How To Make Fabric Flowers - a DIY Tutorial

This is a picture tutorial on how to make your very own, easy but fabulously pretty fabric flowers. 

In three different versions.

Just follow the step by step instructions.

These are the three different versions of the flower:

The cut of your petals decides the resulting look.

 Step 1. To make one flower, cut at least 9 circles of fabric, all in the same size and give 8 of them the shape you prefer. (The 9th petal will be used as your base and you need that circular.)

Tip: The more petals you add, the fuller the resulting flower.

 A simple circle gives you this flower.

A simple circle cut with pinking shears gives you this flower.

A star shaped petal gives you this flower.

  Step 2: Take the circle of your fabric designated as the base. You will be sewing all the flower petals on this base, one by one as shown in the following pictures.

Tip: You can use any fabric of your choice for the base.

Choose the base according to your needs. 

For example, a thin fabric choice for the flower might need the base to be sturdier for a  better result.

Step 3. Fold all your petals in half and then in half again, until you get the folded 'quarter' petal shown in the pictures. 

(Four of these 'quarters', will make up one layer of petals.)

Step 4. Proceed to sew four of them onto the centre of your base -as shown in the pictures- one by one until they have filled the four quarters of your base circle.

I found that they are sewn on more symmetricaly if you sew the second petal  opposite the first petal.

Then continue sewing the third petal and fourth petals in the two gaps left by the previous two petals sewn opposite each other.

Step 5.When the first layer of petals is sewn on, you need to sew one more layer on top of that to complete your flower.

You do the same thing as in the previous layer of petals and sew four more folded petals on top.

Try to position them slightly rotated, by half a petal, over the original petals. 

This will discourage gaps in the finished flower.

If your fabric is a bit hard to handle or if this your very first flower, you might need the help of some pins keeping the lower layer of petals in order, ie out of your way....

When you sew in the very last of your petals, your flower will look something like this.

Congratulations!

You've done it!

Now you can use your lovely handmade flower in any number of ways.

You can make your very own fabric flower accessories, sashes, headbands,hair clips,  pins, brooches, shoe clips, wrist corsages, garlands, table decor -the sky's the limit really!

They make great last minute gifts too, as they are so easy to make.

I added a brooch back to these and made some spring gifts I needed in a pinch.

Last but not least, they also make great Mother's Day gifts. 

How can you beat flower keepsakes that will last and be cherished for a long time!

Especially if there are little hands involved in the making.

 This could be a great project to ease kids into sewing or if you want a more child-friendly version, you could use glue to secure the petals onto the base.

 Extra tips and notes:

The fabric I've used here is a vibrant coral synthetic fabric which doesn't fray. 
These would look great in felt or any non-fraying material but I've made them in natural cotton as well -which frays fatser than you can look at it- and I loved that look too.
Just decide what works for you and the rest is easy.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask in the comment section below and I'll get back to you.

Linked to:

Annemarie's Crochet Blog, I Heart Naptime, Homework, My Creative Space, Chase The Star

How To Make A Simple Scarf - a DIY for Absolute Beginners

This step by step instructions tutorial on how to make a simple scarf is for absolute beginners. 
While the scarf in the photos is a small square scarf, the steps are the same for any shape and size you would like to make.

1. Decide on your fabric and shape.
(This tutorial is basically for fabrics that fray, like cotton, linen, etc when you want to have a neat, stitched finish.) 
If you want a perfectly square scarf, and you don't want to get out your tape measure, just  fold your fabric over until you make a perfect triangle. 
Cut. 
Open it up, it's a perfect square.

 2.If you're pretty new at this and are not confident of your sewing skills, or if you just want everything super neat and tidy, it helps if you use an iron to flatten out all your seams before you stitch them.
This is how you do it.
Fold over a thin strip of fabric making sure that it's the same width all the way down. Press this down with your iron untill flat. 

 Once you've done this, fold it over again, in the same way, and press it flat with the iron again.
Do this for each side.

3. Stitch over all sides paying attention to the corners.

 Use pins to keep the fabric in place and help you make them align perfectly.

Tip: When stitching something that will see a lot of wear, backstitch a little so that you don't have unravelled stitches later.

4.Congratulations!
You have just made your very own scarf!
Now you can go ahead and make some more for your friends and family! 
 They make for cute Christmas gifts.

Linked to:

Threading My Way, Annemarie's Crochet Blog, My Creative Space