Flower Talk: Creating Your Own Fabric Flowers

A few years ago, I discovered how to make flowers out of satin, taffeta and organza fabrics. It became a bit of an addiction because I got to melt the edges of the flower pieces with a tealight  candle. Needless to say, I went through about fifty to one hundred candles! It is risky, easy to burn the fingers. But you can make such beautiful flowers, it is worth it all.  It is a great idea for bridal fashion accessories as well as for special events like the prom or graduation. You get to pick the color And if you want it shiny use satin, if you want it not so shiny, use taffeta. To add dimension you can use organza. Or you can make it all out of organza For a very delicate Look.

The flowers  I made that you will see in the video, were created to be versatile. That was made possible by sewing a piece of fabric, making a loop on the back. Then you can add a brooch pin, Bobby pin, neck Choker, A Barrette blank...attaching it wherever you like. Except it doesn't work for hair  elastics or head band elastics because they are closed loops. So as you will see in the video, for some of them I either sewed the elastic to the back of the flower  directly or  I made a loop using fabric and Velcro, making it even more versatile because you can open and close it around something.
Watch The Video Here:

These flowers can be made however you like. You can just cut circles or circles that have  petal shapes around them, You can make the petals rounded or pointy. You will need to experiment with it when you melt the edges of the fabric because I tried smaller petal cuts and a lot of them just melted away into nothing.  I found that a circle and rounded edges works best for the flowers.

Caution to Youth:
Because this involves a flame, please do not try doing this alone, if at all. We can make flowers without a candle flame. Much safer. 

Flower Making Tips:
Size: Remember if you want a flower that is about 2 inches across, to cut your circles or shapes a little bit bigger because the edges will curl up when they melt   as they curve up. Therefore making your flowers smaller than the original cut shape.

To make a fuller flower make more layers of circles In varying sizes. Then when you assemble the flower you have more rows of petals, making your flower fuller.
Materials Needed:
💗synthetic fabrics like satin (I used some old pj's), organza and tafetta.
💗Scissors
💗A marker if you want to trace out circles or flower petal shape circles
💗A sewing/beading needle that fit through the beads you use to make the center of the flower
💗Assorted beads or a focal button. Think of what you would like to be the center of your flower. As you will see some of mine having large focal beads and some have a cluster of smaller beads like freshwater pearls
💗Tea lights Or votives
💗 Templates to trace if you want- I just cut out my circles free form
💗fine clear filament or fishing line that fits through the eye of your needle.

First Step: 
This is for the basic around flower That reminds me of a poppy, One of my favorite flowers.
Plan  what size of flower you want. Then cut three to five circles of different sizes getting bigger to smaller or smaller to Bigger.
Second Step:
Light your Tealight and proceed with caution. First experiment with the scrap of fabric, Preferably as shape similar to the one you're about to melt. Hold the edge close to the flame Going closer Very slowly, Until you see the ad start curl. If you have a flame, Your fabric has ignited Blow it out right away! You do not want to get so close that the fabric start on fire. It took me a lot of tries to get it right. If it helps you, Keep up little spray bottle of water or dish of cold water to put your finger In case it gets burnt.
And if you feel that it isn't safe enough perhaps this isn't the project for you. The last thing I want is someone to get hurt.
All I know is my hands to shake all the time and I was able to do it without any serious incidents.
Second Step:
Plan the center of your flower, arranging the beads or just use one large bead or even a button.
 And have your fishing line threaded through your needle. All ready to go.
Third Step:
Once you have all Your circle Melted around the edges, It is time to assemble your flower.
Stack them according to the sizes that you cut them Big to smaller.
Fourth Step:
Select the bead or beads that you wanted to go in the center of the flower. Thread needle with the fishing line.
Fifth Step:
Push the needle up through the center or so out of the flower from the backside up And go back down and back up through a few times To secure the layers. Leave about a 2 inch tail, so that you don't pull the line, all the way through And have something to knot later.
Sixth Step:
Pick where you want your first been going to center. Push the threaded needle through it and go back down Through the fabric layers. Personally, I do this two or three times for beads that are bigger. If you're only doing  One focal bead, Then end with your needle coming out the back. Cut the fishing line and tie that end together with the beginning "tail" to knot it securely.
Seventh Step is optional 
 Want it too be multi-functional? Sew on a strip/loop of fabric to the back after the center was sewn on. Use an open loop with velcro if you want. Or you can sew whatever finding you want to the back. Such as, a hair band, head band or a brooch pin.

Hope you enjoy making them if you're going to do it.

Thanks for stopping by.
💗HeArtfully Creating,
Anita


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Tutorial Video Share: Making Peonies

Hi guys! Today has clearly been focused on Flowers! Makes sense, Since Spring is in the air. Well I hope it is in the air, In our neck of the woods It was +16

Celsius On Saturday The next day, -1 Celsius. However, We can see A couple of tulips and crocuses trying to make their way out of the soil! Hope they don't catch a cold!

One of my favourite flowers In a garden, besides the Oriental poppy, are peonies. my dear friend Jan, who has gone onto heaven, transplanted one from her garden into our's. Here's the painting that I did of it.    They're just so beautiful. 

So once again, Here are some more video tutorials All about making flowers but this time a specific kind, peonies. Not Just Using paper, But there is one that is edible, made using  gum paste (If you watch Cake Boss you will know what that is.) As well as Peonies made from fabric.

As always, hope you're inspired!

HeArtfully Creating!

Anita

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Subscribe! Like and Share!! (if you want of course :o)

LIKE HeArtfully Creating Here on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/HeArtfullyCreating/

HeArtfully Creating Blog: 

http://heartfullycreating.blogspot.ca...

A Bergie Creation Shop Blog: http://abergiecreation.blogspot.ca

A BERGIE CREATION - my handmade jewelry shop

www.abergiecreation.etsy.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/abergiecreation

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/abergiecreation

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https://www.youtube.com/user/anitaand...

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HeArtfully Creating: 

http://heartfullycreating.blogspot.ca

Poppies....So Inspiring

Poppy slices I made from polymer clay.

God's Creation

I love flowers and I love creating. It only made sense to learn how to make my favourite flower out of

From our garden

fabric, then they wouldn't die like all flowers have to do. Below are a couple of photos of the gorgeous blooms we are blessed with year after year that inspired me to create. 
You can see why I would want to try to have these flowers in our home all year round. As you will see, creating two dimensional poppies is one of my favourite things to do. Including recently, as I have been learning how to use polymer clay. To the right, after watching many YouTube tutorials, I figured out how to make a "Poppy" cane out of polymer clay. (I will be writing more about polymer cane making in the future.) For now, I just wanted to share these photos so you can see what we can create when we are inspired by God's creation. 

Our garden

Inspired to Create

Most of us are inspired to create because of others who create. God being Thee number one Creator, His creation is perfect. We are created in His image, so it makes sense to me that we love creating. His creation has inspired me my entire life. It is important to use your eyes, and other senses to seek out things that stir your creativity. 

My polymer poppy can- pencil holder can

Capture Inspiration

I suggest that if you see anything that stirs your heart to create, take pictures of it so you have them to refer to when you are ready to create. Ideally, if you can draw or paint outside, in real life, instead of using a photograph, then go for it. Whether you choose to draw it, paint it, sculpt, use textiles like fabric, thread, yarn, knitting, stitchery, cut it out in paper... in polymer clay like I have done already or whatever method you want, create away. The methods we can use to make art or create, is endless. I receive my inspiration from looking at what other artists do as well as whatever God makes.

Photography itself is not only a great way to record images you can create from, but it is also a way to express yourself creatively. Photos themselves are works of art.

My Poppies...Painted

Since this is about Poppies, as you will see Poppies are one of my most favourite sources of inspiration.

The poppy flowers we grew from seeds to plants that return yearly in our garden, inspire me to take tonnes of photos and the photos inspire me to paint and draw and now make using polymer clay and in fabric. 

Over the last twenty to thirty years as an artist, I use to only paint and draw poppies in two dimensions. Two dimensions means the art work has height and width. I wanted to share some of those paintings with you so you can see just how one flower inspires to create. And then I will show you how the poppy also has inspired me to creating it in three dimensional form. Three dimensions are what we are, we have height, width and depth. Ever been to a 3D movie?

A poppy I painted using Acrylic paint. By Anita Berglund Copyright

A poppy I painted using Acrylic paint. By Anita Berglund Copyright

This Poppy - I tried to be more abstract with

I do love blue, this is called an Himalayan Poppy - by Anita Berglund

Four canvasses make up this poppy painting I did over fifteen years ago

My Poppies in Three Dimension
I love oriental poppies and wanted to try to learn how to make my own in fabric. When I first started out, I made a couple as hair ornaments using fabric.

This poppy was made using satin and beads sewn in place.

Organza poppy made by Anita Berglund

Ideas of what you could made with a handmade flower...that's me, Anita

Ready for Lift Size Poppies

After some research I was blessed with the idea to make life size poppies to decorate our home. Take a look...if I can make these, you can too.

They were made using taffeta fabric, a lot of tea lights and matches to melt the edges of the petals. The centre part of the poppy, was constructed using a cotton ball stuffing that has been packed into a stitched circle of fabric including a layer of organza for sparkle and a stretchy black jersey, then tightened and stitched to form, a flat orb, think tangerine or persimmons. To make the pie slice like sections, I jammed a thick darning needle down the centre of the orb with a thin black cord and came back out and back in around and around until the centre was looking similar to a real poppy centre. The black fuzzy stamens in a real oriental poppy are velvet and fluffy. Mine were made with a lot of hot glue gun blisters as I glued pieces of whatever thinnish black string or cording I could find all around the underside of the "orb" centre.

A LOT of hot glue was used...Oh right, the petals were secured with the hot glue and a long 18 gauge floral stem was connected to the center part. Once it was all where I wanted it to be, I needed to buy and cut thin wooden dowels for stability. To make the stems look more stem like, I wrapped them in green floral tape.

Bouquet number one sits in our living area. Red is such a nice pop of colour.

Can you see the divided section in the centre.

Here is one out of two bouquet's that I made. So rewarding and beautiful.

SO MUCH FUN!

This project was so much fun. Even when something is time consuming, if you love it, you'll do it.

The size of the flowers across, are about ten inches. I have noticed that keeping the petals from drooping is tricky. Anyone have any ideas? let me know. :o)