Handmade Fabric Flowers & Poms
When looking for a way to add a personal touch to clothing and accessories, fabric handmade flowers and poms can provide a soft medium in which to express your creativity. These small craft projects can also be used to add a personal touch to your home decor, or the decor of a special event. All you need is fabric, a few craft supplies and basic sewing skills.
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Fabric Flower
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To create a basic fabric flower, start with a 1-inch wide by 8-inch long strip of fabric. Rip the fabric if you want a more rugged edge to your flower. Fold the 1-inch strip in half width-wise. Use a matching colored thread with a knot in the end to perform a running stitch up the long end of the fabric strip. Gather the fabric towards the knot end of the thread as you would a drawstring. Bring the two ends of the gathered fabric together and stitch. Apply a seam sealant to prevent the ends of the fabric from unraveling.
No-Sew Flowers
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If you do not want to sew, you can also make no-sew rolled flowers. Cut or rip a 1-inch wide piece of fabric. The length will vary depending on how large you want your flower. Place a strip of fabric glue on one end of the strip, and fold the strip in half width-wise so that the glue holds the fabric together on one side. Role the first inch of the flower strip, starting with the glued side, into a tight roll -- as if you were rolling up a sleeping bag -- to create a tight center. Secure this section with more fabric glue. Continue rolling the fabric strip up, turning the strip clockwise as you roll. Secure as needed with more fabric glue as you keep rolling the flower. Once you have only 1/2 inch left, apply a liberal amount of glue to the bottom of the flower, fold the remaining fabric underneath and glue to the bottom of the flower to keep the bunch from unrolling. Trim any excess fabric from around the flower.
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Fabric Punched Flowers
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Fabric punched flowers enable you to quickly make multiple smaller flowers for filling in fabric bouquets, or for small embellishments on clothes or accessories. Take a thin fabric, such as Indian cotton or voile, and saturate the fabric with liquid fabric stiffener. Let dry for at least an hour. Use a craft punch shaped like your desired flower and punch the fabric as you would paper. To create a stem, use a micro hole punch to make a hole just small enough for a pip or sturdy wire to fit through the middle of your flower. Use a small dot of contact cement to hold the pip in place. Wrap the wire or pip with green floral tape to create the look of a stem.
Fabric Poms
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For fabric poms, use a paper lantern as a base. Paper lanterns vary in size from 1 inch in diameter to several feet. Cut out 1-inch circles from fabric. Fold the first circle in half. Place a dab of hot glue in the center of the folded circle and fold the opposite direction. Place more glue on the folded edge and hold the glued side against the paper lantern. Hold the circle there until the glue sets well enough to hold the circle in place. Repeat with the other circles until the entire lantern is coated. Larger diameter fabric circles create a puffier look to the pom, and are often a better option when trying to cover larger lanterns.
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References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
