Ranunculus

This sweet flower is characterized by its plethora of petals. The simplified petal shape used here provides intricate detail with minimal effort, all while keeping the flower true to its natural form. Ranunculus come in all sorts of colors, from pale and soft to bright and bold.

SUPPLIES

Peach or fuchsia felt

½˝-diameter green felt ball

Ranunculus template

Scissors

Hot glue gun and glue sticks

STEP 1: Cut the pieces. Follow the ranunculus template to cut out thirty to forty petals. Cut out five 2˝-diameter circles.

STEP 2: Attach the petals. Apply hot glue to one half of a ranunculus petal along the bottom (straight) edge. Press another petal on top, overlapping the first petal about halfway. Continue adding petals until you have a strip about seven to ten petals long. Repeat with the remaining petals to form additional strips.

STEP 3: Attach the strips. Apply some glue to the end of a petal strip along the bottom (straight) 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. Continue with the remaining petal strips.

STEP 4: Glue the inner petals. Add a tiny dot of glue to two or three of the innermost petals and glue them down onto the felt ball. This will make the center of the flower appear partially closed.

STEP 5: Shape the petals. Cut a 1˝-long slit in each circle. Put a small dot of glue on one side of the slit. Pull the other side over and press it in place on top of the glue. This will give each petal a cupped shape.

STEP 6: Start attaching the petals. Before starting this step, it might help to arrange the petals around the flower to get an idea of the spacing. Add glue to one half of a petal along the bottom (cut) edge and attach it to the bottom of the flower. Leave the other half of the petal unglued for now.

STEP 7: Finish attaching the petals. Continue adding the remaining petals around the flower, overlapping them as needed. When you get to the final petal, tuck it under the unglued side of the first petal and glue the edge of the first petal down on top of it.