Memory Bouquet Felt Flower

Materials:
Felt pieces
glass seed beads
embroidery floss
3 12″ pipe cleaners
florist tape
pattern

Directions:
1] Make copy of pattern.

2] Cut out pattern in desired colors.

Inner Beaded section:
3] Mark the inner circle.

4] Using 2 strands of embroidery floss, bring thread up in the center of the flower. String 1 bead on needle.


5] Placing the needle close to the spot where you brought your needle up through the fabric, sew back down through to the backside. Pull the bead close to the felt.


6] For the next bead and all subsequent beads, bring your needle up close to the previous bead, string a bead, and sew back through close to where the thread came up.



7] Continue this, radiating out from the center, until you solidly cover the inner circle. Tie off the thread on the back.

8] Turn under the seam allowance, and tack to the backside of the beaded circle. Set aside.

Assembling flower:
9] Place the 2 leaves on top of petal 1 lining up centers. Using a “sharp poky” (I used a size 8 knitting needle) poke a hole through all three layers. (The hole should be big enough to allow 3 pipe cleaners to go through but still fit snug snug.)

10] Twist three pipe cleaners together.

11] Push the pipe cleans through the leaves and petal. “Knot” the end of pipe cleaners so the pipe cleaner cannot be pulled back through the holes. Flatten the knot so the other petals will lay flat.


12] Place petal 2 on top of petal 1. Near the center, tack through petal 2 and 1. (Do not go through the leaves.)  Attach securely. Make sure the petals are placed on top of one another in an appealing manner.

13] Add petal 3 in the same manner.

Shaping the flower:
14] In several areas around the flower you will be “pinching” all 3 petal layers of fabric (don’t grab the leaves yet) and tacking them together. Use a color of embroider floss that matches petal 1. How “deep” you pinch the flower and how many pinches you make will affect how cupped your flower becomes. This is all a matter of taste. Tie off.


15] Repeat this pinching process for the leaves. Make sure to position the leaves so the points are staggered. When you tack the “pinches” make sure to grab a little of the petal fabric. This will keep your leaves against the flower.

Adding the center:
16] Using a matching thread, tack the beaded center to the center of the flower. You should only need to go through the center and petal 3 to secure.

Finishing the stem:
17] Using florist tape, start at the top of the stem near the leaves, securely wrap the pipe cleaners together, keeping the florist tape taunt.

Options: If you would like to add leaves to the stem, cut a few out of felt, and using more florist tape, add them to the stem. Because I plan to have many flowers in this Memory Bouquet, I do not want leaves on the stems.