Fabric Rose DIY

I recently went back home to South Africa for my mom's birthday. (You can see the invitations I designed for her party here.) We had a celebration in a barn and little Miss Berries over here got the task of chief decorator. Lucky me. The theme for the party was very casual - "just jeans" So I decided to make some roses using denim, blue and cream fabrics. Here is how it went down:

THINGS YOU NEED:

• A pair of scissors
• Different fabrics
• A thick piece of wire to make a stem
• Thin wire to fasten the petals onto the stem. (Sticky tape is also ok.)

First step is to cut petal or tear-drop shapes out of the fabric. They don't have to be identical/perfect. You probably need about 15 per flower - depending on how thick your fabric is. If you are smart about this, you will get someone else to do the cutting for you. (ha) 

Next, you will need to take a petal-shape and wrap it around the main-wire stem. Secure the petal in place by tightly wrapping the thin wire around it. You can also use sticky tape, but I found that the wire ended up looking a bit neater. Once the first petal is secured place a second petal around the main stem, overlapping the first one and secure it in place. Repeat. Each fabric falls slightly differently - so experiment with the best ones. The stiffer denim fabric worked best for me, but it also depends on the look you are going for. (The Downside of using wire opposed to tape: after about 20 flowers, your fingers will be raw. {just saying})

It's up to you what you choose to do with your flowers. I found some old-school glass coke bottles and stuck a single one in each bottle. I tied some of the fabric scraps and string around the neck of the bottles and then hung them from the rafters in the barn. They look really effective when there is a whole line of them hanging together.

(yes, i know the pic on the right is completely blurred... but i like it. so... yeah.)