Fabric Affair

Ever since getting engaged, I have found myself watching shows like "Say Yes to the Dress" and "Four Weddings" in hopes of getting inspiration for my big day. One of the things I have always loved were the flower accents brides and bridesmaids sometimes have in their hair. So I set to the Internet to find out about these pretty hair pieces, only to find they tend to run quite expensive in bridal salons. So I opened Pinterest and worked my magic, finding tons of DIY hair pieces here. However none of them were quite what I was looking for. I ended up on a blog with instructions on how to make a fabric flower. This gave me inspiration to improvise and make my own style of hair piece.

I decided to take the flower I found on this blog and add a hair piece capable to being added to almost any hairstyle. I'm not sure how everyone in my wedding will be wearing their hair yet but I think these hair pieces could help lend to my theme, since our wedding will likely be taking place outdoors. 

Supplies

1. Various colours and types of fabrics (ensure fabrics have a high polyester content for this specific flower tutorial)
2. A candle
3. A lighter 
4. Scissors
5. Beads (the ones I used were fake pearl ones, I had laying around my house) 
6. Thread (all I had was black, but you'll likely want to use colours similar to your fabric)
7. Sewing needles
8. A hair piece (not pictured)

Directions

1. I began by cutting my fabrics onto various shapes. The tutorial I used showed using circles, but I wanted to experiment with creating different sizes and shapes of flowers so I made varying shapes in different colours, ensuring to keep all separated. I made about 10.
2. I then lit the candle (this step can be done with a lighter also, but I felt it was easier as the candle would just stay lit when I was dealing with other things), in order to *carefully* begin singeing the edges of the fabric. This will create a curling on the fabric and create the appearance of petals.   This is the most time consuming part and requires close attention to make sure no fabric catches fire.
3. I then layered each piece of fabric, ensuring each piece was placed correctly. This is the step where you create the shape of the flower you desire. It can take some time to create the look you want.
4. I then sewed the fabric pieces together and added the pearl beads as I went. You can add as many or as few beads as you'd like. For most I chose to use fewer, but I did like the look of a multiple bead centre. This completes the flower portion of the project.
5. I then found a hair comb barrette (there are many different styes available) and sewed the flower onto it. This proved to be much easier than I had originally imagined. I was able to wrap the thread around the thick piece of the barrette and it stayed very secure.

I absolutely LOVE the finished product. I will probably need to change the colours for the actual day but I would love to include these in my wedding. I plan on creating a more elegant bridal style for myself in coming months. I had so much fun with this project I plan on using it again in my wedding so stay tuned for a future post on this topic.

For those not in wedding planning mode, but interested in crafting for everyday life check out this fellow craft blog, DIY That I Try.