Prima style abric flowers tutorial.....

Now, I love my blossoms as much as anyone... they went out of fashion for trendy scrappers, and I like alot of people went right off them... butterflies came in.... and then the new generation of flowers came on the scene, arty flowers. My favourite ones are these primas...

I love them - BUT I don't love the £4 price ticket that adorns each packet that I coo over..
So.. I decided I needed to make an alternative!
I pulled one apart (carefully) to try and work out how etc that they had come to life in the prima workshop, each layer of the pretty prima ones is starch moulded into a prima press before layering,... URGH I thought - that's irritating.. seeing as I don't have a prima flower press...
But they I realised that, I can still have a go right?
So.. here is my makeshift tutorial for the prima blossoms that make us all go "oooooooo"
here is one of mine...
I have learned one thing whilst making these - and that is that white organza is very bright and un-natural looking... next time I am opting for cream or palest pink.

Cut approx 7 ever decreasing circles out of the organza or poly material.

have a selection of "middle" bits to hand to play around with when you need them...

Now - here is the important bit:
We will be literally playing with fire here.. so, PLEASE do this in a draft free room, away from young hands or fur and somewhere heat resistant, eg: Not on the carpet or your aunts best hat.
I used my kitchen work top. Yes it's blue - and yes, that is gross.

Take your largest circle toward the flame.. you won't actually need to touch the flame with the fabric - it will start to wilt as soon as it gets near, I found that you need to hold it vertically towards the flame - as when you do this, the fabric burns in the same direction all round causing the fabric circles to "cup" (See below)

repeat this for all your circles. Till you have a pretty pile like this:

Then stack them - and sew them together with white cotton, or whatever colour matches your fabric choice...

For my middle - I glue dotted the flower stamen centres in, and then cut the shank of this button before attaching it to the glue dotted centre.

I think its cute! Its not perfect - but then, if you actually look at the prima ones, the edges are all burned... at least mine aren't *lol*
And... half a metre of this fabric cost me £2.50... which means I could get approx 20 flowers for that..... much better value than £4 for two! (You also can't beat that certain sense of achievement that comes from making one)

If you have a go, please come and tell me, I would LOVE to see what fabric you choose etc!!