How to Make Fabric Flowers (2 Easy DIY Flower Tutorials)

Learn how to make fabric flowers with this easy beginner-friendly tutorial. These DIY fabric flowers are quick to sew using simple fabric circles, a needle, and thread—no sewing machine required. They are perfect for decorating hair clips, headbands, brooches, clothing, wreaths, bags, and handmade gifts, while also helping you use up your fabric scraps. This tutorial includes 2 easy fabric flower designs: a pointed petal flower and a rounded petal flower. Both styles take just a few minutes to make and can be customized with different fabrics, buttons, and embellishments.

What Can You Use Fabric Flowers For?

Fabric flowers are inexpensive to make, require very little fabric, and are one of the best scrap-busting sewing projects for beginners. Use your handmade flowers for:

• Scrapbooking
• Hair clips and headbands
• Brooches
• Clothing embellishments
• Bags and purses
• Wreaths
• Home décor
• Gift wrapping
• Cushion covers
• Hats

Supplies for Fabric Flowers

Here is what you will need to make fabric flowers

• Cotton Fabric
• Hand needle and strong thread. I used upholstery thread as regular thread kept breaking. Embroidery floss works well too. Use a matching color for invisible stitching. I only used a contrast color so you could see what I was doing.
• Hot Glue Gun
• Buttons and beads to decorate. The best buttons to use are shank buttons as you can place the shank in the hole of the flower making it really secure.
• Scrap of felt or fabric for the back. Just cut a circle around 1 inch (2.5cm) in diameter. I prefer felt as it doesn’t fray and it is a little thicker making the finished product easier to attach to clips and brooch backs.
• Sewing basics – scissors

What is the Best Fabric for Flowers? Quilting cotton is one of the best fabrics for making fabric flowers because it has enough body to help the petals hold their shape. Small prints and solid fabrics work especially well. You can also use linen, felt, faux leather, or silk to create different textures and finishes.

How to Make Fabric Flowers (Step by Step)

Follow these simple steps to make the pointed petal fabric flower.

Step 1 – Cut and Press Circles

1. Cut 6 circles of fabric 4 inches (10cm) in diameter. Smaller flowers can be made with 3 inch (7.5cm) and even 2 inch (5cm) circles. If you are going to make lots of these fabric flowers, make a template from cardboard.
2. Press the circles in half with the wrong sides together to form a semi-circle.
3. Press it in half again to form a quarter.

Step 2 – Sew the Edges

1. Thread a sewing needle with a double thread and knot.
2. Sew across the raw edges of the piece with an up-and-down running stitch. Try and make sure you get a stitch near the ends and make sure you go through all layers.
3. Don’t pull the knotted end all the way through but leave at least a 4-inch (10cm) tail.

Step 3 – Pull the Threads

1. Gently pull the thread to gather the petals into shape. Make sure you still have the tail at the end.

Step 4 – Add More Petals

1. Sew the next five petals the same way until you have a string of them.

Step 5 – Finish with Felt

1. Using the ends of the thread, pull really tight and then tie a secure knot. I like to knot a couple of times so I know it won’t come undone.
2. Cut the excess thread.
3. Flip the flower to the backside and glue on a circle of felt or fabric to hide the raw edges in the center.

4. Glue or sew a bead or button to the top.

How to Stiffen Fabric Flowers

To make fabric flowers stiff, you can use a variety of methods depending on the materials you have on hand and the level of stiffness you’re aiming for. Here are some common techniques:

• Starch Spray – Lay your fabric flowers on a clean, flat surface. Spray them evenly with fabric starch, allowing them to soak in slightly. Let them air dry. If necessary, apply multiple coats to achieve the desired stiffness.
• Mod Podge or PVA Glue – Dilute Mod Podge or PVA glue with a little water to make it easier to apply. Brush the solution onto the fabric flowers, ensuring all parts are covered. Reshape the flowers as needed and let them dry.

Choose the method that best suits the fabric type and the project’s needs. Some methods may alter the color or texture of the fabric slightly, so consider this when selecting your stiffening technique.

Tips for Stiffening Fabric Flowers

• Always test the stiffening method on a small, inconspicuous area of the fabric first to ensure it doesn’t damage or discolor the material.
• Shape the flowers as desired before they dry. You might need to support or prop them up until they’re fully set.
• Work in a well-ventilated area, especially when using products with strong fumes like hairspray or acrylic sealer.

Variation: Round Fabric Flowers

If you prefer softer, fuller flowers, try this rounded petal variation. Both styles use the same basic sewing technique but create completely different finished flowers. They also curve up at the ends so have a quite 3-dimensional look which is nice.

Here are the instructions for the round petal DIY fabric flowers.

1. Cut circles of fabric. As a general rule, the flowers end up with the same finished diameter as your circles. So a 3-inch (7.5cm) diameter circle will result in a 3-inch (7.5cm) finished flower. You can make the flowers as small or large as you like! I have used the 3-inch (7.5cm) size. You should have 6 circles of fabric. I always cut an extra one in case something goes wrong or if I want to add an extra petal at the end.
2. Press your circles in half with the WRONG sides together.
3. Using a small running stitch (up and down stitch), sew around the curved raw edges of your semi-circle.
4. Go through both layers of fabric. The stitches should be quite small. See if you can stitch 1/8-1/4 inch (3-6mm) stitches.
5. Pull the thread through and gather up the petal. Be gentle! Leave a 3 inch (7.5cm) tail of thread that you can use later to knot off. Repeat for the other petals of the DIY fabric flowers. If your fabric is really thick you may find that you only need 5 petals instead of the 6. For thin fabric, you may need an extra petal. Play around a bit and see what you like the look of.
6. Pull tight and tie the ends of the thread in a double knot. Knot again just to doubly make sure it won’t come undone.
7. If your beautiful flowers are going to be subject to a lot of wear and tear, you can even put a drop of glue on the knot.
8. Glue your felt circle on the back of the flower to hide the messy center.
9. Glue a bead or button to the front of the flower. Buttons with a shank work well as you can nestle it in the hole in the middle.

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Fabric Flower FAQs

In Conclusion

Now you know how to make fabric flowers, you can create beautiful handmade embellishments for clothing, hair accessories, bags, wreaths, gifts, and home décor. Experiment with different fabrics, petal shapes, and decorative buttons to create unique flowers that match your projects. Once you’ve mastered these two easy styles, try some of my other free flower and bow tutorials.

Here are some links to other styles of DIY flowers and bows. Use up scrap fabric to create hair accessories and jewelry.

• How to Make Fabric Yo yos
• How to Make Pom Poms
• DIY Felt Hair Bows