
Here are a couple of points I’d like to draw your attention to before you watch the video:
Here are a couple of points I’d like to draw your attention to before you watch the video:
Each season the team at the Pantone Color Institute creates the Pantone Fashion Color Trend Report; a colour overview highlighting the top colours fashion designers showing at London Fashion Week will be featuring in their collections for the upcoming season. With colour on the catwalk a key indicator of the colour stories we can expect to see showing up across all areas of design, the Pantone Fashion Color Trend Report is your easily accessible guide to the seasonβs most important colour trends.
Let’s have a look what the Pantone Team has prepared for us this coming season, shall we?
The last but not the least thing I wanted to talk about is theΒ KNOWLEDGE.
Stamens make the heart of an art flower. They draw attention to its core. That’s why it is so important to get the size, the colour, the shape and even the quantity of your stamens right when creating your blooms, whether out of fabric or leather.
There are a wide variety of stamens, very realistic as well as stylised ones that are available to purchase. You can check out the current availability in our online shop here. Today, however, we are going to explore another option.
Did you know you could make your own flower stamens to be used in fabric and leather flowers in case you do not have access to factory made or for some reason they are not suitable for your project?
Often tiny stamens for small and blooms can be difficult to obtain. That’s why today I am showing how to make very small stamens similar to those most roses have. You can also use them for cherry blossom, apple blossom and other small flowers.
What you’ll requireΒ is some PVA glue (or other stiffener), thick cotton
thread and Β some acrylic paint in brown , yellow or other suitable colour.
First, the thread needs to be stiffened. That will give it some body and let the stamens hold the shape in a flower once assembled. You can starch it or use your preferred stiffener. I simply cover a length of thread with PVA. To do that apply a blob of glue on your index finger and run the thread between the index finger and thumb to coat with glue as shown.
To make sure the stiffened thread dries straight I like using a weight and hang it to dry (I am using a large wooden star as a weight in the photo). Because you will need to make a considerable amount of small stamens for each flower, try hanging several long threads at a time and leave them to dry.
Once the threads are dry and stiff (if you use PVA it dries rather quickly), cut them
up into individual stamens. The standard length of a double sided stamen strand is around 5 cm, but you can always adjust the length to suit your project and make them either shorter or longer.
Now squeeze out some acrylic paint onto a piece of card, fold a piece of thread in half and dip the Β tips into the paint. To getΒ Β enough paint onto the tips try dipping a couple of times. The thicker the thread the more paint will stick to it and stay on the tips.
I am using a very thin thread here so the drops of paint on the tips are quite small after one dip. For more impact please use a thicker thread (and / or more paint).
Now the freshly made stamens need to dry. I am using an improvised rack created by placing a couple of thick wires across a box or a box lid (pictured). Simply hang the stamens in rows over the wires and leave them to dry completely. Make sure to space the stamens well apart to prevent them from sticking to each other when the paint is still wet. In a couple of hoursΒ you have got yourΒ handmade stamens ready to be used.
Now you know how to make flower stamens. However, this by no means is the only way of making flower stamens. We might be exploring other options in our forthcomingΒ blog posts and tutorials.
Stay tuned!
Below you will find some tutorials that cover the use of different stamens in flower making.
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β 12 new and unique flower making tutorial designs
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β Variety of flowers AND finishes
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β NEW special offers for in-person workshops
β +1 more BONUS Flower TutorialΒ
The schedule for the 12 month Subscription 2018 Fabric and Leather Art Flower Package is the following:
β February β fabric apple blossom – BUY HERE
β April β fabric hydrangea – BUY HERE
β August β fabric rose
β September β leather orchid
β October β fabric passion flower
β November β leather grapes
β December β fabric water lily
β + 1 BONUS tutorial on Fabric Iris
All the tutorials are developed and prepared by Svetlana Faulkner, the creative mind behind PresentPerfect Creations. They come in the form of detailed step-by-step photo tutorials and include short video insertions to demonstrate the most tricky points for you, too.
If you wish to work with more unusual material like lace, the iconic tutorial on Lace and Silk Butterfly can be a good one to explore. Although butterfly wings can be shaped with millineryΒ Β tools (and there’s a BONUS on how to do this), the butterfly in the picture can be made without the use of tools. DIY kits for the lace and silk butterfly are also available and sold separately. To learn more about the Lace and Silk Butterfly Tutorial click here.
I hope you will find some of these no tool flower making tutorials for beginners useful. Feel free to share photos of you finished pieces with us βΊ
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more flower making videos.
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 thisΒ 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 cold shaping method.
To be able to use this method you will require some fabric petals (silk, rayon or thin cotton) and a piece of thin preferably silk fabric about 40cm*40 cm or slightly larger larger( I am using a silk-cotton mixed fabric here).
First, moisten the cloth either by spraying it with water from a spray bottle or wetting it under the tap. Next, wringΒ the cloth very well so it is only just about moist, almost dry. If the fabric is too wet it can ruin the dyesΒ on your petals. It will not shape them either.
Now, fold the square of fabric diagonally as shown in the picture.
Then takeΒ aΒ petal and fold it in half lengthwise.Β In the photo I am using pairs of poppy petals, connected with a staple, so I am going to be shaping two petals at a time.This can work for thin fabrics. For the petals made of thicker fabrics it is advisable to shape them one by one for the best results.
Place the folded petal in between the two layers of diagonally folded moistened cloth as shown in the picture. The folded side of the petal touches the folded side of the cloth (this is important).
Now it’s high time we shapedΒ the petal. Place the palm of your left hand over the whole of the petal (which is sitting between the layers) and press firmly onto it, especially the very bottom (the base) of the petal. With your right hand pull the right corner of the the cloth away from the left hand that is pressing down the petal.
PressingΒ the petal firmly (particularly at the very base) with your left palm pull the cloth with an effort with your right hand clockwise following the black arrows. Having done a semi-circle with the right hand ease off and let the cloth gradually go.
The cloth should form a network of very fine wrinkles under your palm and in turn it willΒ wrinkle the petal that has been placed between the layers of the cloth. The finer the lines of the shaping the better the result.
You might want to practice on a spare petal first to get an idea of how to shape petals using this method. If you are not happy with the result you can return the same petal back into the cloth and shape again. But try not to do this too many times as it will make the petal creased more than shaped.
I created this white rabbit fur pillbox hat decorated with a cluster of leather rowan berries for theΒ 2016 Hatalk hat making competition, where the theme was Connections.
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 Far North of Russia, lost somewhere between permafrost and the Northern lights. The climate is so harsh and cold locals have to wear clothes and boots made of fur in order to survive severe frosts and snow storms. I chose white rabbit fur for my hat thinking that it would represent snow of my childhood so very well.
Rowan is a meaningful symbol in the Russian culture. Numerous proverbs and poems, paintings and even recipes are dedicated to this symbolic tree that is so dear to the hearts of Russians. Touched by the first frosts rowan berries unlock their potential and become sweet and delicious to eat. They can be used in a variety of dishes and drinks. It is not uncommon to see clusters of rowan berries covered with heaps of fresh snow as part of winter scenery throughout Russia. Those snowy clusters of bright red berries were the vision I had in mind when I was working on my First Snow Fur Pillbox hat.
To make First Snow Fur Pillbox hat I blocked 2 layers of buckram, rabbit fur pelt and silk satin over a pillbox block (each material at a time). Then I wired the buckram base, put the blocked fur on top of it and stitched the two together around the bottom edge. After that I sewed in the lining and the petersham ribbon.
The cluster of rowan berries and leaves are made of genuine leather or several colours. All the leaves are backed with golden metallic lame fabric and shaped with millinery tools.I joined the berries in the cluster with hand dyed rayon pongee strips. The rowan berries and leaves are finished with a brooch pin. They can be removed and used as a separate brooch.
Alas, the white rabbit fur pillbox hat has not taken any prize in the competition, but with hope in my heart I am planning on taking part in other forthcoming hat making (and other!) competitions. Watch this space for more details.