guest blogger: jones design company

Today I”m delighted to welcome blogger and fellow mom of four, Emily of Jones Design Company.  Emily has a stylin’ shop loaded with all kinds of paper goodies from notecards to personalized posters.  Check it out here.  Today she shares some of her creativity with us.

Look at her with her adorable brood.  If you like their matching flowers, then you’re going to love this post…

Take it away, Emily!

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Thanks, Seleta.  Hi everyone, so glad to be here.

I love a good project. In fact I feel a little lost when I’m not working on something. Today I’ve put together a tutorial on one of my very favorite projects. Let me start by saying I didn’t come up with this on my own. I’m not that creative. I love looking around for inspiration and then figuring out how to make things on my own and with my own twist. I also don’t like to spend much on projects, so this one is pretty inexpensive and will hopefully allow you to utilize things you may already have.

Today I’m sharing how to make these fun {and simple}

Here’s what you’ll need:

:: polyester satin

:: scissors

:: candle & lighter

:: ruler {not really necessary}

:: needle & thread

:: beads or other center embellishment

STEP ONE: cut squares

first square {3 x 3}

second square {2 x 2}

third square {1.5 x 1.5}

don’t feel locked into these sizes … make them as large or petite as you like.

STEP TWO: round the corners

They do not need to be perfect circles {in fact, I like them a little off}. You can also skip this step and do the flowers as squares. Both ways are beautiful.

STEP THREE: melt the edges

Using a candle, gently {and carefully!} hold the edge of each circle over the flame {not touching the flame} until the fabric begins to melt & curl.

If the edge is burnt and you don’t like the dark parts, simply cut it off and melt again.

If your material ignites {as I have found some do} it’s probably just best to start over with a different material. I haven’t figured out why some polyester satins melt and others burn … I’ve found that the thicker satins used for lining work well.

STEP FOUR: stack them up

STEP FIVE: stitch them together. Using a need & thread, start from the bottom and make a stitch.

STEP SIX: add the beads

STEP SEVEN: tie a knot and snip the thread

Done!

You can add lots of layers for a fluffier flower

or cut out a felt leaf

and attach {stitch or glue, your choice}

These can go on nearly anything…

embellish a pair of shoes

pin one on a sweater or jacket

attach to a hair clip

or magnet

sew on a pin

make a headband

or add it to a hat

I hope I’ve inspired you to make some flowers!

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Wow, a huge thanks to Emily for such a detailed post!  I think these flowers are adorable and love their organic vibe.  Hope to have Emily back around the holidays to share with us another one of her chic creations.  In the meantime, if you’d like to see more of Emily, catch up with her on her brand new blog over here.

Seleta