When I saw this orange ribbon flower in a vintage shop, I knew I wanted to figure out how it had been made. I had done wired ribbon flowers with ruffled edges in the past, but achieving this size and rounded shape was a new challenge. It turned out that getting the shape of the base right was the most important bit.
The vintage flower has a buckram base but I used green wool felt to give my version a more finished look from the back.
The petals are so close to each other that, by using the ribbon wire to shape them, you can make the flower look like it has six rows of petals instead of just four.
The only specialist equipment that you need for this project is a paper crimper, for crimping the edge of the ribbon. These tools are not expensive and can be purchased from a craft store or found online. If you have a table top vice you can put the crimper into it. That way you have one hand to turn the crank and one hand to guide the ribbon.
PDF pattern:
Step by step
1) Print out the base pattern. Cut out the circle andalong the bold slash lines. Also make a small hole in the middle as marked.
2) Pin the pattern onto the felt.
3) Cut out the felt base, including the marked slashes and centre hole.
4) Add some glue next to each of the slashes.
5) Overlap the slashes and glue in place so that the base rises slightly in the middle.
6) Cut your ribbon into 4 pieces: 1 x .5m (20″), 1 x 1m (40″), 1 x 1.5m (60″) and 1 x 2m (80″).
7) Use a pen to mark every 10cm (4″) on each of the ribbon lengths.
8) Pull the wire from one side of each ribbon length. The unwired sides will make be in the centre of the flower.
HINT: Make sure that the end of the ribbon wire you are pulling has a straight cut and is not bent like the one shown above. A bend can cause a snag in the stitching and wreck your ribbon. Also, on the longer pieces, it can be helpfulto ask someone else to hold the end of the ribbon while you pull the wire out.
9) Run each length of ribbon through the crimper.
10) With a strong nylon thread, follow the diagram above to create 5 petal sections on the shortest (.5m/20″) length of ribbon. Use a running stitch.
11) When you reach the first pen mark, sew straight up to the top edge and then back down to the mark.to the top edge and then back down to the mark.
12) When you finish the first 10cm (4″) section, pull the gathering stitches as tightly as you can.
13) Continue into the next section.
14) When you reach the end of the second section, pull the gathering stitches as tightly as you can again
15) Sew the third and fourth petal sections using the same thread. Use a clip to hold the loose ends together.
16) When you get all the way around, remove the clip and stitch the two ends together.
17) You should now have 5 distinct petal sections. Gather the thread as tightly as possible and knot it off.
18) Repeat this process with the other ribbon lengths, but add extra petals. Sew 10 petal sections into the 1m piece, 15 into the 1.5m piece and 20 into the 2m piece.
19) When you have finished sewing all 4 ribbon petal sets, you are ready to construct the flower. Begin by pinning the set of 20 petals (2m/80″ ribbon length) onto the outside edge of the felt base (with the curved side of the base facing up).
20) Sew the petals in place with thread that matches the felt base. This is how it should look from the back.
21) Pin and the sew the 15 petal (1.5m/60″) ribbon piece on next.
22) Add the 10 petal (1m/40″) piece and then, finally, the small 5 petal (.5m/20″) one.
23) Poke the stamens through the hole you made in the centre of the felt.
24) Bend the stem at the back to hold it in place.
25) Before knotting off your thread, shape the petals around the stamens. Add 1-2 stitches if necessary.
Optional:
26) Your ribbon flower is now finished. If you want to attach a pin to the back, add some fiberfill over the depression on the back of the base.
27) Use the pattern to cut a second felt circle and mark where you want the pin’s hinge and lock to be placed.
28) Use a small hole punch to make holes on the marksyou made. Push the hinge and pin through one hole and the lock through the other.
29) Sew the felt circle onto the base, placing it on top of the fiberfill. Your flower can now be pinned onto a hat or used as a brooch.
By the way, you don’t need 4 rows of petals to make flowers using this gathering technique. The lefthand example above only has 1 row while the flower on the right has 3. These flowers also look a little different because the petals cup down (rather than up) and the crimping is a little sharper. Experiment to make your own variations!
This article first appeared in HaTalk Online Magazine in Dec. 2019 issue 165 and is part of their extensive archive of “How-to” articles.