I’m having so much fun helping my little sis prepare for her wedding next month. I adore weddings and I adore my sister, so making crafts with and for her is simply the ultimate level of DIY for me these days! Currently, we’re working on making gorgeous fabric flowers to use in her wedding bouquets, boutonnieres, and wedding decor. My mom, my sister and I have come up with our favourite way to make either perfect fabric peonies or lovely fabric cabbage roses, and I want to share the how-to with you today.
Supplies:
- scraps of polyester fabric (that will melt when held near a flame) – we liked using organza, satin, acetate lining, chiffon (this was a little floppy, though) and polyester lace (test all fabrics first to see if their edges curl in the way you want)
- a needle and thread
- a candle
- this pattern for the petals (it’s a downloadable PDF): Fabric Peonies and Cabbage Roses Pattern by The DIY Mommy
Directions:
Cut 6 petals of each of the four different sizes using the pattern. We found that using two different types of fabrics produced the most interesting-looking flowers, and mixing an opaque with a sheer fabric was a pretty effect.
Carefully sear and curl the edges of each petal by holding them over a lit candle and rotating them one at a time. Don’t hold the petals too close at first. You will have to adjust how close to the flame you’ll need to hold each petal depending on the fabric you’re using. In general, the thicker the fabric, the closer you’ll need to hold it to the flame to sear and curl the edges of the petal.
This can take forever, so it’s an excellent evening-unwinding project.
Thread your needle, and then curl one of the smallest petals along its wider side like this:
Sew it along the bottom to secure it. You don’t need too many stitches.
Continue curling petals around your first petal, overlapping them slightly and securing them by stitching them along the bottom.
The bottom of your flower will look something like this:
If you’re making a peony, you can gather the petals slightly as you go. Make the center of the peony lower, and raise the petals as you go.
If you’re making a cabbage rose, don’t gather the petals. Make the center of your rose higher and the rest of the petals lower.
It’s amazing what these little details will do to change the look of your flower:
(Left: Peony, Right: Cabbage Rose with more petals used)
Keep adding petals to your flower, going from the smallest size to the largest size. Finish with a secure knot in your thread.
You’re done! Aren’t these beautiful? Experiment with different fabric types and combos. For my sister’s bouquets, we’re going to use a few different colours and textures to make them extra special.
To recap:
I think these fabric peonies and roses would also make a gorgeous addition to any home decor. You could fasten stems to them and arrange them in a pretty tin or jar on your coffee table.
And what about using them as a hair accessory? How adorable would a little lacey one look sewn to a baby headband and used in some sweet summer photos?
Have fun making your flowers!
Linked to: The Weekend re-Treat Link Party, From Dream to Reality
*UPDATE: Now you can find the video tutorial for these here!*
See how we made my sister’s wedding bouquet:
Tiffany says
May 12, 2014 at 8:29 amChristina these are absolutely STUNNING! I am in awe. I want some now! Love the colors you chose. xo
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Christina Dennis says
May 21, 2014 at 10:57 pmThanks so much, Tiffany. I love the colours too – so soft!
Joann @ Woman in Real Life says
May 12, 2014 at 8:34 amThe flowers are beautiful! What a lucky sister to have you. 🙂
Christina Dennis says
May 21, 2014 at 10:56 pmAw, thanks Joann!
Sue says
November 4, 2017 at 9:28 amThe article mentions a “pattern” for the petals. Sorry to be stupid – but where is the pattern?
Lindsay - The DIY Mommy says
November 4, 2017 at 11:44 amHello Sue,
The pattern is a downloadable link under the materials section.
I attached the link here for you as well 😀
http://thediymommy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Fabric-Peonies-and-Cabbage-Roses-Pattern-by-The-DIY-Mommy.pdf
Inspire Me Heather says
May 12, 2014 at 8:35 amYour peonies are just SO pretty and I’m sure they will look lovely at the wedding!
Christina Dennis says
May 21, 2014 at 10:56 pmThanks, Heather! I’m so excited to see how everything comes together on the wedding day.
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Virginia Fynes says
May 12, 2014 at 8:43 amThese look ABSOLUTELY STUNNING! the color is perfect too. Pinned and sharing to my FB page!
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Christina Dennis says
May 21, 2014 at 10:56 pmThank you so very much, Virginia!
Tara says
May 12, 2014 at 9:26 amWow! These are gorgeous! Pinning for sure!
Christina Dennis says
May 21, 2014 at 10:56 pmThanks, Tara! Thanks for pinning, too.
Sandra {simpleispretty.com} says
May 12, 2014 at 9:33 amWOW! Looks amazing! I’m pinning!
Christina Dennis says
May 21, 2014 at 10:55 pmThanks, Sandra. And thanks for sharing!
Kristen says
May 12, 2014 at 10:09 amAMAZING! I would have thought they were real from my first glace!
Kristen recently posted..Outdoor Daybed
Christina Dennis says
May 21, 2014 at 10:55 pmThanks a bunch, Kristen! I totally love how real-to-life they look too.
Έξυπνες Συμβουλές says
May 12, 2014 at 3:28 pmlovely!!
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Shauna says
May 14, 2014 at 10:43 amThese look so beautiful! I should make some for gift toppers.
Christina Dennis says
May 21, 2014 at 10:55 pmThanks, Shauna! Yes – that’s a wonderful idea!
Melinda @Home.Made.Interest says
May 29, 2014 at 9:17 pmThese are absolutely beautiful. I need to make some and attach them to my wreath. Thanks for sharing!
Christina Dennis says
June 1, 2014 at 11:19 pmThanks, Melinda. That’s a lovely idea!
jen says
July 5, 2014 at 11:21 amThese are amazing! I was browsing Pinterest for DIY peony ideas, because fresh ones never last long. Yours are absolutely beautiful! Needless to say, new follower here for sure!
Jen
witsicle – a life & style blog
Christina Dennis says
July 6, 2014 at 9:06 pmThanks, Jen! My sister just had her wedding last weekend and it was mostly made out of these fabric flowers. It was gorgeous! Thanks for visiting.
Íris says
July 25, 2014 at 3:26 amHi I’m a new follower feom Iceland 🙂
I want to make these flowers for my wedding bouquet but I’m a little confused since my English isn’t too good. What do you mean by gather the petals for the peony? Do you still fold the petals as shown in the step by step instructions?
Thanks
Christina Dennis says
July 27, 2014 at 11:08 pmYou can pinch or fold the bottom of the petals a little bit to make them ruffled. This creates the look of a peony. I hope that helps!
Salina says
January 4, 2016 at 10:33 pmHi! I’m sorry to be ignorant to this, but how do you gather them (the petals) and how did you sew the bottoms? I just made a peony and it is not nearly as pretty as yours! I sewed the new petal through the previous petals, which created a cone-shaped bottom instead of a square/flat bottom. When adding the newest petal, do I just sew it onto the previous petal in a square pattern instead of sewing through all petals? I’ll keep playing with them.
Thank you so, so much for your tutorial! Yours are absolutely beautiful!
Leighanne says
June 2, 2019 at 3:17 pmI am having this same problem 🙁 I’ve been trying to make these forever
Roji says
September 10, 2014 at 9:32 amThese are amazing, I am a crafts lover but I want to make rose for my sister’s wedding and your idias will help me. thanks
Christina Dennis says
September 10, 2014 at 11:21 pmThanks so much, Roji!
Dori D says
October 22, 2014 at 11:41 pmThanks so much for this tut. Your flowers are gorgeous! I’m hoping I find time in the new year to give these a try.
Again, thanks for your kindness and generosity.
Ashley says
October 27, 2014 at 9:02 amWhat is a good website or a good resource to find cheap fabrics for these flowers?
They look BEAUTIFUL!
Christina Dennis says
November 1, 2014 at 9:55 pmThanks, Ashley! You can find all sorts of satins and organzas at either http://onlinefabricstore.net or http://fabric.com. I’ve shopped at both!
Brianne says
April 6, 2017 at 11:53 pmWhich polyester lace is that it where did you get it from? Links of the fabrics you used would be great.
Mel says
January 18, 2015 at 11:30 pmI absolutely looove this idea! I actually tried making one earlier today But it didn’t quite come out the same 🙁 do You know if there are any tutorial videos that demostrare how to do the flowers?
Thanks!
Christina Dennis says
January 27, 2015 at 8:20 pmThanks, Mel! I’m actually planning to put out a video tutorial on these in February, so stay tuned! I’ll post the link here when I do. 🙂
Caitlin says
February 12, 2015 at 9:45 amCan you post a picture of the finished bouquet and how did y’all attach the flowers to the bouquet? I’m getting married in April and want to do this for my bouquets and I can’t figure out how to attach them.
Christina Dennis says
February 17, 2015 at 10:33 pmHi Caitlin! I am planning on sharing a video on how to make the flowers as well as how to assemble the bouquet within the next couple of weeks. I’ll post here when it’s done. Thank you!
Tracy park says
February 20, 2015 at 6:58 pmwhats the best fabric to use for this. some I use just does not work or curl at all. Thanks
Rhena says
March 10, 2015 at 12:53 amThank you for sharing and showing an easy way to make a beautiful fabric flower. Over the years I’ve tried several ways which never amounted to much.
Christina Dennis says
March 15, 2015 at 8:56 pmThanks for your comment, Rhena!
Jenny says
March 16, 2015 at 4:47 amHow long would you say it takes to make each flower? I’m thinking about making these for my wedding later in the year, but I’m a bit concerned about how labour intensive they might be.
Christina Dennis says
March 19, 2015 at 10:05 pmThey take a long time – maybe about 20 minutes once you get the hang of it? The thing is that a wedding bouquet looks nice with at least 25-30 of these, so it takes a while! We thought it was worth it for my sister’s wedding, though. She got so many compliments and she can keep her bouquet forever! Good luck!
cc says
March 21, 2015 at 5:59 pmThank you for the tutorial , but holy crap on the advertisements! It’s quite annoying to deal with them watching TV but it’s just as bad dealing with them trying to read a simple post & getting bombarded with them.
Christina Dennis says
March 21, 2015 at 7:36 pmThanks for visiting! I’m sorry you feel that way, but display ads and sponsored posts are how I make a part time income to help support my family with this blog. I certainly couldn’t justify all of the hours upon hours I spend on all of these tutorials for my readers without making some money in return.
Annie says
June 18, 2015 at 6:50 pmGreat DIY info on these flowers..Are there any pictures or how to’s on how to make these into bouquets or other uses?? Like what to use for the stems etc.? Thanks!
Christina Dennis says
June 21, 2015 at 9:48 pmThank you! Here’s how we made my sister’s wedding bouquet with these: http://thediymommy.com/make-a-bridal-bouquet-of-fabric-flowers/
Rudy says
August 3, 2015 at 12:16 pmJust posted this on my two pages on FB.
Shawne says
February 16, 2016 at 11:27 amThank you so much for your gorgeous rose and peony flower pattern and video and bridal bouquet tutorials, Christina! (Yes, even a year after you posted I found you!) I am so excited to have found your site, as my daughter is getting married in July (2016) and she asked me to make her bouquet and all the rest of the flowers too (maid bouquets, boutonnières, ceremony & reception decor)! These will be a lovely addition to her vintage theme :). Thank you again for sharing your creativity with us, Shawne
teresa ann costello says
April 4, 2016 at 11:37 amGod bless the work of your beautiful hands, Christina. Thank you so much for sharing your talent so generously. <3 Teresa.
Christina Dennis says
April 10, 2016 at 9:02 pmThank you so much, Teresa! 🙂
Christine says
September 21, 2016 at 2:18 pmWould these work for infant headbands if I made the petals smaller? So pretty!
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Casey Elliott says
January 30, 2017 at 5:58 pmHi! I just want to let you know I made a bunch of these for my wedding and they turned out gorgeous! I attached them to stems by buying wire stems and folding the top of the “stem” into a loop and sewing the petals around it. Thank you for the tutorial!
Lindsay - The DIY Mommy says
January 31, 2017 at 11:23 amCongrats on your wedding!! We love how you attached them to the stems!! So happy that they turned out great for your wedding, it is such a complement to be a little part of your special day 🙂
anne kariny says
April 6, 2017 at 9:43 amI loved your blog, I will follow much more now. My English is not very good, but it’s giving to understand.
Lindsay - The DIY Mommy says
April 6, 2017 at 10:28 amThank you so much, Anne. We would love to have you apart of your DIY family 🙂
Fabric Heart says
April 17, 2017 at 8:12 pmI am going to do this. The Fabric Exchange has so many kind of fabric to choice from.
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April 24, 2017 at 1:04 pmthis once but I'll repeat it anyway: when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, we didn't say, "okay, we're going to do this, this and this for the next few years and then nuke them". We just did everything we could think of until we won. Same here. Think of Rosie the Riveter. She may look like she wants to marry Ellen Degenres, but she's exactly the right role model just the same. "WE CAN DO IT"We're winning this thing. We're going to win.
Clarissa says
May 23, 2017 at 5:40 pmHi, these are absolutely beautiful! I’m interested in trying this for my bouquet, but I was wondering how did you go about attaching stems to them and/or including them in the overall bouquet? I’m thinking about mixing some of these with real flowers instead of buying peonies.
Lindsay - The DIY Mommy says
May 24, 2017 at 8:44 amHello Clarissa, these are perfect for a bouquet. Christina actually did a post/video on how to attach stems. You can view that here http://thediymommy.com/how-to-make-realistic-fabric-flowers-peonies-video-tutorial/#more-8865
We would love to see your fabric flowers when you are done 🙂
Happy crafting.
Luciana says
October 31, 2017 at 12:10 pmGreat idea too creative!
Camila says
November 17, 2017 at 6:01 amWow, it’s beautiful! Perfect, it looks like real roses, I loved it.
Lindsay - The DIY Mommy says
November 18, 2017 at 12:11 pmThank you, Camila
Ana Paula says
November 28, 2017 at 3:46 amMuito lindo, adorei!
Camila says
January 2, 2018 at 5:02 amLindo de mais… Parabéns!
Patricia says
January 21, 2018 at 7:52 pmHi! if im using 2 kinds of fabric, like satin and organza, the cuttings will be 6 satin and 6 organza for each size of petals?
Thanks in advance. im planning to try this diy and make a bouquet for my wedding 🙂
Lindsay - The DIY Mommy says
January 22, 2018 at 7:20 amYes that’s correct, Patricia. Congrats on your wedding!
Paula chavis says
January 25, 2018 at 1:11 pmWhat kind of satin and acetate lining do you use for your flowers
Like double face satin or heavy weight or just cheap lining material
And do you use organza by the yard
I’ve tried organza ribbon and it’s too stiff
I’m starting an Etsy page
Thank you
Paula Chavis
[email protected]
Heather W. says
January 30, 2018 at 3:07 pmThese are gorgeous! One question: since the petals are somewhat kidney-shaped, which long side is the “bottom”– the rounded one, or the one that curves inward in the middle?
Lindsay - The DIY Mommy says
February 1, 2018 at 7:10 amHey Heather, Once you singe the edges the petal will become more uniform. The bottom part will be the rounded 😀
Stacie says
February 4, 2018 at 9:55 amThese are so beautiful! Do you know the best place to get fabric online?
Lindsay - The DIY Mommy says
February 5, 2018 at 8:39 amThank you, Stacie. You can check out Christina’s favourite places to buy fabric online here 🙂
http://thediymommy.com/my-favourite-places-to-buy-fabric-online/
Stacie says
February 4, 2018 at 10:03 amAlso, about how many flowers does a yard of fabric make? Thanks!
Shirley says
May 4, 2018 at 5:30 amThese flowers are simply gorgeous! It must have taken you a year to make all the flowers needed for your wedding or maybe not with your sister and possibly someone else’s help. I love making flowers but I also know it’s very time consuming and you need to have a fair amount of patience. I love peonies! They are just so carefree. I think my favorites are camellias but who knows because I pretty much love all 💐! I really love the way you put yours together and the pattern used. Very nicely done! Hope the wedding went well!
Lindsay - The DIY Mommy says
May 4, 2018 at 10:37 amThey did take Christina some time to make but they were so worth it and I best part is they will last 👍🏻
Shirley says
May 4, 2018 at 10:52 amI am sure they were the highlight of the wedding! Flowers are just so expensive nowadays, who can even afford all that are needed for a wedding. I’m sure it was much more special to her anyway and a major keepsake that will last for maybe her own daughters/sons wedding.
Elizabeth says
January 15, 2019 at 2:04 pmI realize I’m late to the party (I seem to be late to everything), but I have to tell you how gorgeous these flowers are! I have sewn & sewn roses from ribbon & a strip of fabric before but yours are so much better! I’m going to make some to use on a round mobile with crystals for my granddaughter’s nursery.
My daughter wants to use extra large flowers on the wall but they’re usually made of paper, very large (usually 12-24 inches), expensive to purchase & time consuming to make. I wonder if your idea, pattern would work on a much larger scale? Have you heard of anyone trying this? Do you have any ideas about this? Thank you so much!!
Lindsay - The DIY Mommy says
January 15, 2019 at 3:56 pmI haven’t hear of anyone doing it on a larger scale but we think it would still work
martine says
February 1, 2019 at 2:13 amwhere do you by fabric?
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