Make a pretty flower from colorful fabric scraps and pipe cleaners. A fun way to dress up your desk or add some lively summer color to your kitchen table. This is fun for both adults and for kids, so gather around the craft table for some afternoon crafting fun! While these do look lovely as plant pokes in the garden, they won’t hold up to inclement weather, so be sure to bring them inside before it rains!
As you might recall, I announced on AmandaFormaro.com that I had a new craft column in the Sunday edition of the Chicago Tribune. Once a month I share a fun new project (#3 appears in July 8th’s issue) with the Tribune’s readers. As luck would have it, I am also allowed to share those here.
This bendable flower was my debut craft for the Tribune in May and I hope you like it as much as they did!
I still have this flower in my craft room downstairs, it’s so pretty I haven’t been able to part with it! It’s fun when it twirls too and looks a lot like a helicopter as it whirls around!
You can get a downloadable PDF version of the actual column that ran in the Trib here. Full printable instructions are below as well.
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Place fabric scraps on wax paper and paint them with Mod Podge. After they have dried, peel them off of the wax paper and cut each strip in half lengthwise.
click picture for a larger view
Bend a pipe cleaner in half, keeping the bend rounded. Form a petal shape and twist it a couple of times to secure. Run some hot glue around the petal and sandwich it in between the fabric. Trim off one “leg” of the pipe cleaner completely, and trim the other one, leaving about half of an inch.
click picture for a larger view
Gently squish the Styrofoam ball between your thumb and fore finger, just enough to flatten both ends. Insert the pipe cleaner end of the petal into the side of the ball, repeat for all the petals. Glue a circle of felt over the top to conceal the ball and glue a button on for decoration. Insert a dowel in the other side for the stem.
If you would like to make a bendable flower from duct tape, check out this video from Kids Crafts by Three Sisters below!
Bendable Fabric Flower
Supplies
- 7- 7 "x2" strips fabric in various patterns and colors
- Mod Podge decoupage medium or white glue thinned with water
- Waxed paper
- 7 white pipe cleaners
- 1 " Styrofoam ball
- 2 " square scrap of pink felt
- 12 " wooden dowel
- Orange button
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
- Hot glue gun
Instructions
- Place a piece of waxed paper on the work surface. Place each strip of fabric on the waxed paper and paint with Mod Podge, saturating each piece so that it sticks to the waxed paper. Allow the fabric to dry completely.
- When dry, peel the strips of fabric from the waxed paper. This method not only stiffens the fabric, it also stops the fabric edges from fraying when you cut it with scissors.
- Bend a pipe cleaner in half, but do not crease the center, keep it naturally curved. Cross the open ends and twist together to create a flower petal shape about 2-inches long.
- Fold one of the strips of fabric in half and crease it. Open it up and place the pipe cleaner petal inside with the open ends hanging out of the open end of the fabric. Hot glue the pipe cleaner petal on both sides and close the fabric, sandwiching the pipe cleaner inside. Press to seal and repeat with all seven petals.
- Trim around the fabric in the shape of the petal. Cut off one of the pipe cleaner open ends and trim the other to about half an inch.
- Gently squeeze the Styrofoam ball between your thumb and index finger, applying enough pressure to flatten both sides. Insert each petal into the sides of the Styrofoam ball, working your way around evenly. Trim the pink felt into a circle and hot glue it to the center of the flower; the flat side of the Styrofoam ball. Hot glue the button to the felt.
- Turn flower over and insert the wooden dowel into the other flat side of the Styrofoam ball. Remove the dowel, add some hot glue to the hole, and put the dowel back in and let dry.
- You can keep the petals straight or bend them up, whatever you like best. Spin the flower between your fingers by twisting the dowel for a pretty display kids and adults will enjoy! This makes a pretty plant poke or a great addition to a summertime centerpiece.
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Diane Rumsky says
I loved this project for making center pieces on tables at an assisted living facility. Could not have moving parts, so I put the stick on the circle to look like a stem on the flower. I made the petals with assorted red prints to look good for Valentines Day. I put one in a green vase and added a red heart, tied a red bow around the vase and they turned out beautiful. I had eight to make, one for each table. I think I might try this again using autumn materials.
Amanda Formaro says
Oh they sound so pretty Diane! So glad you enjoyed the project!
Kids Crafts by Three Sisters says
Hi Amanda, your bendable flower inspired us to create a duck tape flower pen with BENDABLE PETALS. We made a video and give you credit. Also link to your YouTube Channel & craft post.
Amanda Formaro says
What a fun project and adorable video! I’ve subscribed to your channel and thanks so much for the shout out on the video. I’ve embedded the video in my post so my readers can find you :)
Paulah Mwang'ombe says
I love your craft!I cant wait to try it with my daughters.
Amanda Formaro says
Thank yo Paulah, I hope you have fun!
Tammy White says
so cute and easy to make… i love crafts like this! :)
Sydney says
Oh, I made so very many of these when I was a young girl in the 70’s. We’d cover glass soda bottles with squares of magazine cutouts dipped in glue and then we’d make the pipe cleaner flowers. Thanks for taking me back!
Maria says
I love the bright colors! SO fun!