Hi everyone! It’s Jocelyn Olson, the June Guest Design Team member. I can’t believe it’s already the end of June and this is my last post! It’s been so much fun using the Stamp School stamps and other goodies.
I’m doing a photo tutorial today on how to make a felt dahlia. I considered doing a video, and my 6-year-old offered to make a video using an iPad (ha ha), but this flower took a while to make. I didn’t think you would be willing to sit through an hour long video!
The inspiration for the flower and the tutorial came from Holidash. I made a few modifications, though. To start, let’s look at the end result:
This flower isn’t a quick project, but it does make a beautiful brooch, large hair pin, or present topper.
To start, you’ll need 3 sheets of Stamp School felt. Using a rotary cutter or a paper cutter, cut squares in the following sizes:
*Green: Cut 16 squares 1.5″ x 1.5″
*Dark Pink: Cut 13 squares 1.25″ x 1.25″
*Light Pink: Cut 10 squares 1″ x 1″
*Light Pink: Die cut 2 circles 2″ in diameter each (for the base) and a .75″ circle for the center.
*Die cut one 2″ circle out of thin chipboard or heavyweight cardstock for the base
Please note, the number of squares may differ depending on how you arrange the petals. Here’s a picture of the cut squares and the pink felt I ran through my paper cutter:
After you have all the squares cut, you will need to make a pentagon template in each of the three sizes. Then, using the templates, cut the shapes out of felt. Once you have the pentagons cut, round the right and left edges. I’m sure that’s all as clear as mud, so here’s a picture of the templates (ignore the pencil marks), the squares, and the petals once the edges are rounded:
It doesn’t matter if the rounded edges aren’t perfect since you won’t notice once the flower is finished. The next step is to fold the bottom edges inward. I tried Glossy Accents (my go-to for strong adhesive), and I tried glue-dots, but the only thing that held the felt together was a glue gun. You’ll end up with a pile of petals.
Next, you’ll glue the felt circle to the cardstock circle. The circle will serve as your base. At this point, you can start gluing the largest petals (the green ones) to the base, approximately 1/4″ from the outside edge. Here’s the first layer glued down:
Yep, it looks like a mess. I had not cleaned up all the glue when I took the picture. If your flower looks like this, don’t worry. The flat area of the base layer won’t show. It should be noted that the light pink (the smallest) layer will show, so please be careful when adhering that layer. You’ll continue to add the dark pink petals on the inside and finally the light pink in the center.
Once you’re done attaching the petals, you will have a flower with a small circle gap in the center. There are several ways to finish the flower. On mine, I attached a small die-cut, light pink felt circle to cover the inside edge of the light pink petals. Then, I covered the felt with a pink pearl button. I did get the button at A Walk Down Memory Lane (they offer individual buttons for sale). I opted not to add floss or thread through the button, but you could add that. Here’s the final flower:
A flower like this would make a nice present. I decided to use it as a topper on a gift box for a wedding or shower:
The flower is so dramatic, I chose to keep the box and tag very clean and simple. I created the tag using a My Favorite Things die. Next, I stamped the beautiful sentiment from Wedded Bliss, inked the edges, and added strips of wood veneer along the bottom. I love how the wood veneer adds just a touch of elegance. Here’s a close-up of the tag:
Thanks for bearing with me through this long post! If you make one of these flowers, be sure to post it in the Stamp School Gallery. You can visit my blog at http://redballooncards.blogspot.com/ Thank you! Have a great day!
Button: AWDML
