3 ways to make artificial flowers

Fabric flowers are a bit more difficult to make than paper flowers, but they make lovely and elegant centerpieces. They are more versatile than paper flowers, too, since they can be used to create accents to dresses or blouses, as well as fashioned into barrettes or added to hair bands. There are several methods for making a flower from a coffee filter. Some require wetting the filters first to remove the original pleating, while others work with the pleats. You may paint wash the filters or the finished flowers. View the list »
Tissue paper flowers are probably the easiest to make. You can buy all sorts of ready made colors of the paper or buy white and dye your own patterns. 

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There are many ways to make artificial flowers for decorating and fashion purposes. Here are the basic instructions for three popular styles.

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Tissue paper flowers - Once you have unfolded the tissue, it is just a matter of rolling and scrunching the paper around a hard center "stem" and gluing it in place or taping it together with green florist' tape. A bamboo skewer works wonderfully for these stems, especially when painted green.

Coffee Filters flowers - Coffee Filters can be used cut into circles or cut into petal shapes. Much like the tissue paper flower, you start with a stem and wrap small sections of the filters tightly around and tape it in place. Continue wrapping until the flower is a size you like.

Fabric flowers - You will still start with a hard center stem, but you will need needle and thread to sew the fabric together, in addition to the tape. Take a square of fabric and push the stem up in the center about an inch. Sew the fabric around the stem about an inch from the top. Continue wrapping wrinkled layers of fabric around the center section and sew each one together at the bottom. When you've made the flower large enough, tape it as you would a paper flower.

View the list
  • Tissue paper flowers are probably the easiest to make. You can buy all sorts of ready made colors of the paper or buy white and dye your own patterns. 
  • There are several methods for making a flower from a coffee filter. Some require wetting the filters first to remove the original pleating, while others work with the pleats. You may paint wash the filters or the finished flowers. 
  • Fabric flowers are a bit more difficult to make than paper flowers, but they make lovely and elegant centerpieces. They are more versatile than paper flowers, too, since they can be used to create accents to dresses or blouses, as well as fashioned into barrettes or added to hair bands. 
View the list

, Nashville Crafting Examiner

I've been writing since about age 4, writing my first novel at 15 years old. I've published in poetry anthologies and won writing contests. I currently write for several websites, and teach craft skills at several locations. When I'm not writing or reading what others have written, I am usually...

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