Fluttery Florals

Cost:

$3 for material and beads

$5 for headband

Amy here, I had so much fun making these beautiful flowers even though I must have burnt my fingers about a million times. These are really quite simple to make once you have the technique down. Fortunately I did all the experimenting for you so I now know the best way to make these gorgeous flowers. I have chosen to add my flowers to a headband to make a floral crown but the opportunities are endless with these flowers. I think they would look amazing on a small bag or as a pin, even just to brighten up a room. 

Materials:

Fabric-  it must be 100% polyester or else your flower petals won't melt properly. I have used a selection of fabrics, the top pink is a chiffon, the middle lilac is an acetate and the bottom pink is a lining fabric. The fabric must also be very light, a chiffon is perfect, as is the lining. 

Beads

A headband

Tools:

Scissors

A candle

Matches

Needle and thread

Glue gun

Method:

Begin by cutting circles out of your fabric. I cut three circles for each flower I wanted to make. These don't have to be too perfectly round. 

Next, snip into your circles at four even points, almost to the middle.

This is where it gets a little tricky. Light your candle and take one of your cut circles. Separate out each of the pieces of your circle and one by one "burn" the raw edges. I say burn but that's not really what you are wanting to achieve here, although I did achieve this, more than once. In the picture below you can see that I'm holding the petals slightly above the flame, this won't burn it but it will melt the polyester slightly and it will curl, giving your petals a perfect edge. 

You can see in the picture below how the heat from the flame is slightly melting the material but not burning it, it is just beginning to curl and fold. This technique will take some practice to get right but it is worth it. 

Make sure that you do this in a well ventilated room, I didn't and the fumes from the melting fabric gave me a bit of a headache. I would also recommend doing this on a sturdy surface, like a bench top, not a chair as in the picture below. 

Lay out your petals in the order that you would like them. 

Place your petals on top of one another. I ensured that I had the smallest petal on top so my flower would look nice and even. I also tried to have the petals evenly spaced and made sure they weren't right on top of one another. 

Sew the three lots of petals together, right through the centre of the flower. 

Sew your beads into the middle of the flower. I tried to get mine overlapping and piling up on one another for a more organic look.

 You're finished! Make as many flowers as you would like. 

One last step...

Using your hot glue gun, glue the flowers onto your headband.

You have a beautiful floral crown! 

Wear your floral headband with bare feet and a floaty dress for an extra whimsical effect.

Embrace your inner hippie!