flower hair combs

Flower Hair Combs

blue silk hydrangea

Flower hair combs for weddings and beyond.

Mounting handmade flowers onto a hair comb is yet another great way of creating a wearable floral piece and showcasing the flowers you make. Unlike a headband, hair combs are more versatile, as their position in a hairdo can be easily changed depending on a hairstyle or personal preferences of the wearer.
For a hair comb you can choose a selection of small flowers, silk or leather (see the photo with blue hydrangea flower hair comb). Other small flowers may
include gypsophila, daisies, small  orchids, cherry and apple blossoms etc.SILK WILD ROSE tutorial
Instead of a bunch of small flowers you can opt for several medium sized flowers like these delicate silk wild roses.
Usually I attach my flowers by wrapping the wires to a metallic comb with a piece of thin silk. This process is described in detail in my Silk Wild Rose Tutorial.
Hair combs do vary in size. The longer the hair comb the more flowers you can fit onto it.
Silk flower hair combs are popular with brides and last better than fresh flowers during the big day.
flower hair combsAs fabrics are hand dyed you will have no problem offering a silk hair comb in the right colour to match the wedding colour scheme or the bridal outfit.
For a real impact you can step up your game and mount a large flower onto a hair comb as shown in my Silk English Rose Video Course.
In this case choose flowers that are made with lightweight fabrics (silk

flower hair combs

or rayon organza, rayon georgette or light to medium weight silk satin etc) to keep the weight of your flower comb low.
I would recommend opting for a flower with a flat underside too, as it will sit better against the hair.
Depending on the idea you or your customer have in mind, delicate lace and some metallic fabrics can also be incorporated into a flower hair comb design.
The pink rose featured in the hair comb in the photo can be made during one of my online video workshops I am planning to offer in the New Year.

Large roses or other flowers (poppy, dahlia, sunflower etc) can be turned into evening/ special occasion accent pieces if you make them in metallic or fantasy colours (think black or navy etc).

organza roses

Apart from small flowers and large roses you can also use fabric butterflies to decorate hair combs.
More information on how to hand dye and shape delicate organza into a lightweight yet blousy rose hair comb can also be found in my Advanced Silk Rose Video Course.
Depending on the style, occasion and outfit there are different options for possible flower hair combs you can consider. I hope you will add this type of flower finish to your list of ideas for the next season.
silk rose video tutorials

Backing of handmade flower petals and leaves

silk camelliasTo 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 and quite often (depending on the project though) I do the same with flower petals.

On one hand, flower petals should look thin and delicate, but on the othcamellia japonica comp screen JPEGer hand since we make wearable flower pieces they need to be durable and robust enough to withstand wear, pressure and possible damage to some extent at least. Reinforcing handmade flower petals and leaves with another layer of fabric really helps achieve certain durability. Have a look at the camellia flowers above. Would you be able to guess that they are actually cardboard hard? They certainly do not look it and that’s the trick: whilst backing petals with another layer of fabric to give them a look of delicacy and fragility that we see in fresh flowers at the same time.

There are different ways of achieving this look and make your stiff durable flowers appear full of life. The techniqueoversized flower headpieces will vary from flower to flower but as a rule we use a flower iron and a pair of tweezers to shape parts. My SILK CAMELLIA JAPONICA CORSAGE video tutorial explains the process in detail.
If you happen to attend one of my workshops on an OVERSIZED ROSE HEADPIECE, you have experienced petal backing to full extent. Indeed this oversized rose is made of large satin petals that are all backed with a layer of thin silk. This job requires precision, speed, dexterity and neatness. The good news is, practice makes perfect. If you wish to join me for a workshop on this oversized silk rose please send your enquiry to enquiries@presentperfectcreations.comlace orchid headband 2

Although not all flower petals get backed, a certain range of materials would benefit from being backed on every occasion. Amongst those are lace, velvet, denimetc.
LACE ORCHID HAIR CIRCLET video tutorial teaches you how to work with lace and turn it into delicate ethereal flowers that are also robust. White lace flowers are perfect for bridal pieces but if you take coloured lace or dye white lace yourself you can make evening wear floral pieces and much more.
Another video course on a DENIM ROSE BUD shows how to work with denim.
So, leather rose spray corsagewhat fabric(s) to choose for backing?
The choice is more than you might think. For petals some thin fabrics like pongee or organza are used in most cases. But if your petals are made of heavier fabric (velvet, denim or similar), you can go for thin or thick satins, or decorative fabrics with metallic threads.
When backing leaves you can choose from an array of different fabrics ranging from very thin (think pongee, organza) to satins to decorative metallic fabrics to velvet should you blue silk hydrangeawish. There is no hard and fast rule about which fabric to use. Depending on your main fabric try to choose a backing fabric that will complement your design and give it a beautiful finish.

I personally love the durability and definition of backed flower parts be it petals, leaves or butterfly wings, that is why I use this method on a regular basis in my works. To learn more about how you can create handmade flower petals and leaves by backing them with a layer of fabric please have a look at some of the photo tutorials by PresentPerfect Creations studio below:

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A detailed BONUS photo tutorial on Leather Rose Brooch. Yes, you got it right, you can back leather petals and leaves with fabric too! And this bonus tutorial that comes as a freebie together with LEATHER ROSE BROOCH photo tutorial will teach you exactly how you can do that.

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fabric leaves tutorial

A step-by-step photo tutorial on how to create MILLINERY LEAVES that are just right for your project. Still looking for suitable leaves online and in shops? Look no further. A flower iron and this tutorial is everything you need to create any fabric leaves your project calls for.

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lace butterfly tutorial

A step-by-step photo tutorial on how to create our SIGNATURE SILK AND LACE BUTTERFLY ON A HEADBAND. As a bonus you will also get FREE tutorial on how to shape a velvet butterfly with a flower iron (details inside the main tutorial once you’ve got it)

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Should you wish to try and use some decorative fabric with metallic threads in your work (think Christmas ☺) please check this beautiful semitransparent rayon fabric with golden metallic thread. It will look great at the back of leaves as well as petals. The fabric comes prestiffened and is ready to be used in flower making.

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Hairpieces galore!

It is very cold in England. Despite the fact that the astronomic spring arrived in Blighty last Wednesday we continue to suffer from strong winds, snow and overnight frosts. People are desperate to see a bit of sunshine and the social media are full of signs of their despair such as this one:

So to cheer us all up we’ve made a photo shoot starring my friend Katya from Moscow, wearing a number of my floral accessories and cocktail hats.

One of my recent wreaths is this double cherry blossom open wreath which is perfect for a romantic, countryside or beach wedding. As the name suggests it will fit any size as it fastens up with a pure silk ribbon at the back.

 My long time favourite, the black silk and lace butterfly hair fascinator is decorated with beads and ostrich feathers. The  butterfly is finished with a thin headband and available to order in other colours to match your dress. 
Another perfect bridal hair accessory is this delicate fantasy clematis flower set against classic spotted French veiling and embellished with ostrich feathers. For the flower I used pure silk of several kinds, as well as thin floral lace. The clematis veil fascinator is finished with a hair comb.
Now this is an unusual cocktail hat fit for a beautiful equestrienne or a woodland princess. It will look equally charming at a party or an occasion to impress. The rigid base is covered with pure chocolate silk and adorned with a long golden pheasant feather. I used seed beads, bugle beads and faceted glass beads to embroider the base of the feather and add a bit of sparkle to the hat. The piece is finished with hat elastic.
One more veil fascinator for a wedding this time with a large peony. The silk flower is made of silk habotai and silk organza and embellished with freshwater pearls. For the leaves I used floral lace doubled with silk organza. The delicate flower is finished with a comb and French veiling.
And last but not least is this fantasy flower hair fascinator made of black sinamay. I used some peacock feathers to decorate it. To perfectly match your outfit the flower fascinator can be made in an array of other colours. The piece is finished with a hair comb.
I’d like to think you have enjoyed the pictures as we have enjoyed shooting them for you. It would be lovely to hear what you liked most and why. And for now let’s hope the spring is just around the corner 
             🙂