Colorways By Vicki Welsh
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Big Fabric Flowers

Picture
When I was designing my booth for the AQS Virginia Beach show I had an idea that fabric flowers would be a great way to show off the fabric. 

I found this Martha Stewart tutorial that gave me the basic instructions that I needed and then added my own twist to get hanging flowers instead of standing flowers.

This tutorial will build on the original Martha Stewart instructions so you will need those also.

At the end of this article you will find downloadable patterns for 4 different fabric styles.


The supplies needed are:
Fabric
HeatNBond Ultra Hold
20 gauge floral wire
Cardboard scraps and something to cut it with
​Batting scraps
Wire cutters
Iron and ironing surface
Stapler
​Glue gun



big fabric flower
Step 1: Draft the pattern

For this flower I wanted to have a flower that was about 16" in diameter with a 3" center and I wanted 10 petals.

I drew a 16" diameter circle with a 3" center and then divided the circle in 10 even sections using a protractor creating 36 degree wedges. 

You only need a few sections drawn because you are only using this to draft 1 template.

I folded one wedge in half to get a center line and drafted in the petal.

​The petal overlaps the wedge so that there will not be any gaps in my finished flower.

big fabric flower
Step 2: Create a pattern

I want my petal symmetrical so I folded a piece of paper in half and traced half the petal and then cut it out.

At the base of the petal I made sure that it was as wide as the wedge where it meets the 3" circle and then added a short point. This gives me enough fabric to stick to the center base.



big fabric flower
Step 3: Fuse the fabric

Following the directions in the original tutorial, fuse two pieces of fabric together with a wire in the middle. The wire should be long enough to go within 1/2" of the tip of the flower (not sticking out of the top) and stick out at the bottom of the flower. It will be cut to the proper length later.

I fused one long strip of the fabric with the wires spaced more than the width of a petal apart.



big fabric flower
Step 4 - Cut out the petals

Trace the petal shape on the fabric making sure  that the wire stays centered on the petal and that the end of the wire is below the tip of the flower. At the bottom trim the wire to about 1/2".

​At this point I pressed the petals again just to make sure that the fabrics are permanently fused.

big fabric flower
In the second iteration of this flower I cut the pattern template from a stiff plastic so that it would be easier to trace around and I cut a slit where the stem would be so that I could quickly align the template and know that the stem was perfectly centered.

Picture
Step 5: Attach the petals to the cardboard base.

Cut 2 3" circles from cardboard and on one mark segments dividing the circle into 10 equal sections.
Align a petal with one of the marks making sure that the base of the petal is on the cardboard. Tape it in place. On later flowers I used the glue gun to attach the petals to the cardboard.

Place 5 petals on first putting one on every other mark. 

big fabric flower
Add the other 5 petals in the empty marks. You can add your petals any way you want but you will see at the end why I did them for this flower in this way.

big fabric flower
Step 6: Make the center

For the flower center you need the second cardboard circle, a 5" square of fabric and 3 pieces of batting. Two batting pieces of are cut 3" in diameter and one is cut 4".

Lay the fabric right side down. Put the 4" batting in the center of the fabric square and the center the 3" batting circles in the center of that and top with the cardboard.

wired fabric flower
Pull the fabric to the back of the cardboard the same way you would cover a seat cushion. Staple or glue the fabric in place and trim away the excess.
​

wired fabric flower
Step 7: Glue the center in place

Using a glue gun and a generous amount of glue, position the center so that it's aligned with the cardboard base on the back and glue it in place.

wired fabric flower
Step 8: Attach the hanger

A Command wire hanger is perfect for hanging these.

wired fabric flower
I'm hanging my flowers from a wire grid and I found that if I added 3 layers of cardboard scraps glued to the back that the flower will hang straight and not flop forward.

wired fabric flower
With the extra 3 cardboard layers as a wedge, the flower hangs straight. The wire in the petals lets you shape the flower any way that you want.

hand dyed fabric
The reason that my first flower has 10 petals is that it was designed specifically to show off my Color Wheel line of fabrics. The Munsell Color System recognizes 5 primaries so in each of these flowers the primary colors are int he front and the secondary colors behind.

​Get the petal template for this flower here.


Picture
Get the petal template for this 8-petal flower here.

Picture
Get the petal template for this 5-petal flower here.

Picture
Get the petal template for the sunflower here.

Contact
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Copyright © 2021 by Vicki Welsh. All rights reserved. Content from this site may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of Vicki Welsh. You are welcome to link and share links to any page on the site.
  • Welcome
  • Shop
    • Hand Dyed Fabric
    • Glass
    • Just Plain Soap
  • Blog
  • Galleries
    • Customer Gallery >
      • Project Submission Form
    • Quilt Gallery >
      • 2023 >
        • Heirloom Bear
        • Firefighter Quilt
        • The Goldfinch
      • 2022 >
        • Summer Sunset Quilt
        • Soundwave Quilt
      • 2021 >
        • A Big Green Quilt
        • Finally! Quilt
      • 2020 >
        • Jackies Choice Quilt
        • Penguins on Ice Quilt
        • Corona Cats Quilt
        • Kim's Garden
      • 2019 >
        • Indonesian Batik Quilt
        • Lost My Marbles
        • Remaking Flora's quilt
        • I'm Not a Snowflake Quilt
        • Where In The World Is My Cat Quilt
        • Fireworks
        • The Groovy Quilts
        • The Puppy Quilt
      • 2018 >
        • The Maine Quilt
        • Stars At Sea
        • Antelope Canyon Quilt
      • 2017 >
        • The Wedding Quilt Quilt
        • Rainbow's End Quilt
      • 2016 >
        • CSQ Challenge Quilt
        • Wholecloth Quilt of Valor
        • Luras Choice Quilt
        • Black Swan Quilt
        • 2016 Quilt of Valor Quilt
        • Non Unus Pluma Quilt
      • 2015 >
        • Snaps Quilt
        • Batik Crossroads Quilt
        • Wild Goose Chase Quilt
        • Fractured Fragments Quilt
        • Tell It To the Stars Quilt
        • Cathedral Window Quilt
        • Time In Place Quilt
        • Shaken Not Stirred Quilt
        • Pleiades Quilt
      • 2014 >
        • Spinning Stars Quilt
        • Fractured Spiral Quilt
        • Autumn Leaves Quilt
        • Sea Dreams Quilt
        • Woodland Star Quilt
        • Zombie Ball Quilt
        • Innova Angles Quilt
      • 2013 >
        • Murder For a Jar of Red Rum Quilt
        • Patroitic Quilts
        • Red Sunset Bedding Quilt
        • The Infamous Fish Quilt
        • Gratitudes Quilt
      • 2012 >
        • Illuminated Blocks Quilt
        • Kims Wedding Quilt
        • Crossing The South Anna Quilt
        • Coming Home Quilt
        • See Reverse Quilt
        • Overboard Quilt
        • Floras Fans and Modern Crumbs Quilt
        • The Patriot Quilt
        • On Point Quilt
        • Grinch Quilts
      • 2011 >
        • Star Struck Quilt
        • On A Whim Quilt
        • Catena Quilt
        • Zig Zag Scraps Quilt
        • Purple Keepsakes Quilt
        • Fiberactions Challenge Quilts
        • Journal Quilts 2011
      • 2010 >
        • Maggie the Messmaker Cross Stitch
        • Fiberactions Challenge Quilts
        • Wootten Memory Quilts
        • Teal Tomorrow Quilt
      • 2009 >
        • Shereen's Peaceful Garden
        • TShirt Quilt Commission
        • Three Generation Quilt
      • 2008 >
        • Flora's Quilts
        • Monkey Baby Quilts
        • Citrus Quilt
      • 2007 >
        • Snails Trail Quilts
        • Quilts of Valor
        • Other Quilts
      • 2006 and older >
        • Scrap Bin Quilt
        • Flora's Dutchman's Breeches
        • The Gift Quilts
        • Reversible Quilts
        • Spectacular Scraps Quilts
        • Foundation Pieced Quilts
        • Art Quilts
        • Kathy's Memorial Quilt
    • Symmetry Quilt Gallery
    • Dyeing Gallery >
      • Tie Dye Gallery
      • Shibori Gallery
    • Postcard Gallery
    • Fused Glass Gallery
    • Mosaic Gallery
    • Zentangle and Spirograph
  • Tutorials
    • Save My Bleeding Quilt
    • Postcard Tutorials >
      • Silver Christmas Tree Postcard
      • Easy Framed Motif Postcard
      • Trash to treasure postcards
      • Holiday Ornament Postcard
      • Postcard as a Door Hanger
      • Plaid Tree Postcard Tutorial
      • Button Tree Postcard
      • Fireworks Postcard Tutorial
    • Quilting Tutorials >
      • The Gift Quilt Pattern
      • Keepsakes Quilt Pattern
      • Blocking a Quilt
      • Facing A Quilt Tutorial
      • Veterans Quilt Tutorials >
        • Allegiance Quilt Pattern
        • Gratitudes Quilt Pattern
        • Strength Quilt Pattern
        • Blockade Quilt Pattern
        • Redoubt Quilt Pattern
        • Regiment Quilt Pattern
        • Bars and Stripes Quilt Pattern
      • Rainbow Quilt Free Pattern
      • Binding a Quilt
    • Surface Design Tutorials >
      • Ice Dyeing tutorial
      • Snow Dyeing basics tutorial
      • Snow Dyeing Mandala
      • Sun Printing Tutorial
      • Lamp Printing Tutorial
      • Dyeing extra large fabrics
      • Hold the Retayne
      • Painted Shower Curtain Tutorial
      • Metallic Paint Effects on Fabric
      • Curing Metallic Fabric Paints
      • Zentange Pens
      • Leaf Printing Tutorial
      • Printing On Fabric
      • Life of MX Dye Concentrates
      • Testing Soda Ash in fabric dyeing
    • Color Theory
    • Placemat Tutorials >
      • Rise and Shine Placemat Tutorial
      • Coming Home Placemat Tutorial
      • Mineral Pool Placemat Tutorial
      • Sugar Maple Placemats
      • Fat Quarter Placemat Tutorial
      • Merry Mats Placemat Tutorial
    • Basic Tutorials >
      • Custom Sewing Table
      • Liquid Spray Starch Recipe
    • Crafts and Small Projects >
      • Surgery Drain Bag Tutorial
      • Drawstring Bag Sewing Tutorial
      • Large Tote Tutorial
      • Big Fabric Flower Tutorial
      • The best potholders pattern
      • Notebook Cover Tutorial
      • Pillowcase tutorial
      • Wide Brim Sun Visor
      • Trash To Treasure Holiday Ornaments
      • Pet Bed From Scraps Tutorial
      • Framed Metal Quilt
      • Shooting Shirt Tutorial
      • Making Paper
      • Making Soap
      • Favorite Soap Reicpes
      • Lotion Making
      • Bowl hot pad pattern
    • Longarm Quilting Tutorials >
      • The longarm machine does matter
      • Double Wavy Crosshatch
      • Wavy Crosshatch Longarm
      • Quilting Letters on a Quilt
      • Centering a Quilt back on a longarm
      • Quilting Snowball Blocks
      • Easy Longarm Piano Keys
      • Using Channel Locks
      • Sewing/Serging quilt backing to zippers
      • Adding backing on the longarm
  • Contact
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy