I don't think I've ever updated my blog this much. But I have an excuse, I can't sleep! It's just one of those nights. So, I thought I would show you what I made this weekend!
I was lucky enough to snag this bag of trim at the local thrift store in town.
Two bucks for all of this! I was really excited, even though I didn't have any idea what I would do with it. I'm not a quilt-maker, nor am I currently involved with any projects that would require lace or trim of any kind. So, I started playing around with it, and eventually came up with...
...these! Flower pins! As much as I love sewing, I loved that these required none. Super easy, super fast, super cheap! (Some trim can go for as little as 27 cents a yard, and I used about a foot of trim in each flower. Talk about a bargain!) Using the existing ruffles and other patterns from the trim helped make each one unique. I really like how they turned out!
Updated Note: When I was linking up to
Tea Rose Home's Linky Party, I noticed that she and several other bloggers recently participated in a challenge at
M&J Trims where each participant received a box of trims and were challenged to make something out of what was in the box. Many participants made flowers out of their trims to include in other projects. I just want to clarify that I am not trying to pass off another's idea as my own. The following tutorial is the result of my own playing around with extra trims that I bought at the thrift store. Thank you.
Want to make one of your own? You will need the following:
Trim of your choice (I used about a foot (12 inches) in each of my single layer flowers.)
Coordinating felt (enough for a 1'' diameter circle)
Scissors
Hot glue gun
Pin back (can be found at most craft stores)
Accent for the middle (I used a button and other accents that I found in my stash)
Got everything? Great! Onto the next step.
Cut a one inch circle out of your felt. It doesn't have to be perfect, it is likely you will be trimming it down after you're done gluing.
Next, glue down the edge of your trim with a dot of hot glue (you really don't need much). Begin making small pleats by folding the trim over back onto itself and securing with another dot of hot glue. Remember, the smaller you make your pleats, the smaller the ruffles will be, and the more trim you will need to go around the felt circle.
Don't forget to glue the trim onto the circle every few pleats!
Continue to make pleats all the way around the felt, following the curve of the circle.
Trim off any extra trim (haha!), but make sure to leave enough to fold under.
Fold the edge of the trim under (to hide any raw edges) and glue in place.
Add the center of your flower, whatever floats your boat!
Turn flower over and trim off any excess felt to reduce bulk. Glue the pin back on and you're done!!
Pin them anywhere that needs a little bit of "prettying up." These flowers are really easy and customizable, use whatever you have on hand and make it your own! I experimented with doubling up the trims (As seen in the lace one. And please, if you are using lace trim, don't burn your fingers when you push the trim down on the hot glue like I did, it hurts) and making individual petals of a flower (not pictured). The possibilities really are endless, these are just what I came up with in the half hour I was experimenting. I plan on creating more, just as soon as all of these birthdays pass (starting yesterday I have my brother, my mom, my husband, and one of my best friend's birthday's in the space of five days. I've got a lot of creating/planning/shipping to do!)
Did anyone notice the tiny little stars stitched onto this trim? It's my favorite part, stars are one of my favorite things and when I noticed it I was so giddy! It's the little things in life. :)
Also, if you happen to make any flowers out of this tute, I would LOVE to see what you came up with! Leave me a link to your blog if you posted it, or email me! Amikins48(at)gmail(dot)com. Happy crafting!
I'm linking up to:
