How to make Fabric Flowers

Posted by Karen Bastille - 06/05/09 at 02:05 pm

This basketful of gingham flowers shows the petal shapes you can use to make imaginative roses, daisies, hibiscus or simple posies.

Scraps of leftover fabrics are ideal for making cloth flowers. You can coordinate flower colors with draperies or bedspreads for a special effect. Or you can create a patchwork design by using a variety of fabrics in one flower.

To make eight of these flowers of gingham (as pictured above) or other fabric, you will need
1/2 yard of material
1 1/2-inch-wide cloth ribbon
five dozen chenille or extra-thick pipe cleaners
three dozen No. 23 wires
one dozen No. 16 stem wires
green floral tape
white glue with brush
four feet of yellow ochre-colored wool yarn
and scissors

Select a container which will harmonize with the arrangement. Place a foam block cut to size within the vase to support flower stems.

The center of a rose is a foamed plastic sphere about 1 inch in diameter, covered with 4-inch-square fabric. The posy’s center is a small wad of cotton, covered with 2-inch- square fabric. To secure the material, wrap a No. 23 wire around the base twice. Make a daisy center of yarn as you did the wild rose center in the feather flowers. A hibiscus center is made with three pipe cleaners. Using your thumb and forefinger, wind each end of each pipe cleaner on itself four times. Fold the pipe cleaner in half to create two pistils with curled ends. Fold the second pipe cleaner at one-quarter its length and the third at one-third its length to vary the length of the pistils. Attach completed pistils to a No. 16 stem wire with green floral tape.

Transfer petal, calyx and leaf patterns onto cardboard (below). Each cardboard pattern acts as an edge or template against which you can fit and shape a pipe cleaner. Bend a pipe cleaner in half; align the bend with the apex of each petal or leaf and shape the pipe cleaner around each edge of the template (Figure AA). Twist the pipe cleaner closed twice at the base of the pattern and clip any remaining pipe cleaner strands. Lay the ironed cotton fabric on a flat surface. Brush glue onto one side of the pipe cleaner and place it directly upon the material. When the glue dries, cut the petal or leaf from the fabric, following the pipe cleaner outline. Attach a No. 23 wire to each petal and leaf (see Figure M, in feather flowers post). For each flower cut five separate calyx patterns from cloth ribbon. Space petals evenly around either the plastic sphere center or the pistils (depending on the flower), and wrap in place with floral tape. Then glue calyx pieces around the base of the petals. The wire within the pipe cleaner will allow you to shape each petal and leaf. Complete wrapping the stem and attaching leaves with floral tape.

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