Although ready made stamens come in a variety of colours and sizes is is often difficult to find ones in suitable colour for a project in question. That’s why I find it easier to colour white stamens myself. This way I make sure that the stamens match my flower in colour and size. For dyeing stamens we’ll need: – non porous surface (plastic or glass) – some vodka (or even better spirit) – Procion (acid) dyes in chosen colours – … Read More
I am well aware of the fact that not every flower making artist (especially a beginning one) has got a set of traditional millinery tools to shape flower petals and leaves. Although this does cause serious restrictions with regards to the techniques that can be used and the final results that can be obtained, there are several methods that could be successfully applied without the use of tools and help make certain flowers. There are no tool flower making tutorials for … Read More
Yay! You’ve heard that right. A couple of days ago I finally received a couple of copies of a Japanese publication where my flower pieces have been given a 2 page feature. The feature on PresentPerfect Creations appeared in the latest issue of a Japanese floristry magazine called Flower Fashion, vol.10 http://www.nfd.or.jp/hana-fashion. This issue is devoted to artificial flowers, so my pieces are just the right fit for it. There are a number of Japanese artists who make artificial flowers … Read More
Shaping fabric flower petals without the use of tools: the cold method I am well aware of the fact that not everyone has got a set of traditional millinery tools to shape flower petals and leaves. Although this does cause certain restrictions with regards to the techniques that can be used and the final results, there are methods that can be successfully applied without the use of tools. Below I am explaining how you can shape petals using a so called … Read More
I created this white rabbit fur pillbox hat decorated with a cluster of leather rowan berries for the 2016 Hatalk hat making competition, where the theme was Connections. My fantasy rabbit fur pillbox hat for a millinery competition: the why The theme Connections is very broad; however the first connection I immediately thought of was a cultural connection, connection with my roots and traditions. I live and create in the UK now, but I grew up in a small town in the … Read More
Let’s talk about the ways to dye silk petals to achieve intense colours. If you, like me, do a great deal of custom work, you are constantly presented with an issue of matching colours. Whilst mixing dyes to match colours is a task in itself, today I wanted to talk about the ways to achieve an intense colour when dyeing petals/ leaves. The FIRST, probably the most obvious way, is to prepare a very concentrated dye. If you work with … Read More
To back or not to back [ handmade flower petals and leaves with fabric ]? If you have not yet decided on this one, I hope this article will help you make up your mind. So let’s see why, how and with what we back flower petals and leaves. If you have been following PresentPerfect Creations for a while and had a chance to see our tutorials you might have noticed that I always back foliage with a layer of fabric … Read More
As autumn draws nearer I want to talk about velvet for making flowers. Velvet flowers are great for autumn-winter season and make perfect trims for felt hats too. Since velvet was introduced for the first time in the Middle East back in 9th century it has always been associated with luxury, nobility, royalty. And indeed it was so expensive in the past that only wealthy people could afford it. So what is velvet? Velvet is a kind of woven tufted fabric … Read More
One of the evergreen questions I get to hear is about what fabrics for making flowers are considered the best and should be used. I must admit navigating in the sea of fabrics can be very daunting especially if you are quite new to the art of flower making. What exactly is satin and do you really need pure silk? Questions, questions, questions… In short, flowers can probably be made with any fabric, but the end result will differ. If you … Read More
Christmas is less than a month away and it is high time we thought what we would like to find in our Christmas stocking on 25th December 2015. Below you will find a wide choice of possible gifts ranging from tools to supplies to books and experiences all chosen to please an avid flower maker. Most of these things I have a use regularly, some others are in my gift list for Santa.Please note that I have not received any of … Read More