Crinoline Chrysanthemum Tutorial

Hello,  I'm back with you today to share how to make this lovely fall chrysanthemum out of crinoline. 

Supplies Needed:

A piece of crinoline 3 inches x 35 inches or thereabouts (look for crinoline at your local sewing center.  If you can't find it, I have a limited amount in my Etsy shop)

Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Die

Cuttlebug Dandelion die

Dye (I used a couple of drops of SU Really Rust with a dash of Chocolate Chip to darken it a bit)

Glue (I use Beacon Fabri-Tac)

Something to hold it together  - a brad, a jewelry headpin (or you can glue it and put a decoration in the center such as a button or large rhinestone) 

#1 Cut the Crinoline

You will need 5 crinoline flowers cut with the next-to-largest flower on the Tattered Florals die and 5 cut from the Cuttlebug Dandelion die.  If you don't have these dies, substitute something similar (dies with long pointy petals will work best for this flower).

2.  Dye your cut crinoline - follow dying/drying Steps 2, 3 & 4 in the sunflower tutorial.

3.  Crumple each flower into a tight ball and then carefully unfurl them.  A petal may pull off here and there but that should not be a problem.  An occasional missing petal won't be noticed (arrows show where a couple of petals pulled off mine).  

3. Using a jewelry headpin or a brad, start adding your flower layers from the top down.  If you are using a button or a glue-on decoration for the center, it is easier to build from the bottom up as I showed in the sunflower tutorial.  When building on a head pin, I add all five of the smaller flower layers first and then separate while still on the headpin and add a bead of glue every other layer.

4.  Once you have all five layers added and the glue applied, push them up so all the layers are tightly compressed and using both hands, pinch the base of the flowers.  You may feel some glue oozing out as you pinch.  That's okay.  You should end up with a compact base while the upper petals are in tight bud.

5.  Now add all five of the larger flower layers and repeat the gluing process with a small bead of glue every other layer. 

6.  Push the remaining 5 layers all the way up so they are tightly compressed with the upper layers.  

If using a head pin, bend it to a 45 degree angle and add a drop of glue so the flower layers can't wiggle off.

I glue a small circle as a cover over the head pin and when dry, using a wire cutter, clip off the excess.

7.  All done - enjoy using your pretty fall flower on your fall crafting items.  A word of caution about using it for apparel, the stamping re-inkers are not color fast.  If you want to use it for apparel, I would advise using a color fast fabric dye and maybe sewing the layers together, although Beacon Fabri-Tac is made for gluing fabric.  

I hope you found this tutorial helpful.  If you have any questions, please post them in the comments section and I will respond to them at the bottom of this post so everyone benefits from the information.