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In fabric flower making we tend to dye fabrics by hand. This technique helps us achieve a more realistic or more unique look, match the colour of the flower to that one of the outfit, do the gradation etc etc…

For the rose in the photo above I have used rayon organza, thin rayon fabric and rayon velveteen. Another great addition can be black lace.

Plus these black fabrics make a perfect combination with silver and golden metallics (another firm favourite of mine!). Use them for evening and special occasion flowers and trims.

In case if you wish to try these wonderful fabrics in your work, I have a number of packs on offer at the moment.

Each pack includes a fat quarters of each of the following fabrics:

❀ smooth rayon satin (black)
❀ cotton velvet with short pile (black)
❀ rayon velveteen (black)
❀ rayon organza (black)
❀ thin rayon backing fabric (black)

These fabrics can also be purchased individually (not as a pack), please see the links below.

Use the for either leaves or flower petals, butterflies and berries, anything you would make from hand dyed or white fabrics.

I hope you will find these black gems useful in your work and can’t wait to see your noir masterpieces!

A tutorial on a fabric feather has been on my to-do list for a while now. Today I am happy to present my tutorial on handmade eco-friendly fabric feathers to you. 
I feel quite excited about it and I think you should, too. Although I do not see handmade feathers replacing natural ones completely any time soon (but who knows, right?) there are definite advantages to this handcrafted feather that I am so pleased to share with you. It is always good to have options. Well, now we have one for feathers too.

❀ NO millinery tools are required for making fabric feathers

❀ you can use different types of fabric for different results (I am showing 3 in the tutorial)

❀ the tutorial is suitable for all skill levels

❀ bespoke designs to match your projects every time

❀ video of me talking through best practices in feather making

❀ suitable for all skill levels

❀ bespoke designs to match your projects every time

❀ learn to dye your feathers and make a neat quill

❀ cruelty and allergy free feathers

Imagine what you feel when you are holding one in your hand? Are the barbs soft?Are the feathers stiff enough to stand on their own? How fragile is the fabric feather? Can you steam it? Can you curl it? So many questions… The answers are waiting for you in the HANDMADE FABRIC FEATHER TUTORIAL.

For more information on this detailed step-by-step fabric feather photo tutorial click on the button below.

If you wish to explore the specialist fabrics we offer visit the fabrics section on our website HERE

Stylised Fabric Feathers

Earlier this year, I prepared a video tutorial on a different type of fabric feather, this time aiming for a more stylised version rather than necessarily realistic.
In this video tutorial, you will learn how to turn a flat piece of fabric into a dancing, swirly stylised feather.

By playing with colours, fabrics, sizes, etc. you will be able to create unique elements for your designs. These stylised fabric feathers are a versatile, easily customisable element perfect for trimming your headwear and headpieces. These feathers are great for those customers who are not keen on floral trims or those who prefer to avoid having real feathers on their headpieces for ethical, aesthetic, or health reasons.
Initially released exclusively for my patrons on Patreon, now access to this video tutorial is available through my shop on Patreon to a wider audience. To learn more and get access visit my Patreon shop here.

For 2019 I have planned a series of short videos demonstrating how to works with different types of flower tools.

Although the process is pretty straightforward, to achieve nicely looking smooth and even tubes some practice will be required.

Join my Patreon here

This is the fifth video in the series, for which I have chosen an old and rather common tool that can be found in most sets, traditional or more modern: the so called rat tail tool aka the hook.

I am demonstrating how to work with the rat tail tool in the video where I am shaping a variety of petals, small and large. As a rule the rat tail tool is used together with other tools when shaping flower parts to achieve best possible results.
It can be used for shaping both leather as well as fabric flowers, you will see it in the video.

Normally the rat tail tool is used with medium pads as shown in the video.
In skillful hands this simple traditional tool can produce a range of different effects, a number of which I am showing in today’s video, where I am shaping a fine cotton rose petal, a leather lily-of-the-valley flower and a leather dahlia petal circle.

The more different flowers you learn to make, the better you become at using your rat tail tool. You will find it particularly useful if you do not own any of the Japanese style cat paw type tools as it can be a kind of a substitute for them in some cases.

Currently the rat tail tool can be purchased as part of the 14 pc European set of tools or the more extensive 22 pc set of tools (check out the flower making tool section here).

Meanwhile watch the video I have prepared for you today (see the button below) where I am demonstrating several ways of using this traditional tool and (hopefully) discover something new for yourself.

I created this spring green crown with the silk dandleion for the 2019 Hatalk hat making competition, where the theme was Equilibrium.

My Tethered Butterfly Crown for a millinery competition: the why

“The butterfly is a flying flower,
The flower a tethered butterfly.”

― Ponce Denis Écouchard Le Brun

Nature is an endless source of inspiration for me. Its colours, shapes and textures seem to be in a constant contradiction yet represent a peaceful harmony of its parts.

For my headpiece trim I have chosen two very fragile representatives of the natural world: a delicate dandelion clock and a couple of dainty airy butterflies – and arranged them in a perfect balance. The complementary colours of the butterflies – yellow and purple – ofter occur in nature where they work well and make strong compositions. This is another example of how opposites attract and create a perfect equilibrium.

My Tethered Butterfly Crown for a millinery competition: the how

To make the silk dandelion headpiece I blocked the crown in 2 parts using buckram. Then I covered both parts with green cotton velvet (which I’ve found very fiddly)
As the dandelion is very fragile, I had to sew in the handdyed fabric covered stem folded into a bow at this stage, before joining the parts of the crown together.

Once that was done I joined the 2 parts of the crown together adding the millinery elasctic at the same time.

The next stage was to make the dandelion clock itself and add the butterflies.  The dandleion on the crown is about 6 cm in

diameter and has about 200 organza parachutes which were all needed to be made separately. The 2 little btterflies were made using handdyed silk satin in contrasting yellow and purple colours.

Counterintuitively assembling the dandelion clock with the silk butterflies had to be the last stage of the headpiece making. If you have been  inspired by the pieces of textile art and would like to create your own silk dandelions for jewellery, millinery and other craft projects, you are welcome to get my step-by-step tutorial on Silk Dandelion Clock available here.

My Tethered Butterfly Crown for a millinery competition: the result

And there we have it, a silk dandelion clock with dainty butterflies that seem to have just landed onto it in a whimsical dance as a perfectly balanced headpiece ready to be worn and enjoyed.

WATCH THIS SPACE: still waiting for the results of the competition… If you would like, you could vote for my silk dandelion headpiece here