Create A Vintage Fabric Bridal Bouquet: Step-By-Step Guide

A vintage fabric wedding bouquet is a great way to save money and create a unique, long-lasting memento of your special day. You can use almost any fabric to create a bouquet that matches your wedding colours and theme, from silk to lace, felt, jeans, and even black and red velour for a gothic wedding. You can also add personal touches like antique brooches, faux succulents, or feathers. Making a fabric bouquet is a simple process that involves creating individual flowers and then assembling them into a bouquet. You can use a variety of techniques to shape the petals, including sewing, gluing, and curling the edges with a candle or lighter.

Sourcing vintage fabric

Etsy

Etsy is a great online marketplace to find vintage fabric and supplies for your wedding bouquet. They have a dedicated section for vintage items, including wedding gowns and accessories. You can find a variety of fabric flowers, bundles, and craft supplies to create your own unique bouquet. Etsy also offers free shipping on many of its fabric bouquet options, making it a convenient and cost-effective choice.

Local Vintage Boutiques

If you prefer to see and touch the fabric before purchasing, consider visiting local vintage boutiques and thrift stores. These stores often have a curated selection of age-old and second-hand fabrics from different decades, giving you a wide range of choices. You can also find vintage accessories, such as lace, trims, and brooches, to enhance your bouquet.

Online Craft Stores

Online craft havens like eBay and Amazon offer a vast array of options for fabric and DIY wedding bouquet supplies. You can find artificial flowers, silk bouquets, and craft supplies at various price points. These websites also offer customer reviews, which can be helpful in making informed decisions.

Family Heirlooms

For a truly sentimental touch, consider using vintage trims or fabrics passed down in your family. This adds a layer of intimacy and heritage to your bouquet. You can incorporate these heirlooms as accents or focal points, making your bouquet even more meaningful.

Fabric Stores

Don't underestimate the power of a good old fabric store! Whether it's a local shop or an online retailer, fabric stores often have a variety of fabrics, including vintage-inspired options. Keep an eye out for sales and discounts, as you may be able to score a great deal on the fabric you need.

Remember, when sourcing vintage fabric, it's essential to keep an open mind and be creative. You might find unexpected treasures that perfectly complement your vision for the bouquet. Happy hunting!

Creating the bouquet structure

To create the bouquet structure, you will need a bouquet holder, a styrofoam ball, or a styrofoam cone. You can also make your own holder by using a whisk, which you can deform into an oval or circular shape. If you are using a styrofoam ball, cut a small section off to create a dome shape. Then, wrap the styrofoam in fabric and secure it with pins or glue.

If you are using a cone, cover it with fabric and use small pins to secure it in place. If you are using a whisk, stuff the inside with wool to help form the shape of the bouquet. You can also add glue to the inside of the whisk to help secure the wool.

Next, you will need to create the flowers for the bouquet. Cut strips of fabric and fold the long sides together, with the wrong sides facing. Sew along the edge, and then start coiling the fabric from one end to shape a rose. You can also create petals by cutting circles out of fabric and using a candle or lighter to curl the edges. Layer the petals to create flowers, and secure them with pins or glue.

Once you have created enough flowers, you can start assembling the bouquet. If you are using a styrofoam ball or cone, stick the flowers into the styrofoam and secure them with pins or glue. If you are using a whisk or another type of holder, you may need to use wire or twine to attach the flowers. Arrange the flowers until you are happy with the look of the bouquet.

Finally, you can add embellishments to the bouquet, such as lace, ribbon, brooches, or other decorative items. You can also wrap the stem with twine, ribbon, or lace to give it a finished look.

Making the flowers

Step 1: Gather Your Materials

Firstly, you'll need to gather all the necessary materials. For the flowers, you'll need some fabric, preferably a silky fabric that can be easily curled with a candle or lighter to create the petal effect. You can also use lace and tulle fabric to add texture and a romantic touch. Other materials include round templates of different sizes (such as bottle lids), scissors or a rotary cutter, a candle or lighter, and tongs.

Step 2: Cut and Prepare the Fabric

Cut strips of fabric for the petals. For roses, cut 7 cm strips from the width of the fabric, and then cut each strip into three parts, resulting in pieces that are approximately 7 x 50 cm. Fold each piece lengthwise, with the wrong sides of the fabric facing each other. If you're using a sewing machine, adjust it to a long stitch and loose tension to create a crinkled effect as you sew.

Step 3: Create the Petals

Using the candle or lighter, carefully curl the edges of the fabric strips to create a petal shape. Hold the fabric with tongs to avoid burning your fingers. Continue until you have a good amount of petals. You can also experiment with different types of fabric to see how they react to the heat and create different effects.

Step 4: Assemble the Flowers

Now, it's time to assemble the flowers! Layer the petals from largest to smallest to form the flower shape. You can use as many petals as you like to create different sizes and shapes. Place a pearl pin in the centre to hold the petals together, and you've created a flower! Repeat this process until you have enough flowers for your bouquet.

Step 5: Embellish and Secure the Flowers

You can embellish the flowers by adding antique brooches or pins in the centre. If you have old or broken jewellery, you can glue or pin those embellishments onto the flowers as well. Once you're happy with your flowers, it's time to attach them to your bouquet base, which can be a styrofoam ball, a styrofoam cone, or a plastic bouquet holder. Secure the flowers to the base using hot glue or pins.

Crafting these fabric flowers is a creative and fun process that allows you to customise your vintage wedding bouquet. Enjoy the process of experimenting with different fabrics, textures, and embellishments to make your bouquet unique and special!

Adding decorations

Now for the fun part: adding decorations to your vintage fabric wedding bouquet!

First, you'll want to decide on a colour palette. You can choose colours that match your wedding theme or the fabric of your wedding gown. If you want a more vintage look, you can use lace and silk fabrics in ash rose and olive green, for example. You can also incorporate vintage trims from your family or add details from your parent's or grandparent's weddings.

Next, you can start adding some embellishments to your bouquet. You can use antique brooches, vintage keys, or even old or broken jewellery. Glue or pin these items onto the centre of the flowers or in between the petals. You can also add some sparkly brooches or pins to the centres of the flowers for a bit of extra glamour.

If you want to add some texture and movement to your bouquet, consider using feather boas. Pluck individual feathers from the boas and insert them into the bouquet, securing them with hot glue.

Finally, you can finish off the stem of your bouquet with some ribbon, lace, or twine. You can also tie a vintage key to the base of the stem with some lace trim for a whimsical touch.

Feel free to get creative and experiment with different decorations until you achieve the look you desire. Happy crafting!

Final touches

Now that you have the basic structure of your vintage fabric wedding bouquet, it's time to add some final touches to make it truly unique and special. Here are some ideas to elevate your bouquet:

• Add some sparkle: You can add some sparkle to your bouquet by gluing or pinning vintage brooches, sparkly pins, or even family heirlooms into the centres of your fabric flowers. This will give your bouquet a touch of glamour and make it stand out.
• Incorporate lace: If you want to create a soft and romantic look, consider incorporating some lace into your bouquet. You can use lace fabric to create ruffled lace flowers by ruffling wide lace trim, rolling it into a spiral, and sewing it to secure. You can also wrap lace trim or ribbon around the stem of your bouquet to conceal any joins and add a delicate touch.
• Embellish with keys: For a truly vintage feel, tie a vintage key to the base of the stem with some lace trim. This will add a unique and whimsical detail to your bouquet.
• Feather accents: Pluck feathers from feather boas and secure them into your bouquet with hot glue. This will add texture and a soft, ethereal touch to your arrangement.
• Personal touches: Include some personal touches by using fabric from your wedding gown or your mother's wedding dress. You can also incorporate vintage trims from your family or add details from your parents' or grandparents' weddings.
• Colour palette: Choose a colour palette that complements your wedding colours. You can use different shades of the same colour or mix and match colours to create a vibrant and eclectic look.
• Mix and match fabrics: Don't be afraid to experiment with different types of fabric. You can use satin, silk, tulle, or lace to create a variety of textures and dimensions within your bouquet.
• Add greenery: If you want to include some greenery in your bouquet, you can create faux fabric succulents using mint green lining fabric. You can also add draping greenery to create a cascading effect, giving your bouquet a more natural and organic feel.
• Finishing touches: Once you're happy with the arrangement of your flowers, wrap the stems with twine, ribbon, or lace to hide any remaining joins or imperfections. You can also add a special button or charm to finish off the bouquet.

Frequently asked questions