Fabric Flower Making Tutorial: Crafting Whimsical Blooms

Inside: Try fabric flower making with our step-by-step guide and free template. Learn how to turn fabric scraps into beautiful, durable blooms that will keep your home cheerful all year.

I love making flowers from fabric because it’s fun, and they last all year long. I’ve made denim roses, sunflowers, and chrysanthemums, but this project is slightly different. It’s more about sewing by hand, which takes a bit more time but is worth it. 

I’ve made daisy-like flowers with scrap fabric using wire. This means you can bend and shape your flowers any way you like, from starting to open to fully blooming. 

Imagine transforming those leftover pieces of fabric from previous projects into something wonderful and unique. This is an excellent way to reduce waste and a fantastic opportunity to add a personal touch to your home decor, wardrobe accessories, or gift wrappings. This craft project is about having fun and making something special that keeps your space bright and cheerful.

Materials Needed

Fabric Used To Make The Flowers

For the petals of the flowers, lightweight, thinner fabric is the ideal choice. Even the tiniest scraps can be transformed into something beautiful. Leftover pieces from a charm pack are a good choice.

For my creations, I opted for vibrant, patterned fabric on the front of each petal, paired with a contrasting cream fabric for the back, creating a stunning visual effect.

This project is a fantastic chance to breathe new life into old clothes. It’s a perfect excuse to upcycle an old shirt or blouse, especially those with delightful patterns that are too good to waste.

Don’t hesitate to experiment with different materials, like silk scarf remnants, to add an extra touch of elegance to your fabric flowers.

For the centre of the flower and the stems, I used a plain-coloured linen fabric.

Other Materials

• Floristry wire (floral wire) – Thin wire Gauage 26 and about 45 cm in length.
• A pair of scissors
• Needle and thread
• Cardstock – for the centre disc and petal templates
• Embroidery thread
• Small embroidery hoop

The Free Templates

Here are the petal templates for the flower tutorial. You can make them with different fabrics in different sizes. The smaller the petals, the more fiddly they are to make. The fabric flowers look better with an odd number of petals. I made some with seven petals and others with nine for a fuller look.

By the way, I have a no-sew fabric flower tutorial that uses wire if you want a quick fabric flower tutorial.

Flower-Making Tutorial Steps

Making the Petals

Step 1. Preparing Your Petals: Begin by selecting your fabric. Cut 7-9 petals using flower templates, ensuring each petal has a front piece from patterned fabric and a back piece from plain cream fabric. This method creates a beautiful contrast, making your finished flower stand out.

Step 2. Sewing the Petals: Sew each petal’s front and back pieces right sides together with a simple stitch, leaving the bottom open to insert the floristry wire. (I sewed the petals by hand, but this stage could also easily be completed on a sewing machine).

Step 3. Adding the Wire: Turn the petals right sides out. This can be a little fiddly; I find using a pair of tweezers or a chopstick helps. Fold the forestry wire about a third from the top and thread it into the petals through the open side.

Secure the wire to the edge of the petal shape using a blanket stitch around the edge of the petal. These stitches add to the aesthetic and keep the wire in place, allowing for easy shaping of your flower petals.

This technique ensures your petals have a neat, handmade look that adds charm to your easy fabric flowers.

Making the Centre of the Flower

Step 4. Crafting the Center: Place a small piece of plain fabric in the embroidery hoop for the centre of the flower. Draw the larger circle from the template onto the fabric, with embroidery thread stitch, a collection of French knots in the centre of the circle for added texture.

Step 5: Remove the fabric from the hoop and cut out the larger fabric circle. At the same time, cut out a small cardstock circle using the template. Turn the fabric over and stitch one long running stitch around the edge.

Then, pull the stitch tight and shape it over the piece of cardstock to create a firm disc. This will be the focal point of your flower, adding depth and interest.

(These fabric yo-yo centres are made the same way as these sweater balls)

Step 6: Secure the back of the centrepiece with a couple of extra stitches. You will need one of these for each fabric flower.

Assembling the Flower

Step 7. Creating the Stem: Twist the wires at the base of your petals together to form a stem.

Step 8: Wrap the stem with a strip of fabric, preferably green, to mimic the look of a natural flower. Secure it in place using embroidery thread in a similar colour. This step transforms your pieces of fabric into a larger flower, giving it a professional and cohesive appearance.

Step 9: Assembling the Flower: Attach the centre disc to the petals with a few stitches or a dab of hot glue from your hot glue gun. This step secures the beautiful heart of your flower, bringing together all elements into a stunning piece.

Step 10: Finishing Touches: Because the petals of these flowers are wired, you can have fun shaping the beautiful fabric flowers in various stages of bloom.

I love to display these flowers in upcycled bud vases around my home. But you could consider adding your flower to hair clips or easy, stretchy headbands for cute fabric flowers that make great hair accessories.

Conclusion And Other Flower Craft Ideas

As I wrap up this whimsical journey into fabric flower making, I can’t help but share more about my love for experimenting with different fabric combinations. The beauty of this craft lies in its versatility. The possibilities are endless, whether you mix and match various patterns for a vibrant bloom or stick to a single fabric pattern for a more cohesive look.

And for those of us who enjoy having a relaxing stitch craft to occupy our hands while catching up on our favourite TV shows, this sewing project is a perfect fit. It’s not just about the end product; it’s about the joy and relaxation the process brings.

These handmade fabric flowers make delightful gifts for friends, adding a personal touch that store-bought presents can’t match.

If you’ve enjoyed making these beautiful flowers, I invite you to explore more of my fabric crafts. From the delicate intricacies of poppy seed heads to the whimsical charm of fabric mushrooms and even a denim snake plant, there’s something for every level of crafter.

Don’t forget to check out the felt sweater succulent garden for a dash of green that lasts all year round.

You’ll find many more fabric flower crafts here, and check out these other spring crafts for adults on the blog.

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