Velvet Flower Corsage and Headband

Let's get started!

Pre-wash your fabric and if you wish, dye it your favorite color with easy Bread Bag Dyeing.

First you need to create a template you can use to trace and cut out the shape of flower petals. Start by positioning the piece of 8.5" x 11" paper so the 11" side is facing you. Use the ruler to measure a 1/2 inch up from the bottom of the left hand side of the paper and make a small mark. Then, use the ruler and measure 1 1/2 inches up from the bottom of the right hand side of the paper and make a small mark. Use the ruler to draw a straight line connecting the two marks you just made on the two edges.

Next, use the bottlecap to create the petals. Moving left to right, position the bottle cap so the line you made is going directly through the middle of the cap. Then trace the top half of the cap to make a semi-circle over the line. Continue tracing petals down the line until you reach the edge of the paper. Use scissors to cut out the outline you just created. You now have a panel of petals you can trace onto your fabric.

Lay out a yard of fabric. Position the petal outline you created at the base of the fabric so that the smaller semi-circles are on the left hand side. Then use the sharpie to trace the outline of your petals onto the fabric.

Next, move the panel down to the end of the outline you just traced onto the fabric. This time you are going to flip the petal outline so that the shorter semi-circles are on the right hand side. The idea is to create an outline where the petals become larger as they move towards the middle of the fabric:

Cut out the fabric below the sharpie line so there is no black marker left on the piece you cut out.

Repeat the above steps so you have two strips of petals to work with:

Stagger the two strips on top of one another so that the center of the semicircles on the top strip are laid over the valley of the semicircles on the bottom strip. Here's a photo to better show what we mean:

Using a needle and thread, sew a running stitch at the base to connect the two petal panels together. Tie off the end of the thread once you've reached the edge.

Take the two panels and begin to roll them up to form the shape of the flower, slowly adjusting the petals as you go. Make sure to roll the panels up so that the velvet side is facing in.

Keep going until you have formed the shape of a flower. It may take some time to adjust and get the right shape. Depending on how you roll it, the final result may look more like a rose or like a carnation. To keep the flower from coming apart, sew the base of the petals together.

These flowers can be sewn onto anything you'd like! We decided to add them to one of our cotton bunchies to create a corsage, and onto a headband.