Poppy

Poppies are bright and cheerful with delicate, paper-like petals. The black centers and bright red petals make these flowers instantly recognizable. In this tutorial, we’ll use fabric stiffener to give the petals a crepe-paper texture that mimics the real thing, making them even more realistic.

SUPPLIES

Red felt

1˝ × 6˝ strip of black felt

¾"-diameter black felt ball

Poppy template

Clothespins or clips

Scissors

Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Fabric stiffener

STEP 1: Cut the pieces. Follow the poppy template to cut out four red petals.

STEP 2: Shape the petals. Spray the petals with fabric stiffener. Scrunch them up, pleating them with an accordion fold. This doesn’t need to be precise—the goal is to crinkle the felt. Use clothespins or clips to hold the folds in place and set the petals aside to dry.

STEP 3: Cut the felt. Cut slits along one long edge of the black felt strip, cutting about two-thirds of the way across the strip. Be careful not to cut all the way through the strip.

STEP 4: Attach the felt. Apply some glue to one end of the felt strip along the bottom (uncut) edge. Attach it to the felt ball, positioning it around the middle of the ball. Working in sections, continue adding glue and attaching the felt around the center of the ball. Once you’ve gone around the ball twice, trim away any extra felt.

STEP 5: Attach the petals. Unclip the petals (they will be really smushed!) and gently pull them open a little. Add glue to the bottom of a petal and attach it to the felt ball near the bottom. Pinch the bottom of the petal as you press it against the ball and hold it in place until the glue dries. Attach the second petal directly opposite the first. Then add the remaining two petals opposite one another on the remaining sides of the flower.

STEP 6: Finish. Shape the petals more as needed. Gently pull them open to widen them. To help keep the petals open or closed, you can always use a little glue to hold two overlapping petals together.