Ah, cashmere, why are you so soft? The goat fiber is one of the most silky, fluffy, and delicious fibers I’ve ever worked with. I vigilantly scour thrift stores for cashmere sweaters, and then chop them up! I make wrist warmers, scarves and capelets with the body of the sweaters, but because I consider the fiber to be so precious, I also hoard the scraps. Which are perfect for projects like this dramatic flower.

The smallest scraps of sweater can be cut into little petals, then needle felted into a luscious accessory. The key to this project is the volume of petals- the more petals, the better. And if you need a primer on needle felting, I posted a quick video in one of my first blog posts for Craftzine.

Materials

Scraps from a sweater
Scissors
Felting needle
Needle felting work surface

Directions

Step 1: Cut the pieces needed for the flower from the sweater scraps. You will want 15 to 20 petals and a base. Each petal should have a teardrop shape, but they don’t need to be completely uniform. Cut the majority of the petals to be about the same size, but cut three tiny petals for the top layer. Cut a circle 2″ in diameter to serve as the base.

Step 2: Place the first petal on the base, towards the edge of the circle. Press the felting needle into the petal, and push it down, all the way into the base. The barbs on the felting needle will work the fibers of the petal into the fibers of the base. Your motions should be tiny, repeated poking. The only trick- don’t poke your finger!

Step 3: Repeat step 3 to add petals all the way around the base. Complete the circle with a layer of petals.


Step 4: The second layer of petals is applied in the same way, but in a smaller circle. Stagger the petals in this layer to cover the gaps in between the petals of the first layer. Add the three tiny petals last, as the third layer.


Step 5: To create the center of the flower, cut a narrow strip of sweater, roll it into a ball, and attach in between the three tiny petals.

Step 6: Sew the finished flower to a pin back, directly onto a favorite top, or you could even glue it to a headband. The possibilities are endless.