My 3 Monsters: Springy Flower Pillow with Kanzashi-Inspired Folded Fabric Flower

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3.26.2014

Springy Flower Pillow with Kanzashi-Inspired Folded Fabric Flower

Springy Flower Pillow with Kanzashi-inspired folded fabric flower at /
Hello everyone!  Remember the Lucky Shamrock pillow I made last month for my front porch?  When I switched out my wreath the other day I realized that the shamrock pillow didn't match anymore.  That's when I had the brilliant idea to use the back side of that pillow to make a more springy design.  Since I had made the pillow cover out of white-on-white polka dots it was perfect.  Now that one little pillow can last through another season just by flipping it over.  {I may just have to make all my porch pillows double-sided from now on!}

I have had this idea in my head for an origami-esque flower made out of fabric.  A while back I made some Japanese Kanzashi fabric flowers that were intricate and beautiful.  I was wanting to make something with a similar feeling, only much, much simpler. I'm sure I have seen something similar to this before, but I couldn't find a source so I thought it might be cool to try and bring my idea to life on this pillow. It was really quite easy and I think the end result is pretty.



Folded Fabric Flower

Supplies:
  • sheet of paper or cardstock to make circle template
  • about ¼ yard of fabric
  • scraps of felt -- a 3-4 inch circle and a 1-2 inch circle
  • needle and thread
  • permanent fabric glue
Begin by cutting a 3-inch circle out of paper or cardstock to use as a template for cutting your fabric.  Cut 20 circles out of the fabric -- we're making 10 petals and we need 2 circles for each one.

Springy Flower Pillow with Kanzashi-inspired folded fabric flower at /
Step 1:  Stack two circles, right sides together, and sew around the edge {about 1/4" from the edge}.  Leave a 1" opening so you can turn it right side out.  Repeat for all ten petals.

Step 2:  Cut out notches all around the stitched edge, being careful not to snip through the stitching.  This will give your circle a better shape when turned right side out.  Repeat for all ten petals.

Step 3:  Turn right side out.  Repeat for all ten petals.


Springy Flower Pillow with Kanzashi-inspired folded fabric flower at /
Step 4:  Press each circle to get nice, crisp edges.  With the open edge at the bottom, fold the outside edges of the petal in to the center as shown above.  Repeat for ALL. TEN. PETALS.  {Tired of this yet?!}


Springy Flower Pillow with Kanzashi-inspired folded fabric flower at /
Step 5:  Cut a 3-4 inch circle out of felt.  It doesn't have to be perfect.  This will be the backing that you sew all the petals onto to form a flower.  Pin the flower petal to the felt circle, overlapping in the center as necessary so that the folded edges line up and just barely touch at the top. 


Springy Flower Pillow with Kanzashi-inspired folded fabric flower at /
Step 6:  Stitch the petals in place by sewing a small circle in the center of the flower.


Springy Flower Pillow with Kanzashi-inspired folded fabric flower at /
Step 7:  Using a needle and thread, tack the top corners of each petal to the one next to it.  Make sure to do this on the back of the flower so it won't show when you look at the flower from the front.


Springy Flower Pillow with Kanzashi-inspired folded fabric flower at /
Step 8:  Decide where you want your flower to be on the pillow cover then lift the petals and pin the felt backing circle in place.


Springy Flower Pillow with Kanzashi-inspired folded fabric flower at /
Step 9:  Using a needle and thread, sew around the edge of the felt backing to attach the flower to the pillow cover.  Cut a circle out of coordinating felt to form the center of the flower. {The yellow circle in the picture below.}  Make sure it's big enough so that none of the stitching shows on the front of the flower.  Use permanent fabric glue to attach it to the center of the flower.


Springy Flower Pillow with Kanzashi-inspired folded fabric flower at /
Voila!  Brand new pillow!  You'd never know that there's a little shamrock hiding on the back side of it.  You can make the flower bigger or smaller bu increasing or decreasing the size of the circles you cut out of the fabric.  I really like the folded, origami feeling of it -- simple and clean.  For a cool variation, you could use  different fabrics for the front and back side of each petal to add more dimension and visual interest.


Springy Flower Pillow with Kanzashi-inspired folded fabric flower at /

Have a great day!

Amy


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