Fabric Pom Pom Flower

I'm back already! Even though I am having a boy, I have started dabbling in little girls' clips and headbands.  This is inspired by a tutorial I found on Pinterest (as most of my crafts are, in one way or another).  Here is how I made these sweet fabric pom pom flowers:

I'm not sure the pictures do it justice, but it's all I've got. I chose to make them in patriotic colors for 4th of July, but they look great in all colors, patterns or solids.

Materials:
-one strip of fabric about 18" long by 2.5" (it can be done with strips of different lengths and widths, it will just make the flowers bigger or smalled.)
-needle and thread
-hot glue gun and sticks

I used my new handy rotary cutter and mat to cut my strip, but scissors work just fine.  These aren't meant to be perfect, so I think it's okay if there is fraying.

After I cut my initial strip, I cut it again into two pieces.  One is about 11" long, and the other is about 7". The measurement is not too specific, you just need one strip a little longer than the other.

You will notice that I was lazy and did not iron the fabric before starting.  I didn't find it necessary, but if you want to, by all means do it.  My hat goes off to you for your patience. :)

Take the long strip and fold it lengthwise.  You can iron at this step to keep the fold sharp, but again, I didn't bother and I didn't find it to cause a problem.  While holding the folded edge, take your scissors and cut into the loose sides, going almost all the way to the fold.  Each cut is about 1/4 of an inch apart, but it doesn't need to be precise.  Continue cutting this way all the way to the end of the long strip.



Once you have it cut all the way, get your needle and thread ready.  Starting at one edge, do an in and out stitch, creating a messy accordian fold in your fabric, like this:

When you get to the other end, pull your string tight, until the fabric pulls into a circle:

Then, complete the circle and tie a knot, securing both sides of the fabric to each other.  Your knots and stitches will be hidden in the finished product, so I usually go a little over board.  This is what it should look like when finished:

This will be the base of your fabric flower. Next, you will use the smaller strip of fabric to create the center and give your flower some volume.  Fold the small strip in half lengthwise, and cut into the loose edges as you did with the long piece.  However, this time, instead of using needle and thread, we will use hot glue to bind it.  Keeping the strip folded lengthwise, start at one edge and roll.  Periodically, stop and add a dot of hot glue to keep the layers together.  Make sure you roll and glue on the folded/ non cut side.

When you get to the end of the roll, secure with hot glue.  And, now, you are almost done!

Finally, I glue it together by placing hot glue around the outside of the little roll and squeezing it into the center ring of the big piece.  I turn it over and put a layer of hot glue on the bottom for good measure.  Then you have a pom pom flower for a clip or headband, or whatever else your heart desires.

This tutorial seems long and like it will take a while to complete, but I can make one in about 15 minutes, start to finish.  Just takes a little practice.  Good luck and happy crafting!