Fun fabric embellishment tutorial

These little flowers or embellishments are easy and fun. They are made using recycled materials, so the only cost is the glue and your time.

Supplies:
Clothing to take apart, preferably jeans weight
UHU Twist & Glue (or any clear glue, not white)
Scissors for cutting fabric

Using your scissor, cut the double sewn seams from old clothes. Do not use seams where the fabric is simply sewn together. Cut to a desired length.

From these jeans, I got four buttons, one label, and three seam strips. The fabric seam on the left is not double stitched, so if you plan to use it, you will need to glue the sides together. The two on the right are double stitched and work best for this project.

Make sure the end you start with has a straight cut.

Begin wrapping tightly. This is not a bead, so you don't want a hole in the center.

As you approach the end, be sure to straighten the circle.

Add a bit of clear glue continuously somewhere between 1" and 2" of the end. Be sure this end is angle cut.

Hold the two pieces together while the glue is still wet. You might need to hold it up to two minutes. As you are holding the piece, be sure the end adheres well. If done correctly, the fabric will nearly dissolve into itself.

Set aside to dry. This could take up to an hour.

When the edges are completely dry, determine which side will be the back side of your flower/embellishment. I used the selvage side for the back and kept the sewn side for the front. Flood the back with glue, making sure you get bits into the cracks and out to the edges.

Be sure to remove any glue that spills over onto the side. You may need to add glue a second time, after the glue has had a chance to seep in a bit.

Now set them aside to dry. Mine took two days before I felt confident they could be used in a project.

So, how will you use your flowers? Below are some ideas for using them in fabric collages/art quilts. Nothing is glued or sewn together in the photos below. I am still deciding on which design, if any, I will use.

As an embellishment.

As a flower center.

As a flower center.

As a flower center.

As both a flower center and an embellishment.

Today's blog is another that I found during OWOH. It is by the talented journal maker, Patti Edmon who lives in KY and blogs from her Altered Attic. OK, I took a bit of license there, because that's the name of Patti's blog. Wherever she creates her art, it is awe inspiring, full of color, and makes you want to get to your "attic" and spread some paint on something. I can assure you, there is lots of eye candy on Patti's blog, even if you don't make or use art journals.