Monday, March 2, 2009

How to make a flannel flower

If you’re just joining us, this blog is actually about men’s tailoring; it’s just that I’ve had a few requests to show how I made the flannel flower I’m wearing on my suit. It was made from leftover scraps of the suit cloth when the suit was finished.

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Start by cutting 5 to 7 rectangles twice as long as wide, on the bias (see post about grain lines if you don’t know what the bias is). 1 ½” to 2 ½” wide is a good size. These are the petals.

Cut one small square and one or two leaf shapes as shown.
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Fold one of the petals in half, and join the open ends using a running stitch.

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Pull the thread tight and secure with a few stitches.

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Fold over the corners and slipstitch in place (two or three tiny invisible stitches).

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Do all petals like this. Then take one petal and wrap it tightly and secure with a few stitches.

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Wrap the next petal around this one, a little less tightly. Keep working around the flower until you have attached all petals

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Fold the small square into a triangle and use it to finish the bottom of the flower, wraping it around a bit like a head scarf.

Using a running stitch, work around the edges of the leaf, holding the stitch a little bit tight. Don’t worry about getting the stitches very even- it looks better if they are a little uneven.

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Fold the leaf in half and run a stitch right along the folded edge.

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Working from the center outward, do the same to create a few veins. Open the leaf out and give it a shot of steam from an iron. Work it into a shape you like and let it dry. Give the flower a shot of steam and place the petals the way you like them, then let dry. Then attach the leaf (or leaves) to the flower. Use a corsage pin to pin in place.

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