Okay, so remember how on Monday we talked about organizing a class bouquet for your kids’ teachers? well, that was actually the first time I’ve ever made a tissue paper flower. Who knew they were so easy? Anyway, with that rolling around in my head and Mother’s Day fast approaching, I thought it might be really lovely to make a tissue paper flower corsage to wear Sunday to church and lunch. But then I sort of had a flash of crumpled & torn flower visions… Not to mention I just knew somehow I’d manage to get it wet and would have it bleed all over whatever I’m going to wear…

But then I thought–HUZZAH!–why not make a lovely little fabric flower corsage?! So that’s just what I did. And this even meets my trifecta for crafty greatness: Cheap, Easy, and Fast!

I grabbed some very thin/lightweight fabric and cut a four 12″ x 4″ strips.

Then I cut those strips each into three 4″ x 4″ squares. So I ended up with twelve little fabric squares. [I decided to alternate their stripe direction in my stack:horizontal-vertical-horizontal-vertical-etc.]

Rather than curve the edges of my stack of squares once already folded (too thick to cut through) like with a tissue paper flower, I went ahead and scalloped two sides of my squares before folding. [Your scallops do not have to be anywhere near perfect–you just don’t want straight or pointy edges along these two sides.]

Then you just accordion fold your stack of fabric squares.

Next, tie a length of string (or embroidery floss, in my case) around the middle to secure, leaving tails to use in a later step.

And now on to the zhuzhing! Just pull up each “petal” on one side, pulling up and in towards the center.

Then repeat petal-zhuzhing for the second half of your flower.

Yay! A flower! Now set that aside until later.Grab some thin elastic. Cut a piece long enough to go around your wrist and knot.

Knot the elastic so it fits snugly (but not tightly) around your wrist.

[like this]

Finally, using the string tails from the back of your flower, tie the flower to the elastic.

And SHAZAAM! One beautiful shabby fabric flower wrist corsage! Wheeeeee! This would be a wonderful craft for the kids to make for Mom or Grandma or a teacher or anyone special, yes?

So, anyone else out there getting crafty with flowers? Do tell!

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Want more crafty flower goodness? Yay! Follow the links below…