot.  You are 'gathering' your fabric. :)


You should end up with a scrunched up pile like this:


There are two kinds of flowers you can make from here.  You can space it out evenly and create a flat flower with space in the middle for a button or an accent:


Or you can wrap it around to create a more 3D flower:


Either way, glue it down to a piece of felt to secure the flower, and cut the remaining thread once the flower is secure.


You can try different lengths and widths of fabric to see what different variations of the flower you can make.  The dark orange and yellow fabrics were cut thinner than my light orange one, and it gave me more of a funky, zig zag petal pattern (which I liked). :)



Enjoy!


14 comments:

  1. Awesome tutorial...thanks for sharing! I especially like the 3-D versions! Have a great day!

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  2. These are so beautiful! I love how fluffy and elegant they look. I am not a good sewer. At all...but I think with your tutorial in hand I just may be able to give this a whirl?? LOL - I'll have to keep you posted on how my finished product looks. In the meantime, if you have time I'd love if you could share on my linky party going on now at

    http://teaganstravels.blogspot.com/2012/02/destination-inspiration-linky-party-4.html

    Thanks!
    Michelle @ Teagan's Travels

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not a good sewer either, but all you have to do is essentially sew a straight(ish) long line, so it's not so bad. :)

      I've added your link party to my weekly list, thank you for the invite! :)

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  3. Love this tutorial! Thanks for posting it :)

    http://www.seesewandseedlings.blogspot.com/

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  4. These are so cute! Thanks for the tutorial. Would love for you to link up: http://www.serendipityandspice.com/2012/02/manic-monday-7.html
    -Melissa

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    Replies
    1. That you for the invite! I've added your link party to my weekly list. :)

      Delete
  5. Love the flowers! I would love it if you linked up at my party going on now! (It's my very first one!!)

    Jill
    www.jillifyit.com

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the invite, Jill! I've added your link party to my weekly lists to visit, so I hope you have many, many more. :)

      Delete
  6. These are adorable! Thanks so much for sharing at Mix it up Monday :)

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  7. These are beautiful. I would love for you to come share them at my party.

    http://www.herecomesthesun-kelly.blogspot.com/2012/02/fabulous-friday-14.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the invite, Kelly! It looks I missed the last one, but I will be on the lookout for the next one. :)

      Delete
  8. These look great. I am adding them, via Pinterest, to my ever growing fabric flower tutorial list. Thanks for sharing!

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  9. Thanks for this informative blog.Flowers are one of natures beautiful things that have always fascinated humans.Flowers are perfect for all occasions.

    Send gift to Philippines & Send gifts to Philippines

    ReplyDelete