So last month, I entered a contest over at Ladybird Ln. Carlee called it the Pillow Fight, and the goal was to collect and donate 100 pillowcases to kids in the hospital. If you’d like to know more about the contest, I suggest you check it out here! It was a great cause with some great sponsors, and Carlee is an amazing and talented lady. (Like my header? That’s all Carlee!)
Anyway – it was that experience that led me here to blogland. Hi. I’m Adrianne, and I’m a craft-a-holic.
It seems only fitting that I begin at the beginning, so today I will tell you a little about my pillow and try to fuel your fire as well with a nice quick project with billions of applications. Okay, maybe not billions, I don’t really have time to count. But it’s a superfast scrap-buster that you can use in just about any project you can think of.
So this is my Wedding Bouquet Pillow. What do you think?
Now, I’m not usually the gushy and sentimental type. (Those who know me well, stop laughing. I’m being serious for my new friends and readers.) I never saved my own wedding bouquet. I let it get beat up and squashed and wilted while I danced and laughed and smooched and drank champagne with my favorite man.
Which is when I thought – hey, I could make another one, one that won’t wilt and die. The idea was right in time for Carlee’s contest. (And the proof that I’m not terribly sentimental: I totally remember my bouquet being mostly pink. Photographic evidence shows it was orange. Oh well.) :P
Fabric roses are everywhere right now. I definitely did not make them up. You’ll get a bunch of hits if you google it, but I’ll show you how I made mine, since you’re here already, and give you some arrangement ideas!
So without further ado:
Making and working with fabric roses
Time:
15 minutes for *ahem* locating your supplies and cutting your fabric
5-10 minutes per rose
Supplies:
Fabric
Fabric Glue
Scissors
For fabric, you can really use anything. I will recommend that whatever you choose is dyed rather than printed, as you’ll end up seeing both sides of your fabric. Although maybe you’ll end up liking the two-tone look. There’s no wrong way to do this, I promise. I happened to use solid quilting cottons, because that’s what I had. But you can use polyester, wool – whatever you like the looks of. How much you need depends on how many flowers you want, and how big you want them to be. If you absolutely have to buy something, I’d recommend a fat quarter. Something solid or with a very subtle pattern. That’s plenty to get you started, and you can experiment from there.
I had some leftover 12-inch squares, myself. I prefer to tear my fabric for more of a shabby look, but cutting it will give you a smoother edge. Your preference! I tear mine in 1-inch-wide strips.
Now, 12×1 makes a flower about the diameter of a quarter. But because you’ll be gluing these together, I just glued two 12×1 strips together to make a long strip about 23×1. You can cut them longer, certainly! Or fatter, or smaller, it’s up to you. But I was working with what I had, which suited my purposes well.
Tie a knot in the end of the strip. This will give you a little tail to hold onto while you wrap your rose.
Now, begin twisting the long end inward toward the center knot, turning your flower and wrapping it around as you go.
It’s basically winding around that center knot, you just twist your fabric as you wind. (You’ll get the hang of how tight or loose to twist it once you see how it looks and what style you like best). What do I mean by twisting it inward? Well, you can only twist one of two ways. Twisting inward brings the outer edge of your fabric strip over the top and back toward the center. If you’re going outward, you’d be twisting the inner edge toward the outside. It just won’t stay together as well that way.
You should add a dot of glue here and there as you go, to help secure it. Don’t panic – this dries clear. :)
Now, you will certainly reach a point where you feel like your rose is falling apart and you’re doing it all wrong. It happens to me often. Just keep going.
You’ll be securing it when you get to the end of your strip, and plus, you can add a dot of glue wherever necessary when you’re done. When you near the end of your strip, leave a tail about as long as your rose is wide. Give it an extra twist and fold it over the back of your rose.
Here’s where we get the whole thing to stick together. Apply some glue to either your tail or directly to the back of the rose, and stick the tail down.
See? More secure already! You may find a few of your layers need a bit more glue as well. Find key weak spots and dot them lightly. Trim any excess tail, and leave it aside to dry. Then make some more!
For the bouquet look I used, I used two shades of pink and two shades of orange. Vary your sizes a little – just like nature. It will also help you achieve a round look (if that’s what you’re aiming for) when you can use some smaller rosettes. I played with my arrangement on a round plate until I got them squished in just how I wanted. When I settled on the right arrangement, I picked out the center roses and hand-stitched them to the front of my pillow, and filled them outward from that center. Stitching them in allows you to turn it just so, or tack down a stray petal here and there. I also filled in the small gaps with pearl beads, because I wanted to be as authentic as possible.
But that’s just what I did. You can embellish a shirt or bag, make a hair clip or headband with a single rose, use them in jewelry, embellish a handmade card, turn them into wall art or framed art – seriously, this is where your ideas come in and you can make it your own. I’m not going to show you the pillow because, frankly, I just don’t need a second one and I didn’t take photos the first time. But if you’re curious about that ric-rac scalloped edge trim, I have a project in mind for that coming up in the near future…
Have fun! ~ Adrianne
Oh my goodness! That is so pretty! Thanks for the tutorial!
So glad you decided to start a blog. I was also a part of the Pillowfight and couldn't believe you didn't have a blog. Welcome.
Thanks for stopping by the other day! And welcome to blogland! It's so much fun and so very addicting! I love the fabric flowers-great idea!
It's me again. I pinned this in Pinterest and featured at Recognition Day Thursday. Please feel free to grab my feature button on my sidebar. Thanks for linking up at the Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop :)
I'm so grateful that you linked up in this week's Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop :) This awesome post totally rocked the party!
Welcome to blogland!!! Your pillow (and the entire post actually) was adorable! Hope to see you often! Thanks for stopping by and sharing at the Tuesday To Do Party!
Smiles!
Jami
http://www.blackberryvine.blogspot.com
Hey girl! Thanks so much for your sweet comment on my my pom pom lamp. We newbies in blog land have to stick together! Hehe! XO!
-Marissa
mommarake.com
Thank you for your sweet comments of my nuno felt dolls. Your pillow is lovely. Fabric works are always cozy. I've problem in posting comments with google a/c, only “Anonymous” works. Pity that. This is Terrie My blog : http://terriekwong.blogspot.com/
I just came across your blog. The pillow turned out great! I recently started a new blog for inspired mommies, take a peak at petiteelan.blogspot.com….have you planned your family fun night?
xo
Brooke
I love this pillow! i am featuring it on my blog!
http://www.karismaheartsavannah.blogspot.com
Love your blog! It would be great if you came and linked some of your ideas to Lovely Little Snippets!
lovelylittlesnippets.blogspot.com
great idea!!
what a great idea! it turned out so pretty.
Welcome to blogland :) So happy you stopped by my blog today so that I could find you! I love this pillow and look forward to seeing more of your creative projects…so happy to be your newest follower!
creativecarmella.blogspot.com
The pillow is so pretty! I like the rickrack and the addition of the little pearls.
What a cute idea! It turned out so well. I'm not that crafty, so I appreciate the efforts of others. I'm your newest follower.
Thank you so much for posting our Mountain of Giveaway button on your blog! We have so much fun meeting so many wonderful and inspiring people. Have fun building your blog. I am your newest follower!!
I'm going to use these as tie-ons for wine glasses at tasting parties so we can know which glass belongs to whom.