If you make hats and love to use vintage decorations then, over time you have collected some items like the ones on the left. They are often squished, misshapen or un-glued to their wires. Below is how I revived these vintage pieces to look like they do on the right.
Fuchsia
The major issue with these flowers were that they were just flattened and there were some places where they had come unglued.
The first thing was to take care of the paper covering the stem. It had come unglued and raveled away from the stem. So, I just rewrapped it and glued down the end.
Next thing was one of the leaves came unglued from its wire. I added a little glue along the wire and re-stuck it down.
Then I needed to straighten and reposition the stems of the flowers to look more life like. Done…….
Violets
There were a few flowers that where the petals came loose from the stamen so, I added a dot of glue behind the stamen and glued the petals back in place.
Then I needed to straighten all the stems and add a little space between all of the flowers.
Last thing to do was to move all the leaves into position below the bundle of flowers.
Red velvet flowers
I have two bundles of these flowers.
I worked with one at a time.
I separated all the elements as much as possible.
I brushed on a thin layer of white PVA glue diluted with equal parts water to the backs of each flower and the leaves as well.
A couple of the flowers and the leaves had a little fraying so I trimmed that away.
I then reshaped the bundle something like I think it might have been originally.
They are really nice looking now.
Glass beaded flowers
I’ve never seen anything like these but as someone who has many bags of seed beads in my stash they are very appealing. I did straighten these before I got a photo. So they look fine right now but they had been squished and needed to be reshaped but because they have thin wire inside the beads, it was easy.
The rose is really heavy so I can’t see it on a hat but, I love the Pansy and would want to make some of those. I can see them on 1920s hats for sure or, even on a flapper beaded headband.
These are the leaves. Not as easy to figure out as the petals.
I think I would add one more center loop for the large center bottom petal just to fill it in. I’ll get out my beads and thin wire to make a few of these. More later……
Blue fabric loops and petal pads
My box contained several of these.
I took one apart to see what it was made from. From the left;
- a set of petals from a silk flower folded and glued in half,
- a strip of fabric about 1.5″ wide and 4″ long (I think it’s on the bias) cut in 1/4″ strips from about 1/2″ from one side to 1/2″ to the other, then glued in half on the uncut section.
- a velvet set of petals also folded and glued in half,
- another set of loops,
- another set of petals like #1,
- a stiffened pad of fabric on which all the other elements are glued.
I think it could be an interesting decoration and I would like try it with some of the many left over silk petals and flowers I have in my stash. I just don’t have any velvet ones right now.