How making fabric tulips is a meditative process by Nancy Devine March 8, 2016 written by Nancy Devine March 8, 2016 1.1K Yesterday on QUILTsocial, we created a heart basket for our laughing flowers quilt. Today, let’s make some flowers to fill the basket. I had planned to make about 6 flowers, but in the end, I made 9 blooms to fill the heart ; )) Let’s see how making fabric tulips is a meditative process. Fill the basket with flowers you’ve made. For the leaves, fold green fabric scraps double, right sides facing together. Lay the doubled fabric on top of a scrap of quilt batting. Trace the template onto the fabric side. Pin the layers together, leaving an opening for turning at the bottom of the leaf. Sew along the traced line of the leaves. Sew along the traced line of the leaves. Clip curves along the leaves before turning them. This will make the seam smoother and reduce overall bulk. Sew around the shape on the drawn line. Cut out the shape, adding ¼ʺ as you cut it out (see photo). Clip curves. Turn leaf right side out and push out the top of the leaf. Wiggle the seams to make sure they’re smooth. Press well. Use green embroidery floss to hand quilt stitches long the outside of the leaf. Tear ¼ʺ wide strips from the green fabric. Run a glue stick along the top of the strips. Wind fabric strips along the length of the pipe cleaner from top to bottom. Set aside to dry. Wrap pipe cleaner stems in thin strips of fabric. For the tulip buds, sew the three sections, right sides together, starting at the dot marked at the top of the bud. Clip curves and turn right side out. Turn under ¼ʺ hem and hand sew it with a running stitch. Stuff the bud firmly with fiber fill. Pull up the gathering threads to keep the filling inside, but don’t knot them. Dip the end of the fabric-wrapped pipe cleaner into PVC glue and then into the end of the tulip bud. Pull the gathering threads tight around the stem, and secure to the stem with a few stitches and then tie a knot. Knot tightly. Gather the ends of the stuffed flower head, and secure to the stem. A bit of hand quilting using embroidery floss on the leaves creates texture and interest. Leaves clipped to the stems. Run a bead of PVC glue along the bottom third of the tulip leaf, and wrap the leaf around the stem, at its mid point. Secure with a small Clever Clip. When the glue is dry, join the leaf edges at the bottom with a bit of hand stitching. I found making fabric tulips a meditative process, and I hope you enjoy it too. Come back tomorrow as we fill our basket with blooms! This is part 2 of 5 in this series. Go back to part 1: Using 3D elements for your wall quilt [shareaholic app=”follow_buttons” id=”23735596″] Print this page or save as a PDF clever clipsembroidery flossfabric tulipshand sewingspring project FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinRedditWhatsappTelegramEmail Nancy Devine Nancy Devine is a self-confessed craft-crazed blogger. She is a regular contributor to A Needle Pulling Thread Magazine, one of the administrators for The Craft Café, a Facebook page devoted to the international sharing of the creative life, and a curator of an impressive collection of fabrics, notions and seam rippers. In her spare time, she wrangles dust bunnies and writes a blog called Nancy Dee Needleworks. Understandably, her house is a mess. previous post Using 3D elements for your wall quilt next post Fray Check makes the woven heart stronger YOU MAY ALSO LIKE... No-sew embellishments – Easy with ribbons, buttons, and... 2 essential products for making 3D flowers out... 2 ways to showcase thread in your quilting... 12 easy steps to stencil tea towels using... 2 ways to make stencils with freezer paper... T-shirt quilts – 4 ideas for layouts that... Stay warm with a quilt made with Fairfield... Pinning a quilt – It’s the little things... T-shirt quilts – Quilting rulers that make the... 7 comments Jennifer B. March 19, 2016 - 8:37 pm The tulips look awesome! Reply Theresa March 12, 2016 - 11:41 am These are so great. They look difficult at first but you’ve made it look like something I can tackle. Thanks! Reply Beth B March 12, 2016 - 9:47 am Nice flowers! Great way to use those small pieces of batiks that I have and like too much to use in a project that may get packed away or folded up. Reply Pam March 11, 2016 - 9:18 pm How delightful! Thanks so much for sharing these techniques. I’m imagining all kinds of different flowers! Reply Nancy Devine March 11, 2016 - 9:46 pm Hi Pam! Difference varieties of flowers would be amazing. I hope you give it a try! Reply Nancy Devine March 11, 2016 - 9:46 pm Palvena, they are such fun to make. Please give it a whirl! Reply Palvena pace March 10, 2016 - 10:20 am Beautiful tulips! Must make them Reply Leave a Comment Cancel Reply Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
