First you'll need five coordinating (or the same) circles of fabric. I used a few lids from my spice cabinet to trace out circular templates of various sizes. I traced them onto an old cutting mat (you know it's a plastic flexible cutting board for food and stuff), but you could just as easily make a template out of an old sour cream container lid or something. You want a piece of plastic that's cutable, but somewhat durable. I just hold this onto my fabric and cut around it. This eliminates the need to trace onto your fabric, and it also eliminates pen or marker markings on your fabric. So don't even bother tracing, just hold the template on and use some good fabric scissors. When you use cotton quilting fabric you can do at least 3 layers at a time, and then your circles are cut really quickly. You'll need at least 5 circles, I sometimes used 6, or you could layer more, but five is plenty and looks cute. You also need one circle made of felt, this is the bottom stabilizing layer. Then you'll need a needle and thread. Tie a knot at the end of your thread.
Now you'll need to stick the needle through the bottom of your felt circle until you thread is stopped by the knot you've tied.
Now take one of your cotton fabric circles and fold it in half.
Now hold that onto your felt circle and stick the needle through it and your felt circle, and then back down through the layers again. (I usually repeated this so I'd have two stitches, but one is probably fine, I just like to make sure it's stable).
Now add another circle the same way. This time you'll want it to overlap just a bit on the circle you did before.
Repeat this step until you've used all of your cotton circles and your felt circle is entirely covered.
Once your felt circle is covered and you've got a cute little fabric flower you could stop here by adding a few stitches. But I like embellishment, so we were adding some beads.
Simply thread your needle up through the bead, and then down through all of the layers again.
Once you're done pull the needle and thread tight to make sure your bead is stabilized, and on the back side make 3-5 stitches or so to finish this off. Or I guess you could tie some knots, but I think just repeating the stitch through the flannel a bunch of times will hold it just fine. Then cut your threads and use your hot glue gun to add a barrette, clip, or pin for a broach.
That's it! So easy, right? We're pretty hooked on these at our house right now, they're really quite fun to make. Just turn on some Pandora tunes, grab your fabric scraps, and go to town. If you don't happen to have fabric scraps it wouldn't take very much fabric to make these. You could buy some coordinating fat quarters or 1/8 of a yard to 1/4 of a yard for each fabric that you like. Let me know if you give this a try!
While I was taking the pictures of Angela making this flower I couldn't help but notice all of her beautiful jewelry. The girls in my family kind of have a thing for jewelry. I think it stems from the love that both of my Grandmothers had for bling. Look at Ange's beautiful cameo ring. This is a cameo that my Grandma Redd got in Italy in the 60's (or maybe 70's, 80's? Mom?) . My Mom saved one for each of us girls and had them set into rings for us. I have the one that was my Grandma's actual own ring (um that's because I lost my original one when I was 15 and driving a car that I was unlicensed to drive, and just barely confessed this to my mother a year ago, and received the new one from a sweet forgiving Mother... oops!) and I love wearing it. Every time I think I need a guardian angel with me I just put that ring on my finger and think of my Grandma Redd.
These pictures of Angela's bracelet don't do it justice, but it's so beautiful and dainty, and crafty Angela made it all by herself. She made this using some vintage beads of my Grandmother's as well. She's quite the wire worker, I've yet to get that skill down. Mostly I just buy beads and string them into a bracelet.
Here's some more of Angela's work. See what I mean, beautiful, and painstaking. Each and every part of that necklace was hand wired together. Amazing. She named this the Velma necklace after our same Grandma Redd that I've been talking about. Love you Angela, thanks for your help!

50 comments:
Thanks for posting this - Mandy and I are planning to make these when she is here.
merci.
Awesome.
Great post! And great tutorial! Love that you ended with the Velma necklace. Those grammis had fine taste and you are carrying on a great grandma tradition.
Awe, shucks! Happy to help, and thanks for showing us how to make the flowers. They were so fun! And look extra cute on baby Jane. :)
Thanks for the great post, Nancy. It was a lot of fun for all there. And Grandma would be proud of her talented and lovely granddaughters. I know she would love the necklace named after her too.
Great tutorial. What a fun project.
lovely flowers! Thanks for the tutorial!
I love these flowers. I've seen a lot of fabric flowers lately but these are different and I love your color combinations. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I am planning on doing a cabinet painting tips blog very soon. Or since you suggested a tutorial, I'll do that. I have some more ugly cabinets in my master bath. :-)
Sandra @sawdustandpaperscraps
I love these!! Thanks for sharing the tutorial!
Thank you thank you Thank you! I have a different type of fabric flower that I have been making... but have been looking for something like this! You are GENIUS!
I've been wanting to make some fabric flowers and this is perfect!
Thanks!
Gosh it doesn't get any easier {or cuter} than these! Thanks for taking the time to put together the tute!
Ellen
I can't wai to try making some!! thanks for the tutorial.
Sarah
Those are so cute! They look wonderful. Perfect for Spring time. I can't wait to try making them. Thanks for sharing.
I'm going to have to use up my scraps on this!
Those are so cute and whimsical! Definitely going to have to try them. I love the fabrics you used. Thanks for the tutorial!
Thanks for the tutorial! I'm totally making some of these. Super cute!
That's neat that your mom is from Raymond! I don't live in southern AB, but we do like going down there a couple times each year to visit family and go to Waterton.
:) Sarah
Thanks for sharing this! They are darling!!
Hi, I'm new to your blog and I can tell I'm going to love it. I have been trying to figure out how to make these cute flowers...thanks for the tutorial.
The flowers are so cute! Thank you for such an easy to follow tutorial. Can't wait to make some out of the scraps we have around.
Very good tutorial - Mandy and I made them today.
thanks - you teach VERY well. loved the flowers and made one myself. www.makinmommabproud.blogspot.com
Beautiful and easy. The kind of project I love! I linked to you in my Friday Favorites this week... http://laniejandco.blogspot.com
My goodness, the more I look around your site the more amazed I am by your talents! Are you sure you don't want to relocate and be my next door neighbor so I can learn a thing or five from you? Pretty please?
Thank you so very much for taking the time to post this and get the pictures taken before your date night. Now I have something to work on this weekend while hubby is on the soccer field. I will be back for a visit soon. Thank you!
Thanks for this lovely tutorial. I just bought some fabric samples and was wondering what other kinds of flower to make other than yo-yos.
What a fabulous idea!! I featured this tutorial on my blog today, highlighting 3 dozen flower tutorials. Here is the link:
http://oopsey-daisy.blogspot.com/2010/04/wednesdays-wowzers-3-dozen-flower.html
Thanks for the inspiration!!
Love your fabric flowers. I just featured this on my blog today. Check it out:
http://myblondeambitions.blogspot.com/2010/03/fabric-flower-tutorial.html
Thank you!
Morgan
Hi, there! I did them. http://estadosgenerales.com.ar/2010/06/stay-at-home/?preview=true&preview_id=1463&preview_nonce=43074bb4af
Thanks, you are lovely.
I'm linking to you on my blog! I did a similar version of your flowers (except I'm lazy and used my glue gun)!
Thank you for this wonderful tutorial! It is "sew" easy to follow! I'm going to try this.
Thank you,
Nicole
simplycreatedbycole(at)gmail(dot)com
I'm addicted to making these, now! I love them! However, I don't hand stitch mine so they don't look as neat and nice as yours. Thanks!
Adorable!!! Thanks for tutorial I just made a couple.
Mama of a Mini Diva
Minidivacreations.blogspot.com
Thanks for the great tutorial. I love your cute flowers.
Thank you so much for sharing!! I made one, and I love it. Super easy and fast.. you better believe I'll be making more!
I'm going to have to try these. So cute. I have a Grandma Redd too!
Thanks for sharing! I found your tutorial via Pinterest and I plan to make some of them for a craft show I am going to be in!
Love them!
Kelsey
www.poofycheeks.blogspot.com
www.everyday-is-a-celebration.blogspot.com
This tutorial is great... I am real excited to integrate these flowers in with the dolls I make... Thanks again*
these are so simple and pretty. thank you for the great idea!!!
Cute!!! How do you keep it from fraying? Or does it fray?
Beautiful idea! THANKS!!!!
A hug from Dominican Republic
thanks for the tute, I have been admiring these flowers for a while and didn't know where to start! I'm adding them to my scrapbooking projects and will stitch a pin onto some pretty ones for little christmas gifts.
Thanks for the idea! I just used this to make a last minute embellishment to a romper I sewed that came out looking just a bit too plain. I love it!
thats a great idea! i was thinking of embellishing a headband, and this is exactly what i can do!
Very good idea and so pretty. I am also looking for Felt art, will wonder around your blog and see, hope I can find. xxx
Thanks for this lovely tutorial.
Simple, neat and wonderful way of making some colourful flowers from waste !!
I Nancy, My name is Sherrie, I am trying my best to create a flower from you wonderful “fabric flower Tutotial”
I HOPE you can help I am smashing my head on the sewing table Smile my flowers are all flat..grrr what am I doing wrong..yes I am using a wool backing.,,,
This is how they turned out, I have no idea why..so here is what I did,,I used a 3 1/2 circles, and cut 5 fabrics
I THINK the second fold may not be right?? or to big of a circle??? oh please help me ok sherrien@tampaba.rr.com
I sooooo appreciate it Nancy!!
001
My first fold
002
My second fold
003
Great tutorial! I'll definitely be giving this a go - had an item in need of a little embellishment, LOL. Thanks!
Do you do anything along the edge to prevent fraying? I know that cotton woven fabric doesn't fray as bad as many knits, but an unfinished edge can fray. Any suggestions? I know they sell a product to use on fabric to keep it from fraying.
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