New Maker Team member Colleen of @thejoyfulfelter is no stranger to teaching! Her first tutorial is a Glittering Rose that she's designed and tested on makers of all skill levels. The addition of Sparkle Paste really makes these florals pop and can be added to the entire bouquet or singular blooms. Go all in on the glitter or leave them unadorned. Either way, there is something spectacular about a rose - especially one with no thorns!
You can use this pattern to make roses that are realistic or whimsical in any colors you like! With just a few simple materials, create roses perfect for performers, graduates and weddings. Use one rose to top a gift or grace a bud vase or create several to make someone feel adored!
Skill Level: Beginner
Time: 45 min for one, 3-4 hours for six
Additional Supplies:
Sepal Template (click to download)
Iron
Ruler
Paintbrush
Dime
Fabric Stiffener - optional
Directions:
Stems
1. Cut Emerald felt into six ½ x 13" strips and six 3" squares.
2. At end of one Emerald strip, fold a triangle (as shown) and cut on fold to make angled end. Repeat each step for number of roses being made.
3. Fold floral wire in half. Measure ½” down from top of folded end and mark. Line up tip of felt strip to mark and glue in place.
4. Starting from glued tip, add a 1-2" line of glue down center of felt strip. Wrap felt around wire while gently pulling on felt. Abut or slightly overlap felt edges. Continue adding glue and wrapping felt until wire is completely covered.
Don’t worry about lumps or glue as these will be fixed in a future step.
5. At bottom of stem, cut felt about ¼" away from stem, parallel to bottom. Glue flap flush against stem. Glue point over bottom of floral wire. Trim excess felt.
6. Use scissors to trim any visible glue or large ridges on wrapped stem. And don't worry about imperfections!
Petals
7. For petals, cut 9 x 12" felt sheets into twelve 3" squares. Begin by cutting 3" strips widthwise, then cut strips into 3" squares. Each rose requires five squares, so cut accordingly.
8. For inner petals, take four squares of Opal, Thistle and Lavender (light, medium and dark.) One rose only requires two squares. Fold each square point to point along the diagonal and iron. Repeat for opposite points.
9. Place dime at intersection of lines and use Frixion pen to trace. Draw along folded lines until they reach center circle. If you feel comfortable cutting along pressed lines or eyeballing a cut from the corners to the center, skip this step.
10. Use scissors or a hole punch to cut a small hole in center of traced circle for stem to pass through.
11. Cut along lines (or folds) from corners to center circle. For two of each color, round three of the triangles.Try and keep as much felt as possible when cutting around petals. It will look like ¾ of a clover!
For remaining two of each color, round all four triangles so you have a complete clover shape.
If you are making six roses, you should now have this:
If you are making one rose, you should now have this:
12. To give petals dimension, stretch top edge of each triangle until slightly warped. For each rounded petal, pull back and forth until petal has gentle wave shape from above. If every petal is slightly different, your rose will be more like an actual rose!
13. For reference, label pieces with three rounded petals 'A' and pieces with four rounded petals 'B'.
14. For outer petals, take remaining felt squares, six each of Opal, Thistle and Lavender, and fold edge to edge and iron. Repeat for opposite sides. One rose only requires three squares.
15. As before, place dime at intersection of lines and trace. Draw along folded lines until they reach center circle, if desired. Use scissors or a hole punch to cut a small hole in center of traced circle for stem to pass through. Round out all four squares so you have four petals.
16. Press center of outer petals with thumb. Use other hand to pull edges of petal up and towards thumbnail for a concave shape.
17. Label two of each color 'C'. Label the four remaining of each color 'D'.
Each rose consists of five felt pieces: A, B, C and two of D.
18. Take D pieces and roll end of petals tightly toward center. Allow them to unroll on their own.
Assembly
19. Insert unfinished end of wrapped stem through hole in piece A. Glue wire along middle of triangle.
20. Roll right side of triangle toward stem with point angled slightly downward. Glue in place. Put a line of glue along left side of triangle and wrap it around rolled portion in a similar manner. Hold in place while glue dries. This glued portion now acts as center of the rose.
21. Draw a half circle of glue along bottom of one petal. Wrap around rose center leaving a bit of space between petals. Hold in place while glue dries.
Curl top of petal away from center using fingers.
22. Glue remaining two petals around center in like manner, slightly overlapping each added petal. Curl tops of petals away from center using fingers.
23. Add piece B onto stem until it is flush with piece A. Affix B by adding half circle of glue along bottom of one petal and centering and attaching it to intersection of petals from piece A. Repeat for second petal.
Glue third and fourth petals in like manner with edges overlapping first two petals of piece B.
24. Add piece C onto stem until it is flush with piece B. Affix C by adding a half circle of glue along bottom of one petal and centering and attaching it to intersection of petals from piece B.
For remaining three petals, add a line of glue along edge and slightly overlap previously glued petal.
25. Add piece D onto stem. Petals should be curling away from rose center and toward bottom. Glue two petals in gap left by piece C. Glue the first petal of piece D, with a half circle of glue, overlapping the last petal from piece C. Glue the last petal in the remaining space in same manner.
26. You can stop adding petals now for a lovely rose or press on! For a fuller rose, add additional D petals in same manner as before. Stretch and yank felt, if necessary, to get petals to overlap. The more you manipulate the felt - squeezing and rolling and twisting - the more your rose will look like a real flower!
27. Use a heat source, such as a hairdryer, to remove any visible pen marks from finished roses.
Sparkle Paste
28. Take equal parts water and Sparkle Paste and mix well until entire mixture is a smooth consistency.
One teaspoon Water + One teaspoon Sparkle Paste = One Rose
One tablespoon Water + One tablespoon Sparkle Paste = Six Roses
29. Use small paintbrush to paint glitter onto roses. Add multiple coats for more sparkle!
30. While rose is still wet, roll, crimp and squeeze petals to achieve desired shape. They will dry stiff and hold their shape.
If you choose not to use sparkles on your roses, consider using Spray N’ Bond Fabric Stiffener to get the same effect.
Sepal
31. Print and cut out 3” Sepal Template. Trace onto Emerald felt. Cut out.
If you make a rose using a different size square, print out the corresponding star (e.g. 4” squares, 4” sepal.)
32. Use scissors or a hole punch to cut a small hole in center of sepal. Aggressively twist each arm.
33. Insert stem into hole and slide sepal up until nearly flush with rose. Add glue to untwisted portions, closest to the petals. Hold in place while glue dries.
You made a lovely, lasting rose!
I’ve made these roses with my kiddos as a birthday gift for my mom, for a family friend soloing in a local concert and for my cousin’s wedding rehearsal bouquet. I hope it will bring you loads of joy and that you’ll consider making this pattern again and again!
Optional Customization
Size - Each rose needs five squares of the same size. I would not suggest squares smaller than 2” or larger than 5”. For your convenience, I have calculated out how many squares you can get out of standard Benzie felt sizes. Amounts assume squares of uniform size.
For a 12 x 18” felt sheet:
5” - 6 squares (1 rose + 1 square)
4” - 12 squares (2 roses + 1 square)
3” - 24 squares (4 roses + 4 squares)
2” - 54 squares (10 roses + 4 squares)
For a 9 x 12” felt sheet:
4” - 6 squares (1 rose + 1 square)
3" - 12 squares (2 roses + 1 square)
2" - 24 squares (4 roses + 4 squares)
Color - As long as you keep in mind you need five squares of the same size per rose, you can make them any color you want! Use one color, a gradient or multiple colors!
Thanks to Colleen for designing and writing this tutorial! You can see more of her work on Instagram @thejoyfulfelter. Stay tuned for more tutorials from the Benzie Design Maker Team!
