How to Make Ribbon and Fabric Flowers & Roses

Household supplies can be finishing touches for homemade flowers.

Fabric and ribbon flowers are decorative solutions to a wardrobe that needs freshening up. The accessories are fashionable year round and never go out of style. Innovative and eye-catching, the flowers can liven any piece of clothing, and they never wilt and are always in season. Many variations of the flowers can be made to help spruce up purses and shoes as well as clothes. From bridal attire to kids clothing, fabric and ribbon flowers are the inexpensive way to make your own style.

Things You'll Need

• Felt
• Bottle or cap
• Fabric pen
• Scissors
• Hot glue
• Hot-glue gun
• Sewing needle
• Thread
• Beads (optional)
• Clip-on earrings (optional)
• Pin back, barrette, bobby pin or pin
• Paper
• Buttons (optional)

Instructions

Ribbon Roses

1. Cut a circle out of felt. It will be the base on which you will build a ribbon rose. A simple way to get a perfect circle is to trace around a bottle or cap on the felt with a fabric pen.

2. Cut an ample length of ribbon, and tie a knot at one of its ends. If you are unsure about the length of ribbon to use, don't cut it yet.

3. Place a drop of glue in the center of the felt with a hot-glue gun. Place the ribbon's knot on top of the felt's glue, and hold it in place securely for a few seconds while the glue dries.

4. 

   Twisting ribbon off its spool forms a coil.

   Twist the length of ribbon so it forms a loose coil, but keep the felt circle in place. The twists form the rose's petals.

5. Wind the coiled ribbon around the knot, placing drops of hot glue periodically to secure ribbon to the felt. Stitching the ribbon with a sewing needle and thread to secure it in place is an option.

6. Tuck the ribbon's end under the last coil, and secure it with a drop of glue on its inside portion.

7. Put beads or clip-on earrings on the rose's center for additional flare. Depending on the application of the rose, a pin back, barrette, bobby pin or pin may be added.

Fabric Flowers

1. Draw or trace a flower on a piece of paper, and cut it from the paper. This template will serve as the pattern for each layer of your fabric flower. Only your creativity determines the flower's shape and size.

2. Place the template on whatever fabric you desire, and trace around the template with a fabric pen. Repeat that procedure to draw six to 12 flowers on the material. Cut out each flower. You may use different fabrics to give dimension to the finished product.

3. Arrange the cut fabric so the flowers are alternated or staggered. Use a sewing needle and thread to place three stitches in the arrangement's center, securing the flowers in place.

4. Examine the flowers' arrangement. If you do not like the way the flowers look yet, then fold the combination of flowers in half, and place a few stitches in the collection's bottom. If you folded the bunch of flowers, then fold the bunch side to side, and use a few more stitches to secure where they come together.

5. Arrange the flower petals as desired, and add finishing touches such as beads, buttons or a clip-on earring. When the detail work is done, glue a pin back, barrette, bobby pin or pin to the flowers.

Tips & Warnings

• Make large roses by twisting multiple ribbons together. That technique produces a thicker ribbon cord and adds texture to the final product.

• Roses can be secured with thread instead of hot glue.

References

• Martha Stewart Weddings: Fabric Flower Brooch
• Flourishes: Flourishes Focus -- Floral Frenzy
• Skip to My Lou: 10 Beautiful Fabric Flower Tutorials