As I mentioned in May, J Schwanke, uBloom CEO and JTV host, invited me to be a guest on his web-based flower show and I agreed.

J and I are regulars guests on “Take Five & Company” a weekday morning show on  WZZM Channel 13 here in Grand Rapids. He’s the flower expert and I do what I can to spread the love of art and craft in 4.5 minutes or less. J’s invite presented me with a great opportunity to demonstrate a craft project without rushing like I do during my live weekly segments. Not surprisingly, I look a little more on the ball when I have more time to work. (Thanks, J!)

We ended up having a great time taping a super- long craft segment on the cool set where he shoots his web show here in West Michigan. So check out the JTV episode and scroll down for project instructions. Enjoy!

P.S. My flower project was inspired by this fabulous pincushion tutorial that I mention during the JTV craft webisode.

Flower Power Felt Flower Arrangement

Nothing beats the natural beauty of a vase of fresh cut flowers, but these low maintenance felt flowers make for great stand-ins when you’re looking to make an arrangement that will stay perky for years. Check out the instructions below or download the PDF.

Flower Supplies (to make a single flower and one leaf)
• Five 3-inch squares of craft felt for petals
• One 3 -inch square of craft felt in a contrasting color for flower center
• Plastic bottle cap
• Green craft felt (one piece from the craft store will do)
• Two pieces of green pipe cleaner (a.k.a. chenille stems)
• Painted green dowel (or green, wooden floral stem supports)
• Handful of stuffing
• Awl (for poking a hole in the center of the bottle cap)
• Needle and thread to match felt
• Hot glue gun

Recycled Vase Supplies
• Canning jar with ring lid
• Floral foam
• Assortment of plastic buttons (Skip to step 9 to estimate how many you will need. The amount required will depend on the size of the canning jar you use.)

Step 1) Poke a hole in the center of your bottle cap with the awl. Next make a cozy for the bottle cap by placing it on a piece of green felt and tracing around the bottom of the cap. Cut out the circle and set aside. Cut a narrow strip of felt out to cover the edge of the cap. The ends of this strip should overlap slightly.

Figure 1

Step 2) With green thread, whip stitch the narrow strip of green felt in place around the cap. Hold the green circle over the top of the cap and whip stitch around the edge of the circle connecting the strip to the bottom circle. Set aside. (Figure 1)

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Step 3) Pick up the 3-inch square of felt that will form the center of the flower and round off the corners. Then stitch a loose basting stitch around the edge. Place stuffing in the center or this piece of felt and pull thread tight to form a small ball shape. Add more stuffing as needed. Stitch closed with a knot. (Figures 2-4)

Step 4) Snip a hole in the center of the green circle and feed a piece of pipe cleaner through the opening in the bottle cap, bending a short piece inside the cap to hold the stem in place.

Figure 5

Step 5) Stitch the flower center, gathered sided down to the felt-covered bottle cap using tiny whip stitches and set aside. (Figure 5)

Figure 6

Figure 7

Step 6) To create the flower petals, fold the five 3-inch square pieces of felt into triangles and hand stitch along the open edge using a basting stitch and one continuous piece of thread, gathering the petals as you go. After gathering the fifth petal, pull tight and knot to hold petals in place. (Figures 6 & 7)

Figure 8

Step 7) Pick up your flower center with the connected stem and stitch the five petals to the stuffed center along the top edge of the green base. (Figure 8)

Figure 9

Step 8) Pick up a painted green dowel and wind the pipe cleaner around the top of the dowel until it is secure. (Figure 9) Repeat this flower-making process a few more times to create a bouquet of flowers before proceeding to the next step.

Step 9) Place a piece of floral foam snugly in the vase and pour buttons in between the glass and the foam. Screw on the canning ring without the jar sealer.

Step 10) Poke the flowers into the foam, trimming some down to vary the height of your design for added interest.

Step 11) Cut a leaf shape out of green felt and use a hot glue gun to glue a pipe cleaner down the center back of the leaf. Let dry and add to the arrangement.

Step 12) Tie a bow around he canning ring to take the arrangement up a notch, or leave it as is. Either way, expect to impress the recipient of these crafty felt flowers.