Herbaceous

I saw a tutorial for these gorgeous felt dahlias a few weeks ago and immediately set to work making my own. I put off posting as long as I did because the red one was a gift for my Gram and I didn't want to post it here before I had a chance to deliver it to her. As luck would have it, her computer needs a tune-up, so I had a perfect excuse to drive out to her house!

I made the red one first, but just couldn't stop! Cutting all those petals does take a bit of time, but it's pretty mindless once you get into the groove, making this a perfect movie watching project.

Each dahlia took me about an hour and a half, including time for the glue to dry. Speaking of glue, I had an opportunity to try a glue I'd never used before - Beacon Adhesives Fabri-Tac. This is some pretty cool stuff! It only sticks to fabrics, so if I got it on my fingers, I simply rubbed them together and it wiped right off! It also didn't stick to my plastic tablecloth or the bottom of the pan I used to hold the petals as they dried. But on the fabric, it has serious holding power! It's a little pricey at about $6 for a 4 oz bottle, but I barely used any for this project, so it'll last a good long while.

Each flower has a secret compartment on the back, just the right size for adding a small picture or a note! This one wasn't finished when the picture was taken, but a pin back or magnet could easily be added. To give you a better idea of size, the red square on the back is just about the size of a postage stamp.

And, because I think you guys are pretty awesome, I'm giving away one of these dahlias!  To enter for a chance to win, simply leave a comment here (not on the Facebook link), any comment will do.  The winner gets one dahlia, with either a magnet or pin back added, your choice of colors from my available stash.

The winner will be announced tomorrow, June 3 and I'll get started on the dahlia as soon as the winner lets me know what color he/she wants.


EDIT: Due to some people having a hard time commenting here, I'll accept comments on Facebook as entries into the contest, too.