To finish out our camp week, we're going to make flaming fabric roses (to be worn as brooches or hair accessories). These floral creations will look lovely whether you wear them high in the hills or out on the town. And they're technically only "flaming" for a very short time, so they're perfectly safe to wear in your hair. Trust us. Have we steered you wrong so far?
These little beauties are so easy (and require so few supplies) that they really can be completed entirely while at a cabin or on a camping trip. In fact, we're both in charge of different youth camps this summer for the teenage girls in our respective church congregations, so you could say the project below has been (literally) tested in the field.
All three of these examples are held together with standard scrapbooking brads (one is an embroidered brad by K&Company). You can opt for the singed look or not; it's up to you!
See? Barely any singe here. Apart from brads, you can also finish the centers with buttons, simple stitching, or anything else you can find in your scrapbook stash.
Are you ready to get started? First, choose your fabric. We've tried sheer organza (about $5 per yard on sale) from JoAnn's and $2-per-yard satin (pictured above) from WalMart. If you're only making a couple of flowers, you won't need more than 1/4 of a yard. Cut at least five freehand circles out of your chosen fabric, in graduating sizes. These can (and should) be imperfect.
Next, light a candle. If you use a jar candle, make sure it's barely used, so the flame is easy to reach.
Now singe the edges of all five circles. You don't actually have to touch the fabric to the flame, especially when working with the sheer organza. The trick is to slowly approach the flame with the fabric until you see its edges start to curl and melt; then rotate the circle until the edges are uniformly melted.
To finish your flowers, layer the petals back together. Above, Angie stitched one rose (red) onto a barrette. For the pink example, she used hot glue to add a pink button to the center and a pin to the back. Both of the gray examples show silver brads that have been pushed through the center of the flowers and then bent around a barrette (one has also been hot-glued for added stability).
Now, wear your wearables! (But please, allow the glue to dry first. Unless you like your flower so much you wanted it to be a permanent hair accessory. And we have to say, we wouldn't blame you.)
Well, folks, this concludes our parade of simple crafts that can be created either for or at a summer camp. We hope you had as much fun as we did. And in parting, we'd like to leave you with one of our favorite songs to sing around the campfire:
The Princess Pat (The Princess Pat)
Lived in a tree (lived in a tree)
She sailed across (she sailed across)
The seven seas (the seven seas)
She sailed across (she sailed across)
The channel, too, (the channel, too)
And she brought with her (and she brought with her)
A rig of bamboo (a rig of bamboo)...
Wait, you don't know that one? You're lucky. How about this one:
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And the rain fall softly on your fields.
Until we meet again (we meet again)...
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
We can feel the firelight now.
Have a great summer!
p.s. Keep in touch! You can find Angie at angielucas.com and ellapublishing.com, where there is a woeful lack of mustard usage in her regular crafting. And Angie has been trying to convince Kelly to start a blog for years, since every time Angie goes to Kelly's house, she sees at least 15 new sewing, scrapbooking, or crafting projects that are totally blog-worthy. Won't you join in trying to convince Kelly too?
