Make it Mondays: Layered Fabric Flowers

Many times when I want an embellishment for a project, I'm thinking, "how can I just make one?" I'm not much of a buyer of expensive packaged embellishments that go with paper lines.  Although I love them, I have a hard time paying $6-7 for a few flowers or fancy buttons.   So, today I thought I'd show you how I make some easy layered fabric flower embellishments.

For this flower, I started off with some simple fabric circles in different patterns and textures.  I LOVE burlap.  Love it.  And linen.  So including those two is always fun.  I also have some fleece in there, a textured thin fabric, and a nice Heather Bailey bold print.   I hand cut the circles without measuring.  I'm not much of an exact measurement person, so if it makes you uncomfortable...just measure. :)
Once you have your circles cut, layer them in the order you'd like for them to be in the flower.  Once stacked, take them apart again and cut them so each new circle is a little smaller than the one under it, as pictured.   Totally love that the burlap starts fraying, too.  ♥

You can choose a button, brooch, or any little something to go in the middle of the flower, if you like.

 Now here you can see how these fabrics, just pulled from my stash, will go perfectly with the Farmhouse line by Crate Paper, which I absolutely adore.   Naturals go with just about anything, so always have those on hand.  Then I chose a few bold colors to pull out of the papers (orange and blue).  They don't have to go perfectly, but when you match the bolds, it just works.   Aren't those colors great?

 But what if I want a little more dimension to my flower?  Want it to stand up a bit?   Or want to tone down the colors and just use one good texture?   Here I show how you can cut the circle into "petals," fold every other petal inward, and now you have a flower with dimension in the middle, lots of texture, and it goes with just about anything.  You would just attach the button with thread, which will also secure all of the folded petals.

 Cutting all of the circles into petal strips and then layering them back together creates even more dimension.




What if I want it to be a little more grungy or vintage?   That fabric is just too clean and simple for some. :)

 Simply rub some ink onto the fabrics, and if you're lucky, the edges will fray a bit, adding even more "age" and texture.

But the flower lays too "flat" for you?  Then just use the pinch and staple method of adding height. I simply pinch the middle of the flower into a little fold and staple it together.  It doesn't lay flat anymore in the middle and actually stands up on one end a bit.  That's ok, because when you layer your flowers back together, this will give it height.

The result is a really beautiful, layered flower with so many possibilities for your projects.   Use them on your scrapbook pages or on a hair clip.  Sew them onto a strip of fabric for napkin rings at Thanksgiving.   Make 30 of them and put them together on a wreath for your holiday door.  Adorn the top of a birthday gift box.

The next time you are near your local fabric store, purchase some fabrics to have in your stash - burlap, linen, and bright bold prints in your favorite colors and textures.   You'll be glad to have them on hand!