Fourth of July Corsage Tutorial With a Sneak Peek!!!

I wrote this post 2 years ago but still LOVE this tutorial so if you haven't seen it- check it out and at the end I put a sneak preview of the corsage I'll have a tutorial for in the next Somerset Seasons and Holidays out in September!!!

Happy Fourth of July!!! To celebrate today's holiday I whipped up this sweet little holiday corsage yesterday. It's red, white and blue at it's best. With a little imagination and fabric you can easily adapt this tutorial to any holiday or special occasion. I think this would be a lovely finishing touch to your outfit when worn to a wedding or garden party. The design is meant to be reminiscent of the ol' time corsages worn high on the shoulder but because of the versatile pin back/clip combo it can also be worn as a hair accessory or you can clip it to a long necklace for a focal accent. However you choose to wear it- Enjoy!
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Fourth of July Fabric Corsage Tutorial

Tools and Materials
Scissor
Needle
Embroidery floss or thread
Variety of coordinating fabrics (I used Moda)
Canvas cloth
Bit of ribbon or other trims if desired 
Glue gun with glue stick
Pin back/clip combo (found it at Hobby Lobby) 

Step One: Rip or cut a strip of fabric approx. 2' in length by 2 1/2" in width. 

Step Two:  Fold the strip in half width-wise, hold and tie a knot an inch or so from one end of the strip 

Step Three: Thread your needle and pierce your knot in the center then begin to wrap the strip around the center knot, adding a stitch here or there as you go to hold the shape. 

Step Four: Give the fabric a twist here or there before adding a stitch to create the form and appearance of petals.







Step Five: When finished, add a few more stitches to the base of the flower to secure. Then add a couple of stitches up and through the center. Knot off at back and cut thread. 

Step Six: Choose a couple of coordinating fabric and cut 2-3 leaf shapes. Place on canvas and leaving a 1/4" border cut around your patterned fabric. Rip a few more strips to hang down decoratively from corsage as well.

Step Seven: Play around with your positioning and then stitch leaves to back of fabric flower as desired. Feel free to embellish your leaves by stitching around their edge or adding some buttons or beads. To add dimension to the leaf, pinch bottom and stitch to hold as shown. 

Step Eight: When you've finished assembling your corsage and stitching it all securely in place heat up your glue gun and adhere pin back to back of flower. Hold for a few seconds for better bond.  Alternatively, you could stitch on a pin  back. Make sure to position slightly high on back of corsage so it hangs well.  

Wear with patriotic pride 
(and 'cause you know you look good).

Best Wishes to you and your family- I hope you have a fabulous Fourth of July!!

And here's your Sneak Peek.Enjoy!!!!

4th of July Corsage- 2013

"Seeing Stars" Wreath to Celebrate the Fourth!!!

 It's almost the Fourth and I have a cute little wire wreath tutorial today to help you celebrate in Style. So if you've been wishing for something new to help decorate the porch for the day tomorrow, to hang at the front of your kids' trike in the kiddie parade or to hang on the mailbox this is quick and easy fix. I had all the materials on hand, and if you don't, then I promise they're easily found at your latest craft store.


Fourth of July "Seeing Stars" Wreath
Tools and Materials
wire wreath form (spray painted cream- Valspar)
Martha Stewart brand craft paints in red and blue
paint brush
craft mat (optional)
wooden stars assorted size (comes in a pack)
buttons in red, white, and blue
sandpaper
craft drill with piece of wood to drill into
19- 21 gauge wire
wire cutter
coordinating ribbon






 Step One: Paint the wreath with the red and blue craft paints as shown in top pic. The reason I recommend the MS paint here is that it will adhere to the metal of the frame. It takes a week or so to cure completely but they'll be dry to the touch within 10 minutes.I painted loosely, not covering the frame completely. Set aside.

 Step Two:Paint your wooden stars. I used 3 large stars, 5 medium stars, and 2 small stars.Sand the edges of the stars once dry, if desired.

Step Three: Using your craft drill or regular drill with small bit, drill a hole in the center of each star.

Step Four: Cut a 4-5" piece of the thin wire and bend over like a hairpin. Then, thread through button from top and insert both wires through hole in center of the star.

Step Five: Wire your stars to the wire wreath frame where desired, or you can check out my placements in the pic.You could also stack the stars for a more elaborate look.

 Step Six: Add your ribbon and  you're done!

Some ideas for altering the design would be to add a wire word like freedom, maybe adding some wire stars made from 16-gauge steel wire, or doing a cute little fabric pennant across the center that says something patriotic, instead of the ribbon. Fourth of July ribbon is super cheap at the craft stores right now, and will get cheaper in the next few days. But play around, make one like mine, or make your own! Just have fun and Enjoy the Fourth!!!!!