Rolled JerseyFlowers - two ways

Earlier I posted the flower clothespins that I whipped up this morning and almost immediately I had a comment on Pinterest asking how I made the flowers. There are so many tutorials out there so this may not be the way you prefer or there might be a better way I haven't discovered yet. Either way, this is how I make jersey knit flowers. I've used this same technique on almost any fabric and had fun results. I like to use knit because I don't have to worry about frayed edges, and I have a plethora of old t-shirts to choose from. 

First, gather your supplies. I'm using a shirt from a 5k I ran last year. Since I'm going to show how I do them sewn and how I do them with hot glue, I grabbed embroidery floss I already owned that was similar in color, scissors, and needles. Not pictured here is my hot glue gun and sticks. 

When I use Knits for flowers I really love to use the stitched hem. As the fabric gets rolled and twisted the stitching shows a little and I think it gives a lot of character to a simple fabric flower. I cut the hem from the bottom of the shirt and then cut it in half. This gave me two long, skinny pieces of hemmed knit.

To start, tie a knot in one end of the knit. Thread your needle (I like to use a double strand of floss) and knot the end of the thread. Poke your needle through the center of the fabric knot and use a stitch or two to hold down the loose tail at the end of the knot.

Just leave the thread dangling for a minute or two while you start the flower. Holding the knot in one hand and the long end of the fabric in the other, twist the fabric so it wraps around itself and forms a round "rope." Wrap the twisted fabric around the center knot. Turn the whole thing over and add a couple stitches to secure the wrapped fabric. I like to poke the needle all the way through from one side of the outer ring to the other three times in a triangle fashion.

Keep rolling the fabric around the outside like tree rings. The fabric will need to be twisted as you go to keep the rope-like shape.

When the flower is the size you'd like, cut the remaining fabric off and stitch the tail end to the back.  At this point I usually bend the flower back and forth to make sure it's secure. If it seems a little loose, take your needle and make 3-5 long stitches through all layers making a triangle or star pattern with them. That will keep everything nicely in place. Knot your thread on the back of the flower and snip the strings.

Using hot glue is very similar.

 Start with knotting the end of the fabric the same way. Start twisting the fabric and wrapping it around the center knot. At this point, if you feel you've got a good hold on your flower you can wrap the whole thing before you use any glue. That is what I did. If not, give it a small spot of glue every wrap or two to help it stay in place.

After the flower is completely wrapped, snip off the excess material leaving a tail about the size of the back of the flower. Cover the back of the flower with hot glue (making sure to glue each circle) and press the tail into the glue. Do this carefully of course. I ALWAYS get burned at this step. 

And..... you are finished!

There are advantages to both approaches. 

Can you tell them apart? The flower on the left is the stitched one and the flower on the right is done with hot glue. The larger size is due to the fact that I snipped 4 inches off the end of my fabric strip on the stitched one because I liked it that size. 

So let's compare:

Stitched Jersey Flowers

• I can keep the flower rolled more tightly
• The flowers seem to be more flexible
• The thread blends into the fabric and isn't visible
• They take a little bit longer
• If you aren't familiar with sewing or tie the center knot too tight, it is easy to stab yourself with the needle.
• They will maintain their shape with washing. 

Hot Glued Jersey Flowers

• Have a looser wrap (As I do it. If you glue as you go it's easier to make the wrap tighter.)
• Are finished in half the time
• Sometimes the glue is visible on the sides
• I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable putting them on something that goes in the washer
• They are crazy fast to make

Either way, these can be made in little to no time. They quickly become brainless activity which means it is easy to pass time while the Hubs watches football or to keep my brain from completely melting from inactivity as I yell at the TV that Ben should just be D-O-N-E with Courtney. Add them to picture frames, headbands, shoe clips, gift wrap... the ideas are endless. Do you have another way to make them? I'd love to hear about it.