Burlap Wedding Bouquet

I just love the versatility of Burlap and I am constantly amazed at the creative uses people find for it. For example Wedding Bells magazine blog recently showed this gorgeous Burlap Wedding Bouquet (to view their blog click on the link). Such a lovely idea. It's super affordable, original, and best of all you can keep it forever without it wilting or turning brown. Imagine having a bouquet like this that you could hand down from one generation to the next - wish I had of thought of this for my wedding! (Though now with three boys - doubt it would have got used again anyway!)

Burlap flowers are relatively simple to make, it's just more patience and perseverance than skill! For your first attempts I recommend using Burlap Webbing. It won't fray and will be the easiest to work with. Simply fold over 0.5cm to start and then tightly wind the webbing around itself to form a flower shape like the white flower shown in the above photo. Be sure to vary the height of the wrapping to give a more natural petal effect. 

Once your flower is the desired size, fold the webbing down on an angle and tuck the end under the flower. If you look closely in the photo you will see where the white flower finishes and they have folded it over and down under the flower. Once you are happy with the placement of the webbing use a needle and thread to sew several stitches through the base of the flower to secure all the layers in place. I find it's best to use a really long needle for this as the flower base can be quite wide.

The other brown flowers are in the photo are created using burlap fabric, I will cover a 'How To' on these shortly.

Start with practising the webbing the flowers and if you are lucky enough to see this post before you get married, I hope you create a heirloom bouquet that  your daughters and grand-daughters can use in the future!