Singed Edge Flower 2 Mini Tutorial

I've had requests for tutorials for the flowers I use on my cards. I LOVE making flowers for my cards. I often spend time making several batches so they are ready to go when I'm working on my cards. This flower is the smaller one in the photo above. I often use it along-side the Singed Edge Flower 2, which is the larger flower in the photo above.

Supplies:

Man-Made Fabric (here I've used a sheer fabric but any fabric such as polyester, rayon, nylon, etc. will do)

Hole Punch

Scissors

Oval Templates or Dies (Find templates here)

Candle

Lighter or Matches

Brads or Buttons

Small Hole Punch

Tweezers

Bowl of Water for accidents

STEP 1: First you will cut 6 fabric ovals of the same size. Each of these will be 2 petals. Here I’ve used an oval that is  1 ½ inches by 1 inch. Don't worry if your ovals have uneven edges. That disappears during the melting process.

STEP 2: Carefully hold the ovals next to the candle one at a time. You can use your fingers or the tweezers, but I recommend the tweezers for the small sized pieces. The heat will melt the fabric on the edges. You are not trying to catch the fabric on fire, just melt the edges. This is where your bowl of water comes in just in case the fabric catches on fire.

STEP 3: Using your hole punch, place a hole in the center of each fabric oval. You can stack a few together and punch at one time or just do them one at a time. 

STEP 4: Put your brad through the hole in the first oval. Add the second oval so that it crisscrosses the first oval to make an x.

STEP 5: The next two ovals should crisscross and peek between the openings of the first two ovals. Continue to stagger the ovals until you've used them all.

Additional Tips:

• You can adjust the sizes to fit your needs. The melting gets difficult when using sizes smaller than 1 inch.
• The softer, more flexible fabric requires more layers. Stiffer fabric required fewer.
• Try alternating fabric colors for the layers to match your color scheme.
• These look great with a layer of tulle added in between. Be careful when singeing your tulle, it shrinks up quickly. You may want to make your tulle layers a little bigger to account for this.
• Buttons also make a great center. Simply skip the hole punching step and sew on the button.
• Use your ink or markers to color white fabric to match your design. Be sure to give the ink time to dry before you singe it though. Some inks (especially alcohol) are highly flammable when still wet.
• Try attaching your flowers to hair clips, headbands, barrettes and brooch pins (for clothing or handbags).