After experimenting with different techniques making flowers with fabric I 'accidentally' stumbled on something really cool.
I started with tulle fabric (100% nylon) and proceeded to use a candle to heat the edges causing it to shrink into petals. After nearly catching the tulle on fire I decided to try my heat gun to see if it would work better. It worked like a charm getting the fabric to shrivel and shrink without the danger of fire. After doing the edges with success I decided to try it across the whole piece and it produced an effect that I was totally thrilled with.
1. Below is a flower using 6 layers of shrunken and shriveled petals. I just needed to use something to hold it all together. Keep reading and you will find out my solution
2. Start with 6 five to six inch circles. Note; they don't have to be perfect circles as you can see by mine below.
3. Here is a close-up of the edge after hitting it with the heat gun. You want to keep the heat gun about four inches from the tulle.
4. This is what it looks like after doing the edges then circling around the center with the heat gun.
5. Warning: Putting the heat gun too close will melt holes in your petals. Trust me, you don't want to do that.
6. While holding the petals on top of each other...
...grab a brad to poke through all layers to hold it together.
7. This is what the back should look like
Here is a side view of all the layers. So pretty!
Another one but in blue.
And here is one in a teal color.
The final flowers measure about 4" across. You could glue a pin on the back and wear it as a pin or glue a hair clip and put in your hair.
