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Basic ArtFelt Instructions

1. Cut a piece of the dissolvable ArtFelt paper larger than the flower petals
you are making, using scissors. Draw or trace or use shaped templates
(such as circles) to add your petal patterns with an ink pen. Many flower
petals are made from plain circles in graduating sizes (see materials list).

2. Draw or trace or use shaped templates (such as the two
sizes of sunflower petals) to add your shape guides with an ink pen.

3. Holding your hands about 6" apart on a half of the width of the
roving, pull a piece off that's the length of one petal. Place the
paper on the tacking board. Lay the roving out flat on the paper
but not too thick, horizontally (from side to side) on each petal.

4. Now add a second thin layer of the same roving vertically
(top to bottom) over the first layer of roving. This second layer is
"cross-hatched", going in another direction than the first layer. Using the
tacking needle, punch down through the roving and the mat, just enough
so that you can pick up and shake the project and the roving will not fall
off. Do NOT "needle felt" or "tack" the entire piece. To shade larger petals,
all a light wisp of rust color roving. To highlight the small petals, add
a light wisp of bright yellow roving.

5. When all petals are filled with two layers, gently pull the
entire paper sheet from the board to check if all shapes are tacked down.
This photo shows the under side (back) of the piece. You should see
the roving poking out the backside. If there is a section of any petals
on the white paper with no areas of roving poking through, place it back
on the board and tack down the area with the tacking needle.

6. Cut out around each petal with scissors, avoiding cutting any
roving off the edges. (Other flower project petals shown also.) For the Rose
(8 petals) and the Fiesta (5 different solid colors), I simply use a large circle
template or stencil for the graduated petal sizes, or a set of graduating
sized metal cookie cutters I have. Either works great!

7. Place the petals, with space between each, onto a folded bath towel
and soak the project with room temperature water (not hot!) using a
squeeze type bottle. The project must be completely saturated with water.
Push the water into the wool with your fingers, as it will try to resist
the water. When the roving is dark and no longer fluffy, it is ready for the next step.

8. Place the wet petals onto plastic and fold the sides over to
the center, covering all roving areas and press down. All of the roving
pieces should stick to the plastic, if not, set them back on the towel and
soak them in water until they all stick. Make sure the plastic covers the
ends, then begin to roll the plastic, loosely, like a jelly roll, until you have a tube.

9. Turn on your clothes dryer at medium heat so it will be pre-heated
for the next step. Begin to boil water in a kettle or pan with a pour
spout for the next step. Place the plastic roll into a tube knee high
nylon or thin trouser sock. Tie a second knot or place a twist tie on
opened end, close to the project.

10. Place the nylon tube in the dryer, with several dry towels,
for 10 minutes. Unwrap and check the piece. If it is not felted enough,
place it back in the dryer for 5 minute intervals, until it is to the
desired felted thickness. The longer it stays in the smaller and thicker the
felt will get. The paper will not shrink but will wrinkle.
(Note: Larger projects will take longer.)

11. Unwrap the felt petals and set them in your plugged up kitchen sink,
paper side up. Pour boiling water over the piece and immediately
the paper will dissolve. Rinse the project in hot water to catch any paper
residue on the piece. Place the wet felt pieces between layers of a dry
towel and press to remove excess water.


12. Shape the petals by pinching the center and setting them on
a dry towel larger side down to begin to dry. Oval shaped petals will be
creased at the base, so I used sewing pins to pin the base together to dry
like little tacos at one end of each.


13. When almsot dry, I do some extra shaping, as the shapes will
relax once opened. For the blue rose, I secure the petals down so the petal
edges curl downward using my tacking needles. For the "crinkled flowers"
(multi-color flower and rainbow color layered flower) I bunched up, stacked
in sizes and secured with pipe cleaners to dry overnight.


Specific Project Photos-Refer to Basic ArtFelt Instructions


"Five Petal Flower" taco shaped petals

The pattern is similar to an egg shape when felting. Trace 5 petals
on Artfelt paper and add roving. Trace, add roving and then felt
petals. While petals are still wet, shape each by pinching the bottom half
in the back bottom of the petals and pin in place to dry. Then, Clip the
triangle off the backside that protrudes. Sew petals together evenly, at
the base, with a needle and black embroidery floss or thread. Finish as in
"Basic Bead/Button Instructions" below.


"Sunflower"

There are two patterns, one for the base large petals and one for
the top smaller petals. Trace 6 of each petal and 1 center circle (use
"small rose petal") onto Artfelt paper. The shading rust area is at the base
of the larger petals and the highlights are at the pointed end of the
small petals (see step 4 above). After removing from the dryer and allowing
to dry with petals curled under, press flower together tighter and use
sewing pins to hold it in place so petals will have a deep curve when dry
(see photo).



"Hibiscus"

Add the second layer of roving in a circular direction. Once finished,
add a 3/4" circle of burgundy roving in the center. Pinch the bottom
center of the hibiscus, then curl the petals outward and under and wrap
with a pipe cleaner. Make sure that the burgundy area is pushed down in
the center, when looking at the flower from the top (as shown).



"Variegated 3 Petal Flower"

Pull small pieces of roving off of a shank of multi color pencil
roving. Use fingers to pull the pieces apart s they are very this and loose.
Do this with several pencil roving colors, then bunch them up and pull
the wad apart and back into a bunch, several times to mix colors. Position
one layer of roving to fill the circle patterns and tack down. The roving
will be in every direction so don't worry about cross hatching the
layers. Add a second layer of roving and tack down. Repeat for remaining two
circles. Create a deep greens leaf as instructed above. Felt as directed.





"Tropical Style Flower"

Add bright yellow roving to cover the pattern area as the arrow
shows. Then, add a layer of fuchsia pink going in the opposite direction.
Finish by adding some short pieces of yellow-to-pink roving for a shaded
center. Also, create a multi colored green leaf in the standard manner as
above. Felt as directed. Curl all petals and leaves shape under and
secure with a sewing pin to dry.


~STEP FOR ALL FLOWERS (except Hibiscus and Pansy): using a large
needle and doubled thread (match color to clay center) with knotted ends,
stitch or "tack" the layers together. Start from the bottom center
of flower and come up through all layers and back down close to the
first stitch. Repeat two more times and knot the end close to felt
on the bottom of flower to finish tacking.

Polymer Clay

Basic Polymer Clay Center Button/Cabochon Instructions

Note: Bake your pieces at the temperature and length directed on
the clay brand package you are using as brands differ.

1. Condition the polymer clay while mixing the colors together to
match your roving. Each Project below will give specific clay color recipes.
Warm small pieces of the clay in your hands, then roll through a clay (pasta)
conditioning machine (dedicated for clay
use only) until pliable
and can be folded in half without cracking at the fold.


2. For the 5-PETAL GRAY FLOWER, VARRIGATED 3-LAYER FLOWER, FIESTA
FLOWER (shown above) & TROPICAL FLOWER: Form a 1/2" round ball of clay
(to match color in photos-recipes below). Secure the clay ball to the baking
tile, just enough to stick. The base will flatten even more when clay is
textured. Insert a needle tool through bead (or a toothpick) and twist to REMOVE
from clay, about 1/8" from bottom side, from side-to-side
as shown below.


A. For 5-Petal Gray Flower: Gray is 6P White #5001 + 1P Black #5042. Form four 3/8" long
tiny thin ropes of Alizarin Crimson Hue #5383 clay. Lay them on the top of the gray ball in
an "X" pattern then add a "+" pattern over the x to form a starburst. Texture
the piece and the starburst design with a stiff small stencil brush to
blend well with the felt texture. Bake as directed.


B. Variegated 3-Layer Flower: Mix clay to match the felt colors. Use Wasabi #5022,
Spanish Olive #5007, Purple #5513 and create "Brick": 1P Cadmium Yellow Hue #5572
+ 1P Raw Sienna #5392 and
"Yellow/Orange": 1P Cadmium Yellow + 1P Orange #5033. Marble the colors
together by rolling into ropes, secure them side-by-side and roll into a
large rope, then: "fold the rope in half, roll, twist the rope" and repeat
until the colors swirl, but do not mix into one muddy color. Form into a
ball then a five rounded point shape (use pattern). Texture the clay with
a stencil brush. Create hole and bake as directed.


C. Fiesta Flower: center is yellow and orange blended together. Roll each into
a rope, place side-by-side, fold over at dotted line and run through pasta
machine (or use roller tool to flatten). Now repeat folding the same
direction for about 10 more times. Roll the clay into a 1/2" ball,
press onto baking tile to flatten the bottom a bit. Create hole and bake as directed.

D. The Tropical Flower: center is solid orange and
textured as usual (see step A. above). Create hole and bake as directed.


3. SUNFLOWER: Create 20 small (approx. 3/16") Burnt Umber pieces of
clay, pressing the marks on the comb tool into a rope of Burnt Umber
clay. Cut along these lines. Roll each into round balls of clay. To form
them into seedlings, place pointer finger on the left side of the
ball and roll back and forth-toward you then away from you-to form a rounded
point. Stand seed up and press the seeds flat at the bottom onto baking
tile, but be careful not to flatten the seed tips. Bake as directed. When
cool, glue the flat base of each seed with a small dot E-6000 adhesive
onto the center brown felt, leaving a little space between each.


4. HIBISCUS: This center is a little challenging. Just follow each
step for success. First, make a two color blend as in step "C. Fiesta" above,
using 'Coral' (2P red + 1P translucent + 1P yellow) and the second
half use Translucent. This sheet will wrap around the wire armature wire
later. Cut and fold a 3" long piece of wire in half with needlenose or
wire cutters. Twist the 2 wires together, leaving a small open loop at the
bottom. Wrap the blended clay around the wire and cut off excess so the
two edges just meet and do not overlap. Smooth the clay seam. Form a 3/8
ball of yellow and press it onto the twisted wire ENDS so it is secured to
the translucent end of the stem clay. Add tiny dots of translucent coral
(3P translucent + 1P coral (left over from stem) and translucent yellow
(2P translucent + 1P yellow) to the yellow ball. Bake as directed.


5. PANSY, POPPY & ROSE FLOWERS: These three flowers start with a 3/8"
ball of clay that matches the felt. I then rolled the colors each into a
1/8" thick log and used the Sculpey comb tool scalloped rectangle edge)
to mark the cutting lines (see second "Sunflower" photo above, step 3).

6. Leave the pansy (1P white + 1P yellow) and poppy shapes (black and
gray) as is (short cut ropes of clay and stand them on their ends and
covered the ball of clay, all except the bottom area. I rolled the Pearl #5101
clay pieces into smaller balls and secured them to
the base for the rose. Create a hole in each and bake as directed.

Adding the Flower Centers

Note: Some clay instructions include securing centers to flowers.
Here are the instructions for the remaining flowers.

*5-Petal gray Flower Center: Simply use a large hole needle and dark gray
or black embroidery floss doubled. Tie a knot in end, come up through the
center of the felt flower bottom, through the horizontal bead hole and down into
the center of the flower petals. Take about 3 stitches this way. Tie a
knot to finish and secure clay button. Use this technique for the
Variegated 3-Layer, Fiesta, Tropical, Poppy, Pansy and Rose
flowers using matching colors of embroidery floss.

*For the Hibiscus, make a tiny 1/16" slit in the center of the felt
flower (dark area). Press the wire loop into the slit, then sew the loop
to the flower as you would a shank button, using embroidery floss.

~FINISHING STEP FOR ALL FLOWERS

Use E6000 or Goop (or sew through holes if desired) to secure the
round metal bezel (pin/hair clip) onto the center back of each felt flower.
Allow to dry level overnight. Use something to prop it level if needed.