denim wild rose brooch

New Video Course on Fabric Flowers in partnership with Domestika

by | posted in: Uncategorized | 0


If you follow me on social media, you have probably already noticed some of my posts on the textile flower course I have been preparing in collaboration with Domestika, the largest global creative community.

The filming and shooting for this course was done last July in London, where a team of professionals helped me create this beginner friendly yet exciting video tutorial on textile flowers made with denim.
In the course I show and teach how to create two very different roses using such well known and universally loved material as denim.

The course is aimed at beginner flower makers, because you will not need any specialist tools here, just your hands, patience, my guidance and an odd pair of tweezers. So even if you have not made any textile flowers before, you are welcome to join this course.

 

 

diy kit denim wild rose

 

NEW
You can now order a DIY kit for making your own Denim Wild Rose if you prefer to work with specially designed kits.

The kits are avaialble from my online shop here

 

 

However, as it always happens with flower tutorials, even flower artists with experience will be able to find some useful tips and tricks to use in these as well as other flower designs they make.
Amongst other techniques I have included my method of finishing open roses (and other similar flowers) absolutely flat which I extensively employ in many of my designs, including leather flowers.
Another great benefit, thanks to Domestika, is that the course comes with subtitles in
❀ English
❀ Spanish
❀ Portuguese
❀ German
❀ French
❀ Italian
❀ Polish
❀ Dutch
So if the language was an obstacle on your way to learning textile flowers before, it is not an issue any more 🙂 You can choose your language and enjoy the creative process.

In the course I am sharing a number of ideas on how you could make other accessories with the flowers we’ve covered. By changing the size, the finish, the fabric, the stamens etc you will be able to create infinite number of roses suitable for every occasion and taste.

Now I would like to invite you to watch the introductory trailer to my Domestika course after which you will be able to purchase it from Domestica website at the special launch price if you decide to join

I am really excited about this course and so happy it is finally out and available for students to learn, experiment and enjoy the therapy of handmaking. I hope you will be able to join me on this course.
To watch the trailer and purchase the course use the button below.
denim wild rose brooch
colouring stamens for flowers

Colouring stamens for flowers

by | posted in: hand painted silk flowers, handmade silk flowers, silk flowers | 0

colouring stamensColouring stamens for flowers made easy!

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
– a receptacle (a porcelain dish)
– a pair of tweezers
– a bunch of stamens

Vodka evaporates quicker than water which means the dye will dry before the stamen heads dissolve in the licolouring stamensquid. Water is not as good for this task and even with vodka one should act really quickly.

 

Pour a small quantity of vodka (10-15 ml) into the dish and dissolve some powder dye in it. I find intense colours work better, that’s why I put a generous amount of powder dye into the dish. colouring stamens
Using a brush dissolve the dye well in vodka. It will take a bit longer than dissolving the dye in water, so make sure all the dye grains are dissolved.

 

Now using a pair of tweezers ( and possibly disposable gloves) dip several stamens at a time into the prepared dye and dye them evenly. Do not try to put all of the stamens at once. This will only dissolve all the stamen heads and ruin the stamens.

 

colouring stamensHaving dyed a small bunch of stamens put them onto a prepared non porous surface like glass or plastic and leave to dry. It is important that the stamens are separated (see the photo). Otherwise they will stick together as they are drying.
In this way, portion by porting a small bunch at a time dye all the stamens and lay them out tocolouring stamens dry on the non porous surface. Please do not use paper as the wet stamens stick to it.

 

I hope this information on colouring stamens for flowers is useful for you and you’ll be confident to dye white stamens for your project now.

 

 

 

 

Video tutorials on flowers from £39

 

 

EXPLORE FLOWER MAKING PHOTO TUTORIALS
EXPLORE FLOWER MAKING VIDEO TUTORIALS

Backing of handmade flower petals and leaves

by | posted in: fascinators uk, flower iron, flower making iron, flower making tools uk, flower tutorial, hair accessory uk, hand made silk rose, hand painted flowers, hand painted rose, hand painted silk, handmade accessories | 0

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:

leather-baccara-tutorial-bonus-sq

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.

learn-more-button

 

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.

learn-more-button

 

 

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)

learn-more-button

 

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.

button

`[tiny_coffee]`