POOF! Fabric flowers in every size!

Tall centerpiece at the reception

Enjoying the flowers post-wedding at home.

The decision to make fabric flowers for my wedding started as a control issue.  When my older sister got married a few years ago (another DIY affair), I had a mental breakdown trying to organize the to-do lists for the day of the wedding.  "Make wedding bouquets" "Make centerpieces" and "Make flower girl hairpiece" were all on my list that day - and if it wasn't for the help of a family friend, I'm not sure that any would have gotten done.  Horror stories of bug-infested flowers, refrigerators transforming expensive arrangements into icicles, and my own personal traumatic experience were just too much for me to handle.  I wanted my flowers to be ready months ahead of time, with no chance of disaster - and it WORKED!  I knew that I wanted some tall arrangements, and some short arrangements to alternate around the ballroom.  I was so happy with how they turned out!  I also ended up using smaller versions of these poofy flowers in the wrist corsages that I made for the moms and grandmas.


Making the flowers is very simple.  Initially I bought a pattern at Joanne Fabrics that looked like this :

It was helpful to start since it shows you where to fold and cut, but if you aren't interested in buying the pattern you can do just fine without.  Just follow the instructions below:

step one:  Start with a square of fabric (this will be one petal) - you will need 12-16 squares per flower, depending on the fabric you are using and how fluffy you want the flowers to be (make sure all squares are the same size). 

Fold square in half.

step two:  Fold in half again so you are holding a 1/4 size version of the initial square.

step three:  Fold in half again, this time from corner to corner.

Fold each layer separately

Cut the loose ends in a semi-circle.

step four:  While holding the folds in place, sew through all four layers at the folded end.  

String onto knotted thread (I recommend a strong thread that won't break easily).

step five:  Tie the two ends of thread together, pulling tight.

step six:  Pull apart the folds of each petal - POOF - your flower is done!

I used branches that I had cut to various lengths, and hot-glued the center of each flower to a branch.

Supplies Needed:

fabric - I love the look I achieved by selecting various fabrics that all "go" together

pattern (if desired)

strong thread

scissors

needle

glue gun (if you are attaching flowers to branches)

branches (if desired)

Please let me know if you have any questions or ideas that I haven't included!  My next post will elaborate more on turning these flours into unique corsages that will last a lifetime!  If you would like to order hand-made flowers please message me