I can never find a needle when I need to hand sew something and my pins are always all over the place. Today I crafted up a solution that is not only functional and cute, but also showcases an adorable terra cotta pot that Aislin painted for me a few years ago.
Materials:
Styrofoam ball
fabric scraps
a dowel or silk flower stem
felt scraps
Tools:
Razor or knife
glue gun
Step 1: Mark the foam ball
Create "poles" on the foam ball and then make a line creating hemispheres.
Subdivide the hemispheres by 3 even sections, making 6 total sections.
Step 2: Slice the Sections
Using the razor or knife, slice along the marks about a half inch deep. This will create a well for the fabric to be crammed in :)
Step 3: Fabric Fun
Cut small scraps of fabric into a rough leaf shape. Make sure they're big enough to cover each little section.
Using the dull side of the razor or knife (of just use a butter knife) cram the edges of the fabric scraps into the wells in the foam ball.
When it's finished it should look something like this. Continue this method on each section. You can use the same fabric for each section, alternate between two, or use a different fabric for each. Try using different textures!
Step 4: Finishing touches
Here, I cut two layers of felt to make a leaf for the needles. Make sure you leave a stem on the leaf to attach it to the stem of the flower.
I decided to stitch in some details while attaching the two felt layers.
Pop the flower onto a stem or a dowel (you can paint the dowel or wrap it with ribbon) and then glue on the leaf. Now go ahead, give it pins and needles ;)