DIY Felt Flower Accents by Nandini Karmarker – May 2022 Guest Designer

Hello friends! Today we have a lovely Guest Designer all the way from India, Nandini Karmarker. Nandini is a Certified Educator and has been sharing her interesting tutorials with the Craft Your Life Retreat participants through the bonus pre-recorded content. Today, Nandini will show you how to create beautiful felt flower accents. Let's hear it from Nandini.

Get to know Nandini

I have been a crafty person all my life. My earliest memories are of sitting on my mother’s lap as she sewed on her sewing machine. I never remember a time when my grandmother, mother, and aunts didn’t have a project in hand, be it knitting, crochet, embroidery, quilting, sewing, etc.

I graduated as a Textile Designer and eventually worked as a costume designer in the film industry. When my daughter was born, I became a stay-at-home mom. But my passion for crafting was still alive! I opted to train as a craft teacher and this is where I got introduced to paper crafting. I started with quilling and eventually discovered card making.

I have been a fan of Altenew right from their first release in April 2014. When the Educator Program was launched, I applied hesitantly. Imagine my surprise when I was selected! I completed my training in March 2018. The journey leading to the certification was amazing! I feel it really changed me as a crafter! Even today, I enjoy participating in the Altenew Academy classes and expanding my knowledge.

Though card making is my first love, I enjoy working with other mediums. I have a solid base in textiles and I am always looking for ways to use my Altenew supplies creatively for mediums other than paper. I hope you enjoy the little DIY project I have for you today and create something beautiful!

Nandini's Pretty Felt Flower Accents

I have always loved working with felt. Since we can cut it easily with dies, the possibilities are endless! For today’s felt flower project, I used the Craft-A-Flower Lily Layering Die Set and upscaled a clutch.

I picked out sheets of felt in white, three shades of pink, two shades of green, black and yellow. Then, I die cut the felt using the layering guide on the packaging.

Remember to use only artificial felt for this.

Natural wool felt is too fibrous and does not cut cleanly. Artificial felt is like handmade paper and cuts cleanly. Also, artificial felt comes in a huge variety of colors.

I used liquid glue to assemble my flowers.

TIP! The secret is to put small dots of glue on the back of the felt piece and wait for it to get a little tacky.

Once the glue is tacky, place it gently over the base and tap a little. Don’t press down as that will force the glue into the felt and it will not form a bond with the base. You can also use hot glue instead of liquid glue.

Once the glue is dry, you can place the next layer. I assembled three felt flowers and several leaves and then arranged them on the flap of the clutch.

I then glued them down using liquid glue. I also added stems, cut from artificial suede, at the bottom.

I hope you found this little DIY felt flower project inspiring and will try it. You can also use other non-fraying materials like suede, leather, foam, etc. for this technique. Just ensure that the material you choose is thin enough to go through the die-cutting machine and cuts easily.

Once assembled, we can use the felt flowers as accessories. Instead of gluing them down on the purse, attach a small circle of felt to the back and sew them on a brooch base for a lovely lapel pin. I used the same technique and created a bag accessory for my daughter. Instead of a pin, I glued the flower to a foam circle and applied tacky glue to the back. My daughter simply sticks to whichever bag she is carrying that day.

I would love to know your ideas about using this technique. Please let me know in the comments below!

Amazing idea, Nandini! You changed the look of that purse by adding those gorgeous felt flowers! Bravo! Thank you so much for sharing your incredible talent with our readers today. We are so honored to have you as our guest designer and hope to see you here again soon!

Everyone, please let Nandini know how incredible those felt flowers look, and don't forget to tag her on Instagram if you share! Thank you for stopping by!