DIY: Giant Single Bloom Fabric Bouquet

Are you having a budget wedding and slashing fresh flowers due to the cost? If so, you don't have to sacrifice style by sacrificing real flowers - here's how to make a (giant) Single Bloom Fabric Bouquet on a budget!

My Single Bloom Fabric Bouquet was just voted one of Ashley's Bride Guide's Top Bouquets of 2011!



Supplies:

• Sharp scissors
• Sturdy fabric like canvas (tip: buy from the remnant section to save money)
• White or Ivory Organza
• Fabri-tac Permanent Adhesive
• Bouquet Holder
• Bouquet Collar
• Coordinating fabric to cover your bouquet holder (optional)
• Brooch, button, earring, etc (optional)
• Small bit of lace (optional)

Step 1:


Cut a circle from your sturdy fabric, which will be the base of your fabric flower. Match the size of your circle to the size of your bouquet collar. (See various kinds of bouquet collars.) When I made my original bouquet, I used a 10 inch bouquet collar. You probably want to err a little bit bigger than your bouquet collar - you can always cut some of it back. For the tutorial, I made a small version from a fabric sample.

Step 2:


You may need up to 2 yards of organza, depending on the size and fullness of your flower.

Cut 2" strips of organza. You can make a small cut and then rip the rest of the fabric - so much easier than trying to cut straight all the way! Begin rolling the strip of organza, creating approximately a 2" roll.

Step 3:


Cut a petal shape, similar to how you would cut connected paper dolls. The goal is to create a chain of petals, so you want to make sure not to cut all the way through the bottom of the organza roll on either side.

Step 4:


Apply glue around the circumference of your circle. I started with Aleene's Tacky Glue but ran into a lot of trouble with it. I switched to Fabri-Tac and it worked so much better. I highly recommend Fabri-Tac - it "grabs" the organza right away and stays tacky so that if you make it around the circle, you can actually press a new layer down using the same glue.

Place the bottom of a petal in the glue, pinching and gathering as you do to create volume. Continue pressing, pinching, gathering as you glue around the outside of the circle- there's not an exact science - you just want to make sure they have some volume and variations.

Continue around your fabric circle, gluing just the bottom of the organza petal strip down. You'll want your petals to be full and fluffy, so try not to glue them down and try to squeeze in as many layers as possible. Keep spiraling around the circle. It won't look pretty at first, but have faith - it will!

Step 5:

Keep layering. I noticed I had some bare spots around the outer edge of my circle, so I gently separated the layers so I could add more petal strips in between them.

Your fabric flower is now complete! You can glue a pretty bauble in the center, or leave it as-is.

Step 6:

Attach the bouquet holder to the bouquet collar. There are many different types - I used the kind with the flat cylindrical flower foam, not the domed kind.

Glue the base of your fabric flower to the fabric of your bouquet collar.

Step 7:


Take coordinating fabric and cut a small hole in the middle of it. Gather it up and around your bouquet collar, tucking your fabric under your first row of petals. Glue as you go. Wrap ribbon around the handle and add a bit of lace or pretty fabric to cover where the ribbon and fabric meet. The bottom might not be very pretty, but no one will see it! :)

Here is my bouquet in action:


Want to know more about our wedding? You can read up on it and see more photos here!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Please let me know if you make one for your wedding or other projects!



Linking to:
My Repurposed Life
Look What I Made
Yesterday On Tuesday
Freckled Laundry
Sundae Scoop
Think Pink Sundays
Whatever You Want Wednesdays

If you're new to Owl Really, welcome! Please check out my favorite posts and consider subscribing! :)