Fabric + Button Flowers

Once you start making these flowers, they are a little bit addictive.  I have a whole bouquet in my living room right now.  Inspired by the felted wool flowers of Crispina ffrench, I set out to make a simpler version for kids.  This was the perfect no-sew craft for campers who needed a break from the needle or had just a few minutes left but wanted to make something.  I am thinking they would make a sweet gift as well.

Gather your materials:  scraps of cotton and felt (we found that fleece was hard for kids), buttons, and floral wire.  I am not sure of my wire gauge, but I think it might be too thin.  You want the wire to be a little stiff, but still small enough to go through buttons.

 Step 1:  Fold the floral wire in half.

 Step 2:  Add a shank button onto one part of the wire and slide it all the way to the middle.  This is the center of the flower.

 Step 3:  Keep adding buttons. This time, use flat buttons and go through both ends of the wire.  If you have a button with 4 holes, just thread the wire through 2 button holes.

 This is the top of the flower.  Now, let's add fabric petals.

 Step 4:  Gather bits of cotton and felt fabric.  You can cut them to make petal-like shapes if you want.

 Step 5:  Gently push the wire through the fabric.  This can be tricky at first.  Push through 1 wire at a time.  If you wiggle the wire a little, it will go through easier.

 Step 6:  Once you have all the petals on, twist the wire all the way to the end.  It's like twisting 2 pipe cleaners together.

 Add to a little vase and give to a friend!