More Dahlia's and a Tutorial

Last night I made a few more flowers while watching 

The Manhattan Murder Mystery

Some of you have asked how to make your own.

Well, I must start by saying that I did NOT invent this flower

Though I'd love to take credit.

Here is the girl who showed me how to make them.

I just tweaked it from there.

So you can either follow her tutorial, or mine, but hopefully,

 either way, you can create your own and enjoy!

How to make a Felt Dahlia:

Start by making a template for your petals.

I folded part of card stock paper in half and cut one side of a large petal.

My largest is 2 1/2 inches

The 2 1/2" petal base will make one right at 6 inches in diameter, 

That's one large flower :)

Taking my large petal, I traced it on card stock and kept the traced one for permanent use.

Taking the folded one, I refolded it and cut off one centimeter along the outside of the petal.

{Making it 2cm smaller than the other}

Then I traced it and kept the tracing.

Taking my folded one again, I refolded it and again, cut off 1 centimeter following the outline.

Each time I do this, I trace out the image so that I can have one for keeps.

Then I took off more...

And more...

And more...

And more.

Cut out all of your tracings and keep them for future projects.

I used card stock because it would hold up for multiple uses.

I might use stencil paper next time for longer lasting copies.

Now that we have our templates, lets get started!

For this flower, I used my small, xsmall, and xxsmall petals.

This will give me a flower that is just about 4 1/2 inches in Diameter.

Cut strips of felt the width of your petals.

I used a sheet of felt from the craft store that is 9x13" and cost 29 cents.

Each strip was 9"s long.

I cut 3 strips for my bottom petals using my small template.

{Turns out for this flower, I only needed 2 of the larger strips}

2 strips with my xs template

And 1 strip with my xxs template.

I then cut a circle 2" in diameter.

I like to stack all of my same-sized strips together, pin them to keep in place

and then cut them out.  It saves time :)

Apply a small dot of hot glue to the bottom corner of the petal.

{Sorry for the detailed, grody picture of my glue gun, she and I have come a long way together and she only cost a buck!}

Pinch the 2 bottom corners together...

Then quickly smoosh in the bottom, so that you have 3 points on the bottom.

You now have one petal.

Continue making the rest of them.

Now attach your petals to your circle.

Apply 1 dot of glue to the bottom back of your largest petal.

Stick the largest size petal to your circle, let if hang off your circle.

Only about 2 centimeters need to be on the circle.

Working around the circle, keep adding the petals.

I overlap the flat edges.

Be sure to angle a bit so you make a circle ;o)

This is what your first circle should look like:

{I used 13 petals for the largest row}

Now start your second row using the next size down petals.  Attach it the same way.  A little bit in from the larger row and work your way around again.

When I'm making small petals, instead of a dot of glue that usually gets messy

I'll do a thin smeared line of glue.

It's less visible at the end.

{And I burn my fingers less}

The second row of petals:

{9 petals for mine}

Add your smallest petals to the final row the same way you did the others.  Sometimes you have a small circle left in the middle, this time I didn't  It doesn't matter

{6 petals for my center, I normally have all odd numbered rows}

Now play around with ideas for the center...

{I wish I had a nice collection of vintage buttons to work with but I don't}

Once you have the look you like, hot-glue that baby to the middle!

Don't forget to add a brooch pin or hair clip to the back.

And there ya go, a 4 1/2 " dahlia made by YOU!

If you're wondering what they look like with just 2 rows of petals:

I made these 2 with my smallest sized petals

To make a rosette type center:

 Cut a long strip of felt

This one is 2 cm wide and 6 inches long

{Depending on the amount of space you have in the middle, you may want to make it longer or shorter}

Roll it into a circle,

Dab a large amount of hot-glue over the entire back

Then stick it in your flower's center while it's still hot.

Push down and your done!

I hope this tutorial was helpful!

Please show me your results if you decide to make your own.

Have a lovely day...

Well, it just started raining and it's chilly outside

Seems like the perfect time to make one with a good movie :)