How to Make 5 Minute Fabric Flowers

PSA: The Milwaukee meetup planned for this Saturday 4/21 has changed location. We're now meeting at Trocadero at noon. Anyone is welcome! But please RSVP on our thread because we need an exact count for the reservation (I know, meetup fail).

I finally finished all 5 paper flower bouquets--4 bridesmaids plus mine--and all the paper corsages using good ol' Martha's tutorial. Needless to say, I was beyond tired of making flowers. Alas, I still had the mothers' and grandmothers' corsages to make. Instead of wrestling with more floral tape, I decided to go back to a medium I feel a lot more comfortable with: fabric. This way, the corsages could be worn again in the future if our mothers and grandmothers wanted. 

 

Image via Create and Delegate

I used the Fabric Lotus Flower tutorial from Create and Delegate, but instead of using georgette fabric or chiffon, I recycled a white sheet. I was going to use some tulle I had in my stash too, but after I made the first 2 I got fed up with that too, so only the two moms will have tulle in their corsages.

I began by cutting a long strip of fabric about 3 inches wide and several feet long. If you're going to make corsages I would recommend making them more like 2 inches wide. Since my fabric was a little stiffer than what the tutorial used, my flowers stood out too straight when I pinned them on. 

 

Then I rolled the fabric strip up into 2 inch sections...

...and cut a curve across the top.

So it looks like this when you unroll it.

Then ruffle it on the machine...

...so it looks like this...

...and roll it up like a boss.

Hot glue as you go, and you'll have a lovely flower. Voila! Or if you're a typical American: Wah-la!

Finish it off by hot gluing a circle of felt to the underside

And attaching a pin. But DON'T make my mistake and pin it across the middle!!! Why not? Read on.

Because if you glue the pin there the corsage will just flop around on your boob, just chillin' like it owns the place:

I give side eye to this floppy corsage, which is also admittedly not pinned in the correct spot. Seriously where do you pin a corsage??

I ripped the pin backs off (this was extremely difficult, but at least that means the hot glue was strong) and reglued at the top of the felt circle so gravity wouldn't take its toll.


Yay, now it looks perf.

Glamour shots:

So what do you think? Would you wear these again if you were our mothers/grandmothers? Are you making any fabric flowers for your wedding? Where the hell do you pin a corsage? (Are these even called corsages?? Now I'm second guessing everything in life.)