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taeliac — Mini Tutorial: Ruffle Flowers

Published: 2010-01-04 01:04:32 +0000 UTC; Views: 21245; Favourites: 382; Downloads: 0
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Description A quick, hand written tutorial on how to make rufflie flowers to wear, or to accent just about anything.

((I'll be posting a link to a finished flower from the show I'm working on, once I get pictures... but for now, you just gotta trust me ))

Difficulty: Easy

Fabric Suggestions
Lightweight fabrics. Chiffon, sheer, satin, lightweight cottons, China silk (habotai), lighter knits.

Tools & Supplies
Handsewing needle (longer needle is easier in this case), beeswax (to wax the thread with - this will help keep the thread from catching on some softer fabrics like chiffon), scissors, matching thread.

Directions
From sheet, if it's difficult to read...

1. Cut a strip of fabric 7" (18cm) wide by the width of your fabric...
(usually 45" wide or 60", something like that)

If you would like to make these for BJD's, I would recommend that the strip be 2"-3" wide, and sew closer to the edge than noted below to make smaller flowers. You may also want to consider using ribbon to make pretty flowers that are just the right doll-size!

2. Fold the fabric in half as you go...
(You'll be sewing along the edge where the two raw edges are together when you fold it in half. The right side of the fabric should be on the outside, nothing gets turned inside-out or something like that.)

3. Start with a knot at the end of your thread...

4. About 1/2" (1.25cm) away from the raw edge. Do a long basting or running stitch, making the stitches about 1/2" (1.25cm) to 3/4" (2cm) apart. Do not worry if they're not all the same or even...
(A basting/running stitch is where you just go in and out of the fabric with the needle.)

5. As you go, pull the thread to ruffle the fabric...

6. Once your whole strip is gathered up, roll the strip around itself, in a spiral, creating the flower shape...
(If you're doing a *huge* flower, you can swirl different colored strips wrapped around each other, so there are more different fabric types making up the flower. Or, you could do petals or rows out of different fabrics - just play around!)

7. To secure the flower, sew loops around the base, as many as necessary to secure ALL of the fabric together. Knot off the thread, & you're done!
(Just keep sewing through all of the layers of fabric, catching everything. When I first did mine, I missed part of the "middle" of the flower, so it was popping out weird! Don't worry, though - just flip it over, and sew through it a bunch more times )

You can finish the flower off with ribbons or other trims, and make it into a brooch, put it on a hat, pin it to a shirt, or just make a ton of them for your cosplay outfit (like, I was thinking for this outfit ...)

Please do not redistribute/claim as your own!

You can link to this tutorial, but do not use it and claim it to be your own, please.

I would love to see whatever you use this for, if you upload it to dA! Please and thank you

2010 Taeliac Studio // BeAnime.com
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Comments: 53

Clubodia In reply to ??? [2010-01-04 01:07:29 +0000 UTC]

Thanks! I can never make flowers when sewing like that, I just make it up (and stuff it up) DX

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

taeliac In reply to Clubodia [2010-01-04 01:11:45 +0000 UTC]

These can be really cute to do - I want to take some old shirts I have and make brooches out of them now! It's really easy, and fun to do when just sitting staring at the TV

👍: 0 ⏩: 0


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