Inside: The best tutorial and craft ideas for making handmade fabric flowers.
Walk into my dining room, and you’ll notice the large jug of colour, fully poppy seed heads in the middle of the table.
They are gorgeous and make me smile.
But the best thing about them is that they look as good as when first made; they won’t wilt and die.
Ok, they might not smell like fresh flowers, but there is no risk of any stinky flower water needing to be changed.
I shouldn’t be comparing fresh flowers with faux flowers, as they are beautiful, and I love them both.
A house full of flowers is a happy place!
Making Flowers Out of Cloth
The following DIY handmade flower patterns are a mixture of sewing and no-sewing crafts.
Most sewing tutorials are small hand-sewing projects, but sewing with a machine can speed up a few.
Dig into your fabric stash and use the tiniest of fabric scraps. Making cloth flowers is a great way to repurpose fabrics from up-cycled denim, bedsheets, felted wool sweaters and even fabric swatches from furniture stores.
Manipulate synthetic materials with heat to make curved petals and singed edges when creating realistic-looking flowers.
The patterns below include popular flowers such as roses, poppies, tulips and daffodils.
Many generic fabric flower ideas are meant to look like flowers, not one species in particular.
How To Use Fabric Flowers
Fabric flowers are fun to make for yourself, but they also make a lovely handmade gift, especially for occasions like Mother’s Day. They can also be a fun Valentine’s Day craft.
There are many ways to use fabric flowers.
- Display them in vases and pots like natural flowers.
- Use them to make decorative door wreaths
- Use them as decorative embellishments on pillows and lampshades.
- Add them to your clothes, bags and shoes
- Make them into brooches and corsages
- Use them for handmade jewellery projects such as rings and necklaces.
- Make pretty hairbands with fabric flowers.
- Use them as gift toppers, where they also become part of the gift.
- Make a gorgeous keepsake bridal bouquet.
Handmade Fabric Flowers
Handmade fabric flowers won't wilt and die. From peonies to roses, here are the best tutorials and patterns for making cloth flowers.
How To Make A Pretty Upcycled Denim Flowers Bouquet
These gorgeous denim flowers are made the same way as paper roses and need no sewing. They look great in a vase and are made from repurposed jeans in shades of indigo denim.
DIY Sunflower Wreath
Make a giant sunflower out of coloured burlap and then hang it on the door as a gorgeous summer wreath.
How To Make Repurposed Pom Pom Jeans Flowers
Some say these pom pom flowers look like Chrysanthemums, and others Hyacinths. Either way, they are beautiful and effortless to make. If denim is not your thing, the flowers can be made in other fabrics, such as felt.
DIY Felt Pom Pom Flowers
Combine felt and wool pom poms to make this gorgeous giant daisy-like flower bouquet.
Pansy and Dahlia Fabric Flower Tutorial
Fabric flower tutorials are not just about roses and sunflowers; why not make pansies and dahlias? You could make a gorgeous summer wreath with these flowers.
How To Make Fabric Flowers From Old Bed Sheets
Even old bed sheets can be upcycled into pretty flowers. Craft wire shapes the petals, and alcohol and sharpies are used to colour them.
How to Make Beautiful Chrysanthemum Flowers
A straightforward tutorial to make these gorgeous giant Chrysanthemums from fabric scraps without sewing. The free pattern works well for paper flowers too.
Easy Scrap Fabric Flower Tutorial
A video tutorial shows you how to use the smallest fabric scraps and spare buttons to make these simple flowers.
A Free Fabric Flower Pattern for Stunning Poppy Seed heads
Make poppy seed heads from fabric swatches and scraps, even denim. The free pattern is straightforward to follow.
Valentine's flower brooch
The petals for this pretty Valentine's broach are made by melting synthetic fabric so that it curls.
Denim Wreath With Felt Roses
The roses on this upcycled denim wreath are made from repurposed sweaters.
Fabric Daffodils3 Ways
Daffodils are one of the first signs of spring. You can have a vase full of these gorgeous fabric daffodils all year round.
Template Fabric Flowers -
These flowers are made with a simple template and minimal sewing. I love how they are displayed using natural twigs.
Handmade Felt Brooch from Old Sweaters
This is a straightforward tutorial for making a fun heart-shaped brooch. The colourful pin is made of small felt flowers made from scraps—an effortless and affordable craft for either Valentine's day or Mother's day.
DIY Fabric Flowers In Pot
This is a fun way to display simple fabric roses in a pot.
DIY Fabric Wedding Bouquet
Why not make a gorgeous wedding bouquet that will last forever?
How To Make Folded Felt Flowers
Another fabric flower made from fabric rounds. These are made with felt, but the tutorial would work with other fabrics, but stiffer ones would be better.
DIY Fabric Sunflower Denim Corsage
Use scraps of denim from your old jeans to make these gorgeous denim fabric sunflowers. Add elastic to wear them as a wrist corsage or a safety pin as a chest corsage. An effortless and affordable upcycled denim flower craft that can be made with or without sewing.
DIY T-Shirt Flower Ring
A unique way to upcycle an old t-shirt to make a flower ring. Teens will love this fun flower craft.
DIY Fabric Poinsettia
Perfect for a Christmas table centrepiece. These poinsettias could also be made into festive napkin rings.
Sew Fabric Peonies
Peonies are my favourite flowers, and these are amazing. They would make a fabulous wedding bouquet.
Fabric Tulips
These beautiful tulips are from Vietnam and not Amsterdam, but they are still easy to make.
No Sew Fabric Flowers
Use a glue gun to make these straightforward flowers with rounds of fabric and buttons.
Long Stemmed Fabric Flowers
The long-stemmed fabric flowers and leaves are displayed charmingly.
Easy to sew organza flowers
These delicate flowers are made with a few simple hand-sewn stitches. They would be good decorative handmade fabric flowers for clothing and bags.
DIY: How to Make a Realistic Fabric Rose
These roses are made on a sewing machine with satin fabric in one long strip; they take about 15 -20 minutes each.
Easy Fabric Flowers - Red Ted Art
Made from five individual petals and a few simple hand-sewn stitches.
How To Make A DIY Flower Lampshade.
Covering a lampshade is a fun way to use fabric flowers in your home. You can have it as a side light or a pendant lamp like this feather lampshade.
DIY Flower Tutorial - Calla Lily
Calla Lilies are elegant, simple and unassuming and drop-dead gorgeous. These will last forever!
Fabric water lilies - tutorial
Water lilies are made in a combination of white and pink linens.
Stiffened Petal Flowers
The fabric used for these colourful flowers is stiffened first. This enables you to curl the petals and stops the material from fraying.
Fabric Flower Headband
Make colourfully patterned fabric flowers and then use them to decorate a cute headband.
Felt Flowers & Fabric Scraps Spring Wreath
Make a bright, colourful spring wreath with fabric pom pom flowers.
Other Flower Posts
Fabric flowers are a fun and versatile spring craft, but paper ones are great, too, some of which can look very realistic.
Check out this paper flower wall decoration with many different crepe paper flowers. Or even the giant paper flowers in this Boho leather vase.
Upcycled map roses make a lovely personalised gift that will last forever. And these rainbow pom pom flowers add a fun pop of colour to home decor.
Painted pinecone flowers can look realistic.
Other plants besides flowers can also be made from fabric; check out this gorgeous upcycled succulent garden, faux fabric snake plant and these fabulous DIY mushroom ideas.
More flower-themed crafts to check out on the site are the Frida Kahlo crafts and the fun Marimekko flower crafts, including poppy-shaped pillows. You’ll find many more botanical craft ideas here.
There is a fantastic collection of free vintage flower prints for flower lovers.