Oh, I am very happy with these dear little flowers, they turned out so sweet and pretty...I am certain I will make more again soon.
This is definately a Metamorphosis Monday post, and then some, as the change from the BEFORE state to the finished results seemed pretty major! My ten rather ordinary silk flowers from the crafts store were transformed into 20 deliciously shabby blossoms, each one so yummy that it was hard to pick a favorite, but I did, and it goes to the lovely Karen B at Elderberry Street.
So, would you like to see how easy it was to make these?
First, let's get the goodies assembled. You'll remember that I tore apart the silk flowers I'd bought, creating a pile of lovely petals in various shapes, sizes and shades of white/ivory. We'll add to that some florist's tape, glue, linen (you just knew linen would be in there somewhere, right?) ribbons, old tatting scraps, tulle, lace yard goods, vintage paper scraps, chenille upholstery fabric, old buttons, Adirondack stamping inks, glue, needle and thread, a candle and a chopstick (trust me on this part), and a bit of dark green organdy.
I sorted and stacked the petals into three piles, small, medium and large, and then just started grabbing petals from each pile and stacking them into an arrangement that made a visually pleasing flower. I pinned each group of petals together and set it aside. Most of the preparation work went into shredding linen and making little piles of thread. Don't ask me why or where this part of the idea came from, but I just liked the deconstructed look of it. You'll see.
These little floral stems were my "aha!" moment and when I realized I could use them for the foundation of each of my "new" flowers. Complete with little stamens and a nice wire, they are the center of each blossom.
So, I just threaded each petal onto the wire. You can see how I used different types and shapes of petals, even a shred of lemony lace yard goods became a layer. I melted the edges of these pieces with the candle... careful and don't burn the fabric or your fingers! Also, while I didn't do it for this one, on some of the flowers, I used Adirondack inks and a Q-tip to tinge the edges of the petals a soft pink.
See? Here the petals are all stacked together and threaded on to the little wired floral stem. It's pretty enough just like this, right? Of course, I wasn't done... I've got to make the back delicious too, and more stuff would make it perfect, so let's flip it over.
A dollop of glue and little nest of linen threads were added, and a tiny bit of the same fabric to hold it all together. I used glue sparingly on this project, only a drop now and again at the center when I needed to secure the petals in a certain arrangement, mostly so that the flower would look fuller and prevent the petals from nesting together too much and obscuring the different layers.
A snippet of old tatted lace was threaded on to the wire too, and a strip of mossy organza that I'd melted a bit over the candle. This adds a touch of green to the blossoms, again, very deconstructed. For some of the flowers I created later, I used crumpled up strips of vintage paper along with the organza and tatting.
A velvet leaf is layered on to the stem and the whole covered by dark green florist's tape. For some of the blossoms I made later I used thin cuts of a mossy green chenille upholstery fabric in place of the florist's tape, glueing as I wrapped the wire at an angle from blossom to the end. It made the stems a nice touchable velvety texture and the whole effect was a bit more vintage-y.
Now you know what the chopstick is for, right?
[sigh] This just makes me happy, and at this moment, the planets are in alignment and all is right with the world. Do you feel that way when your project goes just... perfect? The stress dissolves in a puddle at your feet and floats completely away, doesn't it?
Finally the lovely button. This is a newer button, but with a vintage quality. Mostly, I used mid-century plastic buttons with little rhinestones. I learned to sew the buttons on FIRST, not at the end. Too hard to hold on to it all at the end, you know? MUCH easier to stitch it to the little wire flower before you add the petals.
Ahhh... my little silken garden. I made another dozen more, and will post them in my shop over the next few days.
I do want to take a minute also, to thank you all for your sweet comments and wishes of "safe travels" last week. I honestly and humbly treasure each message you leave, you are all so encouraging and kind. I have found, despite my sometimes crazy travel schedule, that my art and my blog are very important to me, and the opportunity to create or celebrate a beautiful, artful life is very centering and restorative.
It is good to find others that share this passion and the need to create beautiful things. How special that we can discover each other, despite the miles that separate and would otherwise keep us from knowing about another kindred soul, out there, creating lovely things too!
I hope you are all having a lovely weekend, and I wish you joy and peace today, and each day after.
Eileen
