Now it’s even difficult to say when they appearedthe very first artificial flowers. It seems that they have always been popular everywhere. The first documentary mention of them dates back to the 3rd-2nd centuries BC. Archaeologists are inclined to think that they were invented by ancient Egyptian women. Later, this art was mastered in Ancient China, Greece and Rome. Flowers were made from a wide variety of materials - fabric, porcelain, paper, metal, precious stones, clay, wood, feathers... you can't list them all. Some examples were real works of art. And they were very expensive. Just imagine how much a bouquet of platinum and gold roses decorated with diamonds could cost, for example! In the nineteenth century, the fashion for artificial flowers reached its peak. They began to decorate everything - from hairstyles and clothes to interiors. Since the demand was very high, flower making became a real profession. Special workshops, craft schools and courses were opened. In 1894, a guide to making flowers from paper, leather, wax and fabric was even published in St. Petersburg. Since then, anyone could learn how to make artificial flowers with their own hands. The twentieth century made its own adjustments - it would seem that artificial flowers were forgotten. But at the beginning of the twenty-first century, they once again firmly entered fashion. Today, these accessories occupy a worthy place in the collections of such recognized masters as Galliano, Valentino, Christian Lacroix and many, many others. And the art of flower making is again gradually moving from the category of a hobby to the category of professional skill. However, it is quite possible to make artificial flowers with your own hands - there is nothing complicated about it. And the materials can be very different. Let's look at several simple ways to create these elegant decorations.
Organza flowers
You will need:
- scissors;
- needle and thread;
- beads;
- candle;
- a sheet of thick paper;
- pencil;
- organza.
Take a sheet of thick paper and a pencil.Draw three flowers of different sizes - small, medium and large. Each flower should have five petals. Using scissors, carefully cut out the drawings along the contour - you have templates. Take the fabric and using the resulting stencils, cut out the flowers from organza. Light a candle and carefully burn all the petals over the flame. Just do not forget that organza is very flammable. Therefore, this manipulation should be carried out very carefully. In order for the flower to look like a real one, the material must be folded in the right direction - inward. To achieve this, you should hold it with one hand so that the thumb is on the inside. Move the candle flame in one direction. When all the blanks are processed, put them one on top of the other and fasten them with thread and a needle. To "hide" the thread knot, first connect only two petals, and then sew the lowest one to them. Use beads or seed beads - they will represent the stamens of the plant. The last step is to secure the thread. To make everything neat, pierce two layers of fabric with a needle and secure the thread by the stitches so that a strong knot is formed. That's it! The original and surprisingly delicate flower is ready. It remains to figure out what exactly you will decorate with this little miracle.
Flowers from paper
Of course, the most important thing on the festive table- these are delicious dishes. But, often, beautiful design plays no less a role. If you have decided to surprise your guests not only with culinary delights, but also with an original table setting, then flowers made of napkins will help you realize your plans. For creativity you will need:
- tubes for cocktails;
- scissors;
- glue;
- multi-layer napkins;
- Threads that coincide in color with napkins.
It is best to use plain tubes.— white or black will do. But the napkins should be bright and colorful. Then the decorations will be more noticeable. Take a napkin and smooth it out carefully. Fold it in half, and then gather it into an "accordion". Tie the resulting "accordion" with a thread strictly in the middle. Take scissors and cut the edges of the napkin, giving them the desired shape. If you want the flowers to look more delicate and romantic, then cut the petals in a semicircle. If you prefer sharp edges - give the petals a triangular shape. Fluff each of the petals, carefully turning the paper inside out. Take a cocktail stick and carefully glue it to the base of the flower - you have a stem. The flower is ready! All that remains is to make a few more of the same and decorate the festive table with these original bouquets.
Flowers from felt
Make these fluffy, cute and lovelyDIY flowers are very easy. They are ideal for decorating your home interior - for example, curtains or decorative pillows. They can also be used to create various accessories - headbands, hair bands or hairpins, brooches. You will need:
- Threads matched in the tone of the fabric;
- scissors;
- felt.
Take the felt and cut it into pieces.Each piece should be ten centimeters long and two and a half centimeters wide. Use scissors to make a fringe around the entire piece of fabric. Just don't overdo it - it shouldn't be too narrow! Otherwise, the felt will start to crumble and all your work will go down the drain. After that, fold the fabric like an accordion and tie it tightly with threads in the center. Fluff up the flower, carefully unfolding the petals. Done!
Flowers from beads
Beads are a very fertile material forcreativity. What kind of crafts and decorations are not made with its help! Some of them are real works of art. Of course, in order to learn how to work with this material, you will need time and patience. But you have to start somewhere! Why not make something simple to begin with - for example, a cute and not at all complicated bouquet. Perhaps the easiest flowers to make from beads are daisies and forget-me-nots. For this bouquet you will need:
- soft wire;
- beads of green, yellow, white and blue colors;
- pliers;
- needle;
- thread;
- scissors.
Let's start with forget-me-nots.Take the wire and cut a piece 8 - 10 centimeters long with pliers. String one yellow bead on this piece. Add five blue ones to it. Bend the wire and pull its end through the first blue bead. Then - through the second, and then through the third blue bead. After that, pass the wire through the yellow bead and twist it together with the free end. You have a forget-me-not with a stem. Make several such flowers. Now you need to make a leaf. To do this, string green beads on the ends of the wire according to the pattern: 1-2-3-4-4-3-2. Twist together all the free ends of the wire - the bouquet is ready! We've sorted out the forget-me-nots. Let's move on to the chamomile. In order to make the petals, you will need 10 - 12 pieces of wire, nine centimeters long. Take white beads and weave a petal. Make sure that the ends of the wire are directed towards each other. Making the center of the flower is very simple - string seven beads on the wire and twist them into a spiral. Carefully assemble the flower by twisting the middle and petals together. To make a leaf of the plant, use the pattern: 1-2-4-4-3-4-3-2-2-1. In the process of weaving, it is recommended to bend the leaf so that it looks like a real one. Well, the last step - string green beads on the stem of your chamomile and screw the leaf. However, you can leave the stem "naked". But only if your wire is silver - otherwise it will not be beautiful. The chamomile is ready.
Flower of tulle
This amazingly romantic and delicate flower can decorate any hairstyle or clothes. And it is very easy to make. You will need:
- tatin;
- velvet ribbon;
- feathers;
- leaves from velvet;
- thread;
- needle;
- scissors;
- hair clip in the shape of a comb.
Cut the tulle into 20x20 squarescentimeters. You will need eight squares. Take one and fold it in half twice, and then diagonally so that you get a triangle. Cut off the wide end with scissors - the petals should have a triangular shape. Repeat this procedure with the other squares of tulle. Fold the resulting blanks one on top of the other. Secure the middle with a few stitches. Take a firm grip on the center of the flower and lift its petals up - you will get a bud. Fix its base at a distance of five millimeters from the edge with thread and a needle. Make sure that the flower is sewn very tightly. Take a velvet ribbon 25 centimeters long, fold it so that its ends converge in the middle. Secure with thread. You should get a bow. Sew three velvet sheets to its base. They can be purchased at a craft store or simply removed from ready-made artificial flowers. Carefully straighten and smooth the feathers and secure them so that their base is hidden under the leaves. Secure a tulle bud on top using threads and a needle. If you are going to wear the flower as a brooch, sew on a safety pin; if as a hair clip, secure it to the comb. The work is finished. Of course, these are far from all the ways to make artificial flowers. We have only looked at the easiest of them. As you can see, such creativity does not require any special knowledge or skills. All you need is a little imagination, patience and a great desire to make this world brighter and more beautiful. You will definitely succeed. Just try it! We recommend reading:
