Kate’s Wedding aka How I became an expert on making flowers.

My friend Kate got married last Friday. Earlier in the year she asked if I could make her a headband, giving me some examples for inspiration. Without really thinking about it I agreed. It sounded like a great idea at the time, and it was for a while until I got really stressed out thinking that I was never going to be able to make one  or when I did, that she would be walking down the aisle looking like a 5 year old had made the thing on her head. But then about a month ago everything came together, I ended up making four headbands and a couple of necklaces and bracelets. Kate chose her favourites and a massive weight was lifted!

I spent a lot of time trying out different ways to make flowers. I have a whole favourite’s folder dedicated to the cause. I also have a stash of white and ivory flowers as a result of my experimentation, I have no idea what I’ll be doing with them! Since the examples were mainly fabric, some with embellishments, I started simple and hit Google with “how to make fabric flowers” and off I went. My favourite and most successful attempts came from these sites:

Simply Vintage Girl



 

BurdaStlye

Tea Rose Home

Delightfully Noted

                                                                 

I absolutely adore this idea, an excellent way to use up all the old zips my Gran collected!

Creative Art & Design

Next idea was some beaded flowers. Using this tutorial I made some nice petals using some pearl beads. I didn’t like that you can see the wire at the edges, I tried with a thinner wire but that made it harder to keep the shape. I also tried a simple freeform style. I threaded loads of seed beads on to some wire and made loads of loops, securing them at a mid point as I went. I thought these would look good for something less formal, maybe a hair clip or a small one on a ring but wouldn’t be suitable for the wedding headband. 

 I also tried some origami and Kanzashi. The origami was the most frustrating thing I tried to do, it was so hard! I loved the Kanzashi, it was relatively simple (especially after the origami fiasco) and it looked lovely. I finished mine with a diamante button in the centre.  

Once I had drained Google of all the different ideas it could provide, I set about “designing”. I could have saved myself a lot of stress if I thought back to my textiles coursework. I would draw a final design for the project and you could guarantee that what I actually made looked nothing like that picture. So after several attempts to get an idea down on paper and have a single design, I bought five tiara bands and went wild. I spent my days off sat at my desk with everything laid out so I could pick and chose, putting different components together and I got four finished peices.

The one she chose:

This was based on the beaded flowers I tried to do with wire. I didn’t like the wire showing through so I stitched the beads on to silk and interfacing and then backed with more silk to cover my messy stitches. I put the button onto wire and threaded it through the centre of the beads and used that to attach the stitched flower to a wire flower. I made that simply by making a loop of beaded wire (checking it would be big enough to show behind the fabric) twisting the wire, making another loop and twisting at the centre, and so on so I had the four ‘petals’. I then secured everything to the headband and then to keep the flower where I wanted it, I wrapped the band with pearls.


 

 

 

A Little About Me...

My name is Tori.
I like to buy things.
And I like to make things.

As a result of this, I have ended up with alot of crafty things. Beads, ribbons, miles of fabric, buttons, zips, bags of glitter, a soldering iron... Loads of stuff! I started sewing with my Gran and I loved searching through her button boxes and the sewing basket for hidden treasures. This then led to taking Textiles at GCSE and A-Level, where I learnt that I hate the design process (mainly because I can't draw) but I love to crack on, start creating and see where I end up.

I also like magazines... Anybody who knows me can vouch for the fact that I buy too many magazines. But one of these magazines can be credited with starting my favourite crafty passion and that is making jewellery. There was a feature which had a Tatty Devine bracelet, a chain with multi-coloured plectrums and I LOVED IT! I did not love the price, I was about 14 and my pocket money didn't stretch that far... So I thought I'd do a DIY version. I went to Rock Box, a guitar shop, and bought a handfull of plectrums and then to Boyes, a shop that sells everything, and bought some chain, jump rings, pliers, and a clasp.

It was awful.

A really poor attempt. But it sparked something. My mum bought me a memory wire bracelet kit. I bought some tubes of beads and made some earrings. An attempt at a charm bracelet. A book in Textiles class about fabric jewellery. Bead shops discovered. More books bought and borrowed. People started asking if I could make them things for themselves or for gifts. And so it spiralled. I dabbled with Etsy a few years ago, I sold four things! Then life got in the way a bit. I stopped making. I did not stop buying. I love to go shopping in Leeds and always make a stop at Yum Yum Beads, and always make a purchase. I would get all these ideas when I saw the beads, buy them and they would just sit in the spare room waiting to be used.  

Then I was asked the classic question:
“What do you want to be doing in 5 years time?”
I want to make jewellery.
“What are you doing to get there?”
Erm... Nothing.
“Why the hell not?!”
Pass.
“If you are serious, I don’t want to be having this same conversation with you in 5 years time.”

So I had a think. I am serious. Let’s do this! At the start of July I did a week long course at the London Jewellery School and it just reinforced that this is something I really want to be doing. So here I am with a cupboard (and several boxes) crammed full of stuff, ready to create. My challenge is to turn the cupboard of stuff in to something amazing.

Stay tuned.