At this workshop, we will make a rose that can be used to create a brooch, hair band or other jewelry. For different types of colors, the skin can be used the same. The main thing is its thickness. In order to make a flower of leather, you will need a sepal and petal pattern. You can do it yourself or search the Internet. An example for self-listing will be given below. Schemes are best not to redraw or photograph, but to scan so that the proportions are not distorted. Then the flower will turn out uneven.
How to choose a skin to create flowers?
We start our master class “Flower of leather with your own hands” with how to choose the right material for the job. It can be any shade, but red roses are considered classic. Some craftsmen prefer to work only with light skin for colors. It is important to consider that, like fabric, this material has transverse and longitudinal fibers. Therefore, somewhere it will stretch stronger, and somewhere less. Therefore, before work, you need to determine the direction of the fibers and find a place with an oblique guide. It is along this line that flower masters of leather cut out details.
It is important to consider the location of the fibers so that the petals do not warp at the end of the work. But, if there is no possibility, and, for example, the skin segment is very small, we cut out the details as it happens. The skin is suitable for haberdashery or clothing. The main guideline when buying material to create leather flowers with your own hands is the thickness of the material. It should be 0.5-0.8 mm. There are times when thick skin becomes thinner during processing and a flower can be made from it, but this is an exceptional case.
Leather Tools
We continue our master class in leather colors. Consider the features of the preparation of the workplace. The surface on which the buds will be created should be smooth and solid, it is advisable to use a special mat. To soak wetted petals, we prepare a wide lid from a plastic container or other device so that it is convenient to remove the product from it. Pattern of flowers from leather, including for leaves, can be absolutely any.
In our case, it is not necessary to use the template specifically for the rose. Usually blanks are cut the same, but it is permissible to change the size or shape. Patterns do not have wavy edges or teeth, since it is very difficult to cut such patterns on the skin. No need to translate the drawing on the material. The pattern is done this way: a template is pressed against the skin, and a section is cut out on it. Only after this can you start cutting out additional ornaments and giving the edges a wavy shape. The same goes for the leaves - after you make the blanks, you can change their shape and make a serrated edge.
Leather Rose Blanks
We begin to create colors of leather with our own hands. We take the material, cut the leaf, sepals and two types of petals. For one flower you will need 5 small and 5 large petals, 1 sepals and 2 leaves. The number of petals can be increased to 6 to make the flower more magnificent, and, if desired, it is permissible to make different colors of skin. It all depends on your imagination and ideas. Then we give the edges of some of the details wavy, cutting small sections of skin with scissors. No need to strive to make all the petals the same, then the rose will look more natural.
Skin Treatment Solution
To treat the skin, prepare a solution of PVA glue: 1 tsp. mix glue with 4-5 tsp. water, to the consistency of milk. It should not be too thick. For each type of skin will have to choose a concentration on their own. It is necessary to process thin material with a denser composition, and for dense - on the contrary, add a little glue to the water. Additionally, you need a brush to work. It is most convenient to use a flat wide brush with synthetic bristles of 16 or 18 numbers.
How to treat the petals with a solution?
Turn all the petals inside out. Sometimes the skin on this side looks ugly, it is uneven and bumpy. In the process, we will correct these shortcomings using staining and processing with PVA glue. We take all the petals and coat them with a solution one by one. You do not need to completely immerse the workpieces in the solution, otherwise they will dry out for a long time. We spread the processed ones on a prepared surface and wait until the surface is well saturated with moisture. Usually it is enough to smear them with glue once, but in many respects it depends on the skin.
Some types of material absorb water for a very long time. The second time you need to impregnate such petals with a solution after a little drying. Do not allow parts to get wet or glue stick out on the front side. On some skin types, exposed glue stains.
Foliage for flower
Having finished with the petals, we coat two leaves for the rose. Optionally, the amount of foliage can also be increased. A lot in this case depends on the product itself. For brooches and rims, you need a substrate, because a larger number of details will look more attractive in the composition. But sometimes excess leaves only interfere, so you should focus on what you want to get as a result of work.
Features of sepal processing
A sepal or sizing is an important detail of a flower made of leather. When we cut it according to the pattern, we need to make the edges serrated. The skin for this part is often taken denser than for the petals. In this case, it is not necessary to treat it with an additional adhesive solution. But, if the material is thin, it also needs to be smeared from the inside out. The sepal is usually made according to the standard part and is adjusted to the already assembled flower.
The formation of petals in the technique of "blind man"
Now we check how well the details are saturated, and proceed to the formation of the petals. Each workpiece is processed manually. For work, we will use the well-known "blind man's" technique. In this way, almost all flowers are made of leather. An exception is products for the creation of which firing above the flame of a candle or roasting in a pan is used. The "blind man" technique consists in folding folds on the workpiece.
We take the petal in our hands and begin to drape it, collecting fingers from one side to the other. The softer and thinner the skin used, the finer the folds will be on the workpiece and the more elegant the flower will be. Having gathered the folds, we begin to twist the petal in the same way as we squeeze the laundry. Repeat on all other details. Another option is to lay the petal flat on a flat surface and begin to drape using only nails. This method is suitable for owners of long nails. The result will be approximately the same, but in the second case, the folds can be made smaller and more accurate.
How to make perfect folds?
It is advisable to protect hands during work with thin gloves, but experienced needlewomen prefer to feel the process and say that this allows them to better feel how to assemble the product. In order for the folds not to appear across the petal, mentally imagine the center line of the part as if it was divided into two equal parts - this will help not to displace them during assembly. Ideal folds should radially diverge.
Another way: immediately lay the central fold, and then navigate along it and align the edges of the product, pulling it to the center: first on the left, then on the right. This will help not to lose reference and make even folds diverging from the center. If you do not observe radiality, the folds will turn ugly, and the petal is skewed to the side. This can happen from the wrong pattern or inattention.
How to thin the material?
When the skin is thin, there is no need to stretch the edge of the workpieces to make it wavy. But if the material is dense, it needs to be thinned. You need to do this after you wet the petal from the wrong side and it is slightly saturated. It is enough to wait about 3-5 minutes and walk along the edge of the petal with your fingers, stretching it a little and bending in different directions. Sip it gently, trying not to tear. After this treatment, the flower will turn out more elegant, and it will be easier to gather the petals in folds. When processing a sheet, the principle is used the same, but try to lay such folds so that they imitate the direction of the lines in a real live leaf. The workpiece can also be twisted to increase the number of folds.
What to do if the workpiece is dry?
If you feel that the petal has dried out too much, soak the brush in the solution and lightly brush it inside out. After complete processing of all the blanks, leave them for 5-10 minutes. During this time, you can cut additional cloves on the sepals. Then we begin to gently open the petals. In this master class, “Flowers from the skin with your own hands,” we will not use special tools, because we manually create indentations on the bottom of the petal. Press the finger to bend it, and then change the shape of the edge, making it more curved. The bottom of the petal is often bent forward. In the photo, leather flowers created in this way. They look neat and natural, like real ones.
Middle for a flower
Set the leather details aside and start creating the core of the flower. For this we need beads and beads. There are several ways to make a neat and beautiful middle:
- Use a metal strainer and sew the beads through its holes.
- Cut a small circle from a plastic bottle and set it on a lighter to give it a curved shape. With a large needle in plastic, you need to make a lot of holes and string beads through them.
- Pull a ball out of wool and sew beads on it.
Another simple option to make the middle:
- Take a button, cotton, thread, wire and a small piece of fabric.
- Pass the wire through the holes in the button and make a leg.
- Then wrap a button with cotton and pull the fabric on top.
- Stitch the material at the bottom. You should get a shape resembling a mushroom hat.
- Embroider the blank with beads.
Having finished creating the middle, we proceed to the assembly of the flower from the skin.
Leather assembly
Before you begin to glue the flower, we apply the details to the center in order to understand how the final result will look. Then twist the petals again to make them more curved. See for yourself how best to change shape so that the bud looks more natural.
We begin assembly - for this we will use instant glue. We begin the assembly with small petals. We apply a small amount on the leg from the inside and apply it to the wrong side of the core. Moving in a circle, glue the blanks, forming a flower bowl. We start the fifth petal under the first. Press the edges with your fingers so that the glue clings better. In order to press the petals to the center, you will need a lid from an ordinary one and a half liter bottle or a small glass, depending on the diameter of the central part. We turn off the petals from the core, coat the bottom with glue and put the flower in a container for several minutes.
Glue the second row of petals in the same way as the first, avoiding spiral motion. The movement should be in a circle. Compare the petals in height so that they are all on the same level. When the flower dries, we take leaves and sepals and try them on. If you need to adjust the size of the parts, cut off the excess and twist the edges. First, glue the leaves, focusing on your taste.
Making a leather flower brooch
If you plan to use the flower as a brooch, prepare a pin or a special blank to attach it to the bud. We begin to smear the sepals with glue from the middle. We apply it to the flower and press. Then we begin to fasten the pin, turning it under one of the sepals. It must be borne in mind that the center of gravity of the flower is above the center, so you can not fix the clip in the middle. Turn off the petal and apply a thin strip of glue to the sepals. Press it to lock the pin in place.
Do not use an adhesive gun to glue leather parts, it will make the product heavier and may leave an ugly mark on the petals. The product is ready. We made a flower of leather with our own hands, and the master class is over.