Table of Contents
Fusing fabric to create unique flowers from up-cycled materials
Introduction
Fusing fabric is a great way to create something unique from up-cycled materials for use in a wide variety of craft projects.
Learn how to make fused fabric flowers that you can mount on a greetings card (as shown here) or use to embellish your other hand sewn creations.
A little heat goes a long way – you will be amazed by what you can create with a few simple tools.
Go on – experiment – you know you want to. Some like it hot!
Be prepared to be amazed by what you can create with a few simple tools ...
What You Will Need
- Scraps of synthetic material - eg organza
- Metal flower template
- Soldering Iron
- A sheet of glass to work on (I used a discarded clip frame)
- A selection of threads - metallic threads work really well
- Beads/Sequins
- Clay flower pot
- Fine wire wool
Heart Up-cycling!
I used a ribbon from a bunch of flowers donated by a friend of mine for this project. It was made of synthetic fabric, making it ideal for fabric fusing.
The ribbon had a beautiful texture to it which shone through the organza and gave a translucent quality to the new fabric created.
I also used threads pulled from a scarf I bought at Birmingham St. Mary’s Hospice charity shop. It’s a great day when you find a treasure like this at a charity shop. The threads can be used in so many craft projects and a little goes a very long way.
Better still, buying it helped to support a great cause.
Heart Up-Cycling!
Step-by-Step Guide
Time needed: An hour or so is all you need.
How to Turn Up-Cycled Materials into Unique Flowers with Fusing Fabric Techniques
- Plug in your soldering iron and let it heat up. I rest mine in the hole in the centre of an upturned clay flower pot. BE CAREFUL – it does get REALLY hot!
- Working on a sheet of glass, lay out your base piece of synthetic organza material.
- Snip a few threads onto the top to create a pattern that pleases you.
- You can also use snippets of fabric left over from other projects – a great way to up-cycle!
- Take another piece of synthetic material and place it on top of the threads to make a sandwich. I up-cycled a ribbon discarded from a bunch of flowers – perfect!
- Place your metal template on top of the sandwich and use your soldering iron to trace carefully around the edge of the flower.
- Peel the fabric away to reveal your flower.
- Trust me – you will be truly amazed to see how the heat fuses the fabrics together. No need for any messy glue in this project – the heat does all the hard work for you. The edge created is really smooth and clean – a very professional looking finish.
- Embellish your flower with beads and sequins as you choose if you wish to make it extra special.
Tips and Tricks
Use a soldering iron with a really fine tip – e.g. 0.12mm. It needs to have the accuracy of a pencil.
I keep the fine wire wool in a recycled jam jar. You need to keep pushing the soldering iron into the wire wool and giving it a good scrub to keep the tip clean and stop the colours/threads from being transferred between flowers.
There are many metal templates available – flowers is just one idea. You can use anything metal for this – so be imaginative and go up-cycle!
Sources of Inspiration:
Margaret Beal is an amazing lady and she is the inspiration for this post. I met her at a Craft Show at the NEC a few years ago and watched in awe as she demonstrated her techniques. You can buy all the tools you need for this project on her website.
Her books are full of inspiration too – click on the image to buy them from Amazon.
You may also be interested in:
Use your fused fabric flowers to make a unique handmade greeting card like this
I used two of the fabric flowers I made to decorate this little doll.
It’s remarkable designed for me to have a site, which is valuable designed
for my know-how. thanks