All acknowedgements go to Tresa Edwards for this ....
I think these turned out just beautiful, which is a good thing, but I also think they're a little too beautiful for what I was going for. In one of the many fancy pants boutiques around the area, I came across a big bowlful of silk flowers. Normally I don't like silk flowers at all, but these just looked stunning. I could tell the edges had been melted which caused the petals to curl in and gave the whole thing a more haphazard look, which almost came across organic. So I ran home to raid the stash and see what I could come up with to fill the many many empty bowls I have scattered throughout the house.
Here's what I did:
Cut four or five flower shapes out of an organza. I'm sure mine was some poly blend, since I got it all at JoAnns. You can see from this picture that I'm being generous by calling this a "flower shape" I could really just say cut four or five little blobby guys that have vague suggestions of petals.
Hold each petal over a lit candle. You don't want to touch the flame, just let that hot air kiss the fabric. This takes a little bit of practice, but don't worry about any messups, this is one project where sloppiness is only in your favor. The worst thing that could happen is that you're petal looks extra curly and crunchy. Once you layer these, you'll be amazed at how great it looks.
Layer the petals together. I usually put the extra crispy ones on top and the floppier ones on the bottom to really emphasize the curling in of those petals. Arrange them so the petals aren't stacked neatly on top of each other, but kind of go all over the place.
Use a thread that matches the organza, and come up from the back of all but one layer. This way your knot will be hidden by the bottom most petal. Sew on a scattering of beads, making some loops of five or more beads to look like little stamens. When you're finished, go back down through all but the last layer to tie off your thread.
I think these turned out just beautiful, which is a good thing, but I also think they're a little too beautiful for what I was going for. In one of the many fancy pants boutiques around the area, I came across a big bowlful of silk flowers. Normally I don't like silk flowers at all, but these just looked stunning. I could tell the edges had been melted which caused the petals to curl in and gave the whole thing a more haphazard look, which almost came across organic. So I ran home to raid the stash and see what I could come up with to fill the many many empty bowls I have scattered throughout the house.
Here's what I did:
Cut four or five flower shapes out of an organza. I'm sure mine was some poly blend, since I got it all at JoAnns. You can see from this picture that I'm being generous by calling this a "flower shape" I could really just say cut four or five little blobby guys that have vague suggestions of petals.
Hold each petal over a lit candle. You don't want to touch the flame, just let that hot air kiss the fabric. This takes a little bit of practice, but don't worry about any messups, this is one project where sloppiness is only in your favor. The worst thing that could happen is that you're petal looks extra curly and crunchy. Once you layer these, you'll be amazed at how great it looks.
Layer the petals together. I usually put the extra crispy ones on top and the floppier ones on the bottom to really emphasize the curling in of those petals. Arrange them so the petals aren't stacked neatly on top of each other, but kind of go all over the place.
Use a thread that matches the organza, and come up from the back of all but one layer. This way your knot will be hidden by the bottom most petal. Sew on a scattering of beads, making some loops of five or more beads to look like little stamens. When you're finished, go back down through all but the last layer to tie off your thread.
