Painted Linen Flowers

I came up with these flowers after a few different tests and trials. Sewing small bits of fabric, especially natural fabrics that fray, can be challenging but I found this method was issue free as long as the pieces didn’t get too small. This project started after making headbands for myself and my daughter, I wanted to add bright colourful flowers to my daughters and this is what I came up with. Check out the instructions on how I made the headbands Here.

I used linen for this project and the results were wonderful! They could be made with cotton or any other woven material as well as long as it’s white or light enough to paint over. You could use printed fabric as well and skip the painting for a different effect.

 

 

 

 

Step 1: Iron your fabric, fold it in half with the right sides together and iron again.

Step 2: draw out your shapes, leaves and petals, in pencil. Press lightly so lines are erasable and won’t show through in the end. Make sure to leave enough room between shapes to have a few millimeters on either side once cut out. Leave a mark where the shape will be left open so it can be inverted.

Step 3: Stitch the shapes following along your lines. Leave the designated space open for now, this will be closed up later with a top stitch. Make sure to back stitch at each edge of the opening to make it secure. I left these open spots at the base of each petal and leaf so it would be hidden when the flower was assembled.

Step 4: Cut out the sewn shapes leaving a few millimeters around the edge. Turn your shapes right-side out.

Step 5: Press the shapes flat and fold under the open edge. Top stitch around the entire perimeter to keep the shapes flat and close up the opening. For leaves I stitched in the veins for extra details, this helped separate them from the look of the petals.

This completes the sewing and next is the colouring. This can be done any way you want. Fabric markers, fabric paint, dye or no colouring works too. I chose to paint them using Derwent Inktense paints and Aloe Vera!

 

 

 

 

Painting

Step 6: (or step 1 of painting?) To make this easier pin it to something else. I used an embroidery hoop with a piece of fabric pulled taught to hold them all safe and separated.

 

 

 

 

Step 7: Paint one side of each of the shapes with Aloe Vera gel. The Aloe prevents the paint from spreading out of control and acts as a fabric medium. These paints don’t require a medium to be light but they do need help staying put while painting. Let them dry.

Step 8: Flip the shapes over and paint the other side. Starting once again with the Aloe Vera. Let it dry, make sure paint doesn’t puddle under the pins, it’ll leave darker lines.

Step 9: Once all the pieces are dried sew them onto your fabric or together, overlapping each piece. One at a time, fix it in place with a few stitches.

Step 10: finish it off with a button sewing through the whole pile. And that’s it! Flowers! Pretty fabric flowers to add to anything.

 

 

 

 

I added the first to a headband I made for my daughter HERE! She looks so sweet in her headband, it’s ridiculous! I am excited to make more and add them to future hats and dresses. So many flowers!