This week's tutorial is super fast and totally fun. And, the best part is, it helps turn those tiny, useless scraps of fabric into something cute....
All you need is a strip of fabric cut about 5/16" wide, and 6" long. Knit fabric works great.
(Oh, and in case you are still scratching your head about that 5/16", it's halfway in between 1/4" and 3/8" -- it sounds way more complicated than it is :)
Knot your thread, and start working a running stitch along the bottom edge of the strip. Your stitches don't have to be terribly even, just keep them as near the bottom edge as you can.
When you get to the end, pull up the gathers so that the strip is about half its original length (3"). Tie a knot to secure your thread.
Now it's time to start actually forming the flower!
Fold over the corner of one end, to make a little triangle shape. This will be the center of the flower. Stitch the corner down, along the line of gathering stitches.
Then just start rolling the strip up on itself, stopping and stitching through the bottom periodically to hold everything in place. Here's a top view...
....and a side view.
Keep rolling and stitching till you get to the end. Then, tie off your thread, and there you are -- one completed flower!
Don't worry if your first couple flowers look a little weird. That's ok -- sometimes it takes a while to figure out how to place the gathers for the most attractive flower.
If you want a fuller flower, pull the gathers up tighter; for a skinnier flower, use less gathers. The 2:1 ratio (6" gathered down to 3") gives a nice medium-sized result.
I love making these out of knit fabric strips, but you could also try a woven fabric, cut on the bias, for a different look. Here is a picture of a bias strip. :)
These three flowers were all made with different widths of strips! See what a difference even 1/16" makes?
(Left to right: 1/4", 5/16", and a shy 1/2".)
These flowers look great on headbands, purses, shoes, belts, tees, and -- of course -- tanks!
Have fun using them on your own creations!
Thanks everybody, and have fun with this!
For Pixie Faire, Melinda
***GIVEAWAY UPDATE: We have a winner! By random number, our winner is Emma! She said, "my favorite is roses and carnations so cliche lol"
100 Comments
SILVIA
April 21, 2021
Yam glad to learn make fabric flowers
i need it for the doll’s outfit
thanks
Janet P
April 19, 2020
Thanks for this tutorial. My dolls are going to love have flowered headbands or la few flowers to pin on their Spring coats’ lapel!
Helena
April 17, 2020
Thank you for this tutorial. Quick ,easy and fun!
Par G.
February 11, 2018
I LOVE iris.
Marianne
March 25, 2016
I love roses. beautiful red, apricot, pink……..
olivia
November 13, 2015
nice pattern!
Wendydiane
November 03, 2015
My favorite flower when I was a child was buttercups. We used to hold a flower under our chin and they would reflect a yellow glow, truly …..my friends and I would say it meant we liked butter.
Kwon Nayoung
August 03, 2015
Wanna get patterns :-)
kena
June 22, 2015
My favorite flows is a peony.
Dianne
June 22, 2015
I have no favorites, but if I must choose, I will say the flower which satisfies my love of form and color the most is the rose.
helen Baunhuber
June 22, 2015
My favorite flower is a daisy.
Jane Whiteley
June 22, 2015
My favorite flower is the Jack-in-the-Pulpet!
Char
June 22, 2015
My favorite flowers are tulips
Haddie
June 22, 2015
hmmm I would have to say wild roses
Lily K
June 21, 2015
My favorite flower is the Lily, especially black ones, because my name is Lily and they’re very pretty.
Brend
June 21, 2015
I love gardenias.
Natalie
June 21, 2015
My favorite flowers are water lillies. I absolutely adore the colors of both the flowers and lily pads. So pretty!
Tara
June 21, 2015
My favorite flowers are sweetpeas and lilacs
Linda
June 20, 2015
My favorite flower is the Gerber Daisy!
adrienne
June 20, 2015
roses for sure
Danielle
June 20, 2015
My favorite flower is Honeysuckle! It doesn’t grow at my house, but yesterday I found some, and my brother and I got share it.
Amanda S
June 19, 2015
That’s a tough question since I like so many, but if I had to say one, my favorite garden flower is a large pink fragrant peony. And my peonies have bloomed well this year since we’ve had so much rain.
daynett Radakovich
June 19, 2015
My favorite flower is the yellow Rose. My mother use to call me her Yellow Rose from Texas, because I was born in Texas. My Mother is no longer with us, but everytime I see yellow Roses I think of her.
Maureen Mangan
June 19, 2015
My favorite flower is the rose. Any color any size, they are all very beautiful.
Amelia
June 19, 2015
My favorite flowers are Carnations.
Amanda Graham
June 19, 2015
My favorite flower is the morning glory!
Liz
June 19, 2015
Cherry blossom flowers! So beautiful and fleeting.
Nutmeg
June 19, 2015
My favourite flower is the Sunflower, followed by the Brown-eyed Susan. Actually any flower that is yellow ranks pretty high with me. In Canada, the Brown-eyed Susan is a weed and it looks like a Daisy with golden yellow petals and a dark brown center. I don’t know what it is called elsewhere as many wild flowers have other names in other countries.
Darlene Bulford
June 19, 2015
I love daisies
Gail B
June 19, 2015
I love the smell of gardenias and honeysuckle.
Sue
June 19, 2015
Lilly of the valley is my favorite, I love their scent and their delecite little fairy bells.
Sue
June 19, 2015
Lilly of the valley is my favorite, I love their scent and their delecite little fairy bells.
Adele Lobb
June 19, 2015
My Favorite flower is the Arium Lilly , it reminds me of the a trickling sound of water in a river, and gives me a sense of peace.
Susan Jane from Indy
June 19, 2015
My favorite flower is the sunflower. I love this flower not only for it’s beauty, but for the memories I cherish with it. My 7 yr. old grandson, Luke LOVED sunflowers and he would sing to them to help them grow and pat the soil to give them a hug. Luke died 3 years ago, but his “flower” blooms in my garden and in my heart.
Emma
June 19, 2015
ok so my favorite is roses and carnations so cliche lol ps pick me been following liberty jane for 2 years it would make my day if i won ps thanks for the frebbie friday the cut offs were exactly what i needed thanks everyone at liberty jane
Marian
June 19, 2015
My favorite flower has always been the delicately petaled and scented carnation. They are so feminine with there ruffled petals and numerous colors.
Linda Knott
June 19, 2015
I love yellow roses! My husband gave me 1 yellow rose for our first anniversary. We’ve been married 49 yrs. Thank you for all freebies.
Sharon H
June 19, 2015
I love the simple method of making the flowers. I would have never thought to cut the fabric that narrow. The tutorial actually says to cut the fabric strip 5 1/16 by 6." That’s almost a square, so I knew it wasn’t right.
Bev
June 19, 2015
My favorite spring time flower is the daffodil with so many different colored bells in the centers. Creamy peach, bright orange, and sunshine yellow.
Marlene
June 19, 2015
What ever is currently blooming in my flower bed is my favorite. In the winter, tulips make me think of Spring!
Linda L
June 19, 2015
Sunflowers
Sharri
June 19, 2015
carnations
Jane Murriner
June 19, 2015
My favorite flower is tulips.
Carmelita
June 19, 2015
My favorite flower is the rose. It reminds me of love.
Jeannie
June 19, 2015
My Mom liked Calla Lilly, but Dad always gave her roses.
I liked the yellow roses (Texas) that my Dad would give to me.
Today, any flower brought by my husband, for no reason, is the best!
Monique
June 19, 2015
My favorite flower is the daffodil—the bright yellow is sooo welcome after a Northern Plains winter! (BTW, June 22 is my birthday!)
Tonya Adrian-Hill
June 19, 2015
My favorite flowers are lilacs. They always bloom around my birthday and and you can smell them on the breeze. Also any little “weed” flowers that my kids, nieces, nephews, etc pick for me…what greater gift is there than the love of a child shown in a gift from the heart. :)
Irene
June 19, 2015
a rose
Paula
June 19, 2015
I love so many flowers but now my favorites are Lilies. My granddaughter’s name is Liliana!
Marcelyn
June 19, 2015
Lillies
Munchkin
June 19, 2015
My favorite flower is probably either a rose or pink sunflowers. I have seen photos of the pink sunflowers and they are beautiful!
Rena
June 19, 2015
My favorite flower is… oh, that’s a tough one. It’s hard to choose just one! My home has numerous flower gardens all over the yard. Some were made before I was even born! Our front garden is filled with fragrant roses of nearly every color and are HUGE!!! Are other gardens are filled with Asiatic lillies, colorful mums, lovely lilacs, and just about every flower you could think of. Not to mention our border of like, sixty juniper bushes! I guess you can say we have green thumbs! :) But the most special garden is the one we made for my late aunt. It’s filled with colourful flowers and a statue that looks like her when she was a little girl. R.I.P, Auntie.
Overall, I would have to say I love every flower the Good Lord created!
Ann Schroeder
June 19, 2015
Tiger Lily
Betty
June 19, 2015
Pansies, and African violets
Jo
June 19, 2015
My favorite flower would have to be the rose. Although I enjoy all the beautiful flowers, the rose is one of the few I can identify.
Patti
June 19, 2015
My favorite flower is a Shasta daisy. I love how pretty they look and how strong they are. It’s a feminine flower.
Dorcas Eby
June 19, 2015
Hmm….this is a hard choice! But maybe the classic red rose??? :)
Belle
June 19, 2015
I like geraniums. I have some in my garden. They’re beautiful!
Aunt Nancy
June 19, 2015
My favorite flower is the happy faced pansies!
Debbie
June 19, 2015
Lilies. Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. :)
Rachel Koppleberger
June 19, 2015
I really like the flowers on Thyme. I also really like Tulips and African Violets.
June Kelly
June 19, 2015
i love Peonies. They are the flowers that make this time of year so beautiful. They remind me of my Nanny. She had so many of them in her yard when I was growing up.
Nneka
June 19, 2015
I love irises and tulips. Also, I love a fragrant rose.
Sandy
June 19, 2015
I have always loved the scent of Lilacs but also a beautifully scented rose.
Bella H
June 19, 2015
I think my favorite flower is a rose. I once took a petal of a big cream-colored rose and taped it into a notebook, and when I sometimes open that notebook, I can still feel how soft the petal is… and it hasn’t turned brown! It’s still cream with dark pink edges, even now, 2 years later.
JoAnn
June 19, 2015
Lavender
Jennifer
June 19, 2015
My favorite is the peonies!
lisa
June 19, 2015
My favorite flowers are Roses, not just any rose but big red roses that are very fragrant.
Suzan
June 19, 2015
Coming from Holland I love any kind of TULIP
Linda K.
June 19, 2015
How to choose??!! However, ever since living in Hawaii for several years, plumeria has/have been my favorite. Next would be ANY flower strung on a lei. Wearing a garland of flowers around one’s neck is just heavenly!!
Sue
June 19, 2015
Lily of the Valley are my favourite flowers.
Maryann
June 19, 2015
Can’t beat Hydrangeas. We can’t grow them where I live in the desert. I miss them.
Winter
June 19, 2015
Plumeria! They smell heavenly and they’re beautiful too.
Kaitlyn
June 19, 2015
My favorite flowers are Peonies! :)
Sophia
June 19, 2015
Roses are my favourite flowers!
Kristen
June 19, 2015
What lovely fabric flowers! My favorites would be roses (ours seem to defy my brown thumb, which is great), and stargazer lilies, which we had at our wedding.
Georganne
June 19, 2015
My favorite flower has to be a rose. Such a beautiful fragrance and such a beautiful shape.
Annette
June 19, 2015
Hard to pick just one!!! Lily of the valley/tulips/lilacs/peonies in the Spring
Purple Coneflowers/gaillardias/black eyed Susan’s and daylilies in the summer
Hydrangeas!!! ooh and poppies
Cheryl
June 19, 2015
Daisy
Tina J
June 19, 2015
Pink Peonies!!
Annette
June 19, 2015
Hard to pick just one!!! Lily of the valley/tulips/lilacs in the Spring
Purple Coneflowers/gaillardias/black eyed Susan’s and daylilies in the summer
Hydrangeas!!!
Caprina
June 19, 2015
It was fun to think about this. In spring I love the crocus, peonies, lilacs and forsythia. I have always loved my Mother’s roses, Angel Face and the Fourty-Niner and Peace rose are my favorites. But I think my favorite flower today are lupine. Can you believe that my peonies are just now blooming and the Catalpa tree it only now thinking of blooming. Really late this year.
Faye
June 19, 2015
I Love the Wildflowers. I like the mixture of them altogether.
CYNTHIA
June 19, 2015
I would have to choose roses and esperanza, they bloom from as soon as it warms up until the first frost, nonstop!
Florence Grisham
June 19, 2015
My favorite flower is the daffodil. When I see them I know it’s finally spring!
Nancy
June 19, 2015
Poppies, all types and colors! I love to see them in the Spring, bobbing their beautiful, paper-thin petals in a light breeze. They look so delicate, yet stand strong. The sunlight filters through them like a gift, never failing to make me smile. They will always be a part of my garden.
Diana
June 19, 2015
I adore daylilies. Mine are in full bloom right now!
Pat
June 19, 2015
Roses make my day.
Junie
June 19, 2015
I love daisies because they remind me of my mother, she had a yard full and couldn’t wait for them to come up every year
Marilyn Vice
June 19, 2015
Love the flowers, but I noticed a typo. You wrote, “All you need is a strip of fabric cut about 5 1/6” wide" It should read 5/16" not 5 1/6". I don’t think that would work. Sorry, but I am a stickler for details.
Linda Hand
June 19, 2015
I love Roses and Daisies. Love the miniature flowers for the dolls.
Mrs.C.
June 19, 2015
My favorite flower is “Angel Face” It is a beautiful lavender rose.
Mary
June 19, 2015
Lilly of the Valley they are beautiful and fragrant. My favorite perfume is Lily of the Valley
Jessica
June 19, 2015
My favorite flowers have always been lilies and lilacs! Lilacs remind me of spending time with my cousins at my grandmas <3
Caro
June 19, 2015
Love, love apricot or peach roses…
Will be trying to make the flowers, so sweet.
Barb M.
June 19, 2015
Roses always! Heavenly scented vintage and antique roses especially. But then there are the lilies, peonies, Japanese iris, black eyed susans, campanulas, clematis, asters and about 100 more. Gardening is my summer time passion, though our summers are short here in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula!
Shirley
June 19, 2015
My favorite flower is the sunflower. Its bright yellow and brown mixture is awesome to see.
Thanks for the freebies.
Debbie G
June 19, 2015
White daisies!
Karen
June 19, 2015
will try variations by cutting strips that have five points.
SILVIA
April 21, 2021
Yam glad to learn make fabric flowers
i need it for the doll’s outfit
thanks