DIY Fabric Peony Flower Accessories + Gift Toppers
Hi friends! Today I'm excited to share a follow-up to my DIY Fabric Poppy Flower Gift Toppers that I posted this past November. For this project we'll use the same basic process that I shared last time, and then add just a few more steps to create some gorgeous Peony Accessories and Gift Toppers that are perfect for Springtime!
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This DIY post was sponsored and made possible by Method..."Clean Happy." Check out their brand spankin' new 'Cleans Like a Mother Video' featuring Noah, the official spokesinger of Method (isn't he awesome), for a closer look at their playful mission:
U.S. Residents be sure to download your $1 off coupon by visiting the "Perks" section of Method's Facebook page (limited coupons available, so be sure to gets yours soon). And Canadian residents, you can get in on the $1 discount action when you shop for Method products at Well.ca. Just use promo code "CLEANME" to redeem.
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Here's what you'll need to make your own Fabric Peony Flowers:
- A ventilated work space
- Candle
- Lighter or matches
- Chiffon or lightweight satin (available at fabric stores) - your fabric needs to be 100% polyester in order to work properly | peonies come in colors of white, soft to bright pinks, and vibrant fuchsia
- Fabric scissors
- Embroidery thread in yellow
- Sewing needle
- Barrette, hair comb, or headband (optional) — for hair accessory
- Blank pin back (optional) — for brooch
- Double-sided adhesive dots (optional) —for gift topper
Step 1: Prep your fabric. Cut out 5 squares of chiffon (per 1 complete flower). Four should measure around 3.5 to 4 inches across and one should be a bit smaller. Snip around the edges to round them into rough circles. They don't need to be perfect.
Step 2: Creating the petals. Hold one circle of chiffon close to the side of your flame moving your hand back-and-forth slowly until the edges curl up. Rotate the circle around until all edges have been curled. Be sure not to hold the fabric too close to the flame or it may burn. The fabric does get hot, so use caution as you work. It's a good idea to keep a glass of water close by just in case you need to dunk a burning petal in it. I've never needed to do this, but it's always wise to be prepared. Repeat this process with all 5 petals.
It's a little bit difficult to describe the petal making process in words, so if you'd like you can watch my quick video tutorial here for the complete process. I have done my best to write all the steps out (and illustrate them with photos here within this post, but some things are just easier to understand in action. Even without the sound on, the video should make sense. I added notes throughout the video for those of you who need to watch with the sound off. If for some reason you need extra help on any of the steps, please be sure to let me know. I'm happy to help.
Step 3: Use your fabric scissors to snip all five of your petals in 4 sections as shown in the diagram here. Be sure that you don't cut all the way across, or your petal will fall apart.
Step 4: Use your flame to curl up the sides along each newly cut edge. This time around it will help to hold the fabric above the flame, using two hands to hold the cut edges apart from one another as you work. If the petals stick together after curling you can pull or snip them apart. Repeat with all five petals. Set two larger petals and the smallest petal aside.
Step 5: Create the middle layer. Take the remaining two petals that you prepared in the last step, and snip them in four sections again...like seen in the diagram here. The black dashes are your new snip lines, and the grey ones show where you snipped last time. Curl the newly cut edges of your two remaining petals up with your candle and set aside.
;)
Step 5: Prepare a small yellow pom pom out of embroidery floss. For a quick how-to, you can check out my DIY Pom Pom video tutorial here...or follow these steps: A. Wrap a length of embroidery floss around pointer and middle finger tips approximately 8 times. Use a small piece of floss to tie around the entire looped area. B. Carefully pull looped floss off fingers and tighten knot to create a secured bundle. Knot once more for extra security. C. Snip through all loops and trim them to similar lengths as needed. D. Hold your pom pom with ends facing up and down (not side to side) and then use your fingers to flatten it down. Set aside.
Step 6: Assemble your flower. Begin by stacking the two large layers that have only four petals each inside of one another. Next, stack the two layers that have eight petals each on top of the bottom two layers. Finally, add the small layer with only four petals on top.
Step 7: Place your pom pom inside the center of your flower and stitch it in place. Sew through all layers several time until it is secure. And now you have a gorgeous fabric peony!
You can use your peonies for all sorts of lovely things! For example, you can use them to dress up the table at your next party...
Attach one to a hair clip (stitch it on or glue it with a dab of hot glue), or add a pin back to create a cheery brooch...
Use a couple to dress up an Easter basket:
Or you can use them my favorite way...as gift embellishments! Just adhere double-sided sticky dots to the back of your flowers and attach them to your gifts:
Please note: This project is not intended for young children. Please work in a ventilated work space. Never leave candles unattended and use caution near open flame. For safety, keep a glass of water or extinguisher close by in case of a flare up (this has never happened to me...but I want everyone to be safe).
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Full disclosure: This DIY post was sponsored and made possible by Method. The project and any opinions expressed are my own. If you'd like to read a little bit more about my partnership with Method, I've posted some more thoughts about it right here.
76 Lovely Comments | Email Article | found in D.I.Y. + Projects, Gift Giving / Wrapping Ideas, Tutorials Print Article | Share This | 
| by Ez Tuesday, April 3, 2012 
Reader Comments (76)
I love these! So pretty!!
Gorgeous! Love the idea of using them as hair pins :)
Those are amazing! They look so life-like! Well done :)
Great DIY! Love the video. Thanks!
love it great tutorial xxx
This are beyond neat!
Love them as gift toppers!
i love this DIY. so pretty and useful for many things. thanks for sharing, ez!
Lovely work Ez :)
I always love whatever you do :). It is again wonderfull...
These are amazing!! Few things make me happier than a bunch of peonies, so I'm a huge fan of this diy.
Thanks for sharing it with us!
Great work!! You scaled back the photos and the ones you picked look great!! The whole tutorial is excellent! So happy that you are doing these. :)
as always, a gorgeous DIY. LOVE.
Great tutorial! They're beautiful!
I just love your tutorials. These are so beautiful. Wow, wow, wow!
So pretty! Great DIY.
So pretty, great tutorial, gotta make some of these!
Gosh! Thank you guys so much for your sweet comments. I'm so glad you like this project and hope you'll have fun making it soon. Watch out though...once you start, it's hard to stop. xo Ez
These are so beautiful, peonies are my favorite flower! Never thought I'd be so excited to go find some pink polyester...I think it would also work to make poppies using red fabric and black embroidery thread!
these are gorgeous! and you are amazing!
These are too cute Ez! You are amazing!
I absolutely love this tutorial!
GOR-GE-OUS Ez!
I loved this tutorial! It explained everything very well, and what a great idea to do the big circle first THEN cut the petals in..... You mentioned in your video that you did Daisy's for a wedding... I would love to know how you did that as well... I am looking for a tutorial I can use as a basis to try and make dandelions (my favorite flower, and you can't buy artificial dandelions! LOL!) Anyway, thank you, and I look forward to seeing more stuff from you!!!!
These are soooo pretty!! I want to make my own now too!! Thanks for sharing :)
Love this! I'm a sucker for a great flower tutorial!