Craft to the Rafters: Easy Folded Fabric Flower

An easy fabric flower!

I've been wanting to make some more flowers for Lachlan's sister. The goal is the to use them to accessorize. Afterall, what girl, no matter how small doesn't need just a little sass to her wardrobe? While Lachlan was busy playing with his trains (as always!) and Noelle was occupying herself by discovering her toes (she's 5 months) I set out on a little sewing adventure.

I've made cloth flowers before but with felt. I wanted to make some with extra fabric I had lying around the house. I'm also a sucker for just picking up fat quarter bundles when I see them at the craft shop. There are always a few prints of fabric included that I don't really like. I thought today I would use those to make some flowers. You have to look at the big picture; some prints might not be your cup of tea in a large amount, say for a shirt, but in a small amount, such as a little flower, it might just be just to your liking; this was the case for some pink fabric I had in my craft box. I'm not a huge pink girl. I do like it but I like it best in limited quanities.

I'm positive there are hundreds of tutorials out in the blogoshere that show one how to make a flower with fabric. This is how I do it, but there certainly might be a better way! I'm a novice sewer but this is pretty easy and a great little beginner project. The flowers are so versatile you can do anything with them: use them for headbands, hairclips, add to shirts, pants, shoes, handbags and on and on the list will go... Visit the ever so poular Pinterest and you'll be inspired I'm sure. How could you not be?

So here it goes...

First step is to find some fabric and make 6 circles the size you want. I just traced one of my glass kitchen tumblers with a disappearing ink fabric pen and then cut. My circles are 2 inches in diameter.

Use disappearing fabric ink so you don't have to worry about any lines showing when finished

2 inch circles X 6

Now we can begin to make a flower. Fold each circle in half and then in half again (so it is folded in 4ths)

Left: Folded in half Right: Fold in half again

You should now have 6 pieces folded like the one to the right in the above photo. Now it is time to attach these babies. All you do is place each one a little bit inside the other and secure with a pin. I like to do one hald first (so attach three together) and then do the other half, to ensure that it is even. Then join them both together.

Pin each folded side a litte bit into the other

Secure with thread- this is one half or 3 circle sewn

Back side- connecting all the pieces

The above is the back side so it doesn't matter how messy it looks back there! I sew all the corners together and then also so through each of the folds. I put the needle through one crease, and then through the next. Make sure you only sew inside the fold and not through the entire piece, otherwise you'll have thread showing on the other side and we can't have that, can we?!

See, the other side is fairly neat and tidy. This doesn't matter so much either because we are going to cover it with a button. I just used a spare button from my collection. You might also like to have a go at using a covered button or a felt ball. Be creative!

Right-side up

Now attach your button on one side a small piece of scrap felt on the other. This scrap piece attached will allow you to easily sew the flower on whatever you want. I'm planning on attaching it to a snap which I can either put on a headband of shirt. You might decide to just secure it to a safety pin and wear as a broach. Not recommend for litte children for obvious safety reasons, ouch!

I just love gray and pink together!

Felt attached

There you have it! A folded fabric flower. How easy was that!? Now where to put this little beauty?
Perhaps on one of my little darling's singlets? And it just happened to brillianlty match a little shorted skirt that arrived in the mail this week!