Low Waste, Upcycled Buttonholes (Boutonnieres) – Easy Wedding Crafts for the (Un)Crafty Bride on a Budget
Of all the makes for the wedding, this is the one I had to practise the most before finding something I was happy with. The initial attempts included glitter foam and pyschedelic, pink and orange rosebuds – they ended up on our flower girl baskets.
Finally, after quite a few glue gun blisters and times spent lying on the carpet in a world of self-doubt, I made these.
Bow Tie and Kerchief from Le Colonel Moutarde
I made these buttonholes based on a tutorial in ‘Handmade Weddings’ by Moyle, Moyle and Faust (Chronicle Books), which was kindly handed down to me by the teacher of one of my preschooler’s activities. Mine are a more-rustic adaptation.
Here’s a How To…
Materials:
Old clothes (my daughters’ outgrown winter dress and summer dress, in rainbow colours)
White felt, leftover from a craft project
Florist wire (also used for the bouquets)
A second-hand pair of dark green corduroy trousers
Wool (leftover from pom pom making)
Glue gun and glue sticks
Pins with rainbow heads (ebay)
Scissors
Method:
- Cut strips out of the old clothes and felt, measuring approx. 3″ (7.5cm) wide and about 5-6″ (12-15cm) long.
- Fold them in half, lengthways.
- Cut into the fold, stopping about 1/4 inch from the edge of the fabric. Make these cuts all the way along the length, with about 1/8 inch between each. This will create a fringe effect.*
- Pipe a line of hot glue along the uncut edge, then roll the uncut length up tightly, having shifted the tips of the fringe to a slight angle away from the direction you’re rolling in (the angle isn’t essential, but creates a nicer shape if you are able to do it).*
- Fluff up the bud.
- Glue in a piece of florist wire.
- Cut a leaf shape out of your chosen green fabric.
- Put two buds together, and fold the base of the leaf around them, sealing (inside) with hot glue.
- Double up the florist wire to make a more substantial ‘stem’ and wrap this loop with either brown or green wool.
Et voila! Les boutonnieres!
* High Tech Paper demonstration of 3 and 4:
A link to Handmade Weddings
