Simple Felt Rose Tutorial

Who doesn't love a pretty little felt rose? There's just so freakin' much you can DO with them, I can't keep myself away! Of course, there are tutorials all over the Internet, but I thought I'd add my own to the mix.

One reason I love them is that they create a kind of busywork that allows me to mentally drift but still accomplish something. You can make them while watching a movie, sitting outside on a nice day, walking on a treadmill (if you're that coordinated, which I'm not), or--my favorite--listening to music and unwinding after a long day. I've tried many times to meditate to no avail; I need to be DOING something. Crafting is the closest I'll ever get to the meditative state. My hands like to be busy.

Without further ado, felt roses!

1. Start with a square of felt approximately the size of your palm.

2. Round off the corners with scissors. (I really need to get a pair of real scissors, and ditch the kitchen shears.)

3. Cut in a spiral from the bottom right corner. You can cut smooth edges or wavy, depending on what you want the end result to be. Wavy edges look a bit more realistic, but the smooth edges give a clean and cute result. 

4. Start rolling from the outside, using dabs of glue every so often. I used to use hot glue but my flowers were falling apart. (Perhaps the $4 glue gun was the issue.) Now I'm using craft bond glue, which you're supposed to be able to even put through the washing machine without the fabric coming apart, so we'll see. WARNING: The flower will not look perfect as you roll but it DOES NOT need to. Just wait until the you assess the end result before you get frustrated. 

5. At the end, you'll notice you have a dangly little circular piece. Put a dab of glue on the bottom of the rose, and press that little circle right on. This is the bottom of your flower. 

6. Ta da! 

Here's how I like to do it:

Cut out spirals all at the same time:

Then, on another night, roll and glue. (Yes, there are some pom pom thingamajigs in the photo too, but it's a good illustration of the different ways you can make flowers from felt.)

Finally, figure out what to use them for! They look fab as adornments on frames or bulletin boards or envelopes, glued to headbands and alligator clips, as brooches or purse pins, etc. 

happy felt rosing!

lindsey.