Tuesday's Tute: Make a Carnation!

 We love using flowers to accessorize and embellish.  But, I bet you already knew that.  This carnation is, I think, my invention.  I had an extra measure of gathered chiffon from the ruffles on this dress and thought they'd make a pretty flower.  So here's how to make the flower.  It's actually very simple.

Materials:
Lightweight fabric or ribbon for strips: Chiffon, organza, tulle, and lace make good choices.  For a flower of this size you'll need enough to net 12 feet of 1" strips or 12 feet of lightweight ribbon.  Fabric that frays will need to be cut on the bias, therefore more fabric is needed for that.  I used part of 1/2 yd. of chiffon.
Felt circle 50 cent piece in size
Needle and thread
Sewing machine and supplies
Cutting supplies: I used a rotary cutter and mat to make quick work of the 1" strips

Directions:

 1. Cut 1" strips to equal about 12 feet.

 2. Tightly gather strips down the center. Overlap the ends slightly as you gather to make one long gathered strip. It will be about 4 feet long. Our quick gathering tutorial is found here.

 3.  Cut a circle of felt about the size of a 50 cent piece.

 4. Starting in the center, stitch one end of the gathered strip with a needle and thread.  Make a small loop/bunch and stitch it down.  Continue stitching down small loops/bunches until the center is full. 

 5. Make the loops/bunches larger as you work towards the outside of the flower. The tighter you place the loops/bunches, the more full your carnation will appear.  Tie off your thread on the back side of the flower when you finish.

 6. This is what the back of the carnation will look like when you finish.

Enjoy your finished carnation.  You can add any type of fastener to the back.  We use a safety pin to allow us to use it on clothing or to pin it to a clip or pony in the hair.

Happy Sewing!
Debbie