May Day Posies

I LOVE Mayday...in the past I have celebrated Mayday in many ways.

One year I taped (that was in the olden days) a selection of songs and made my hubby, Brian, dance around the column in our funky warehouse loft.  We twined ribbons I had hung around the post and left them up until we moved.

The girlies and I have been know to hang jars or cans of flowers on the neighbor's doorknobs...or make paper cones filled with paper flowers.  We love to deliver Mayday happiness!

So, in honour of Mayday I am blogging my first artsy fartsy project!  Madison is doing the photo taking and Lane will be sewing along with me.  We will be making a Mayday Posie!

Disclaimer:   I am by no means a professional sewer (you can probably tell by the way I say sewer) and this is my first try at a step by step process.  So...you may know a better or easier way to do some of these steps..please do so...This is just my silly way of sewing.

Step # 1    This is very important....Go and fix yourself a snack. Our favorite snack at this time is honeynut cheerios with dried cranberries - being the cheap, I mean, thrifty person that I am we use generic tasteeos...








Now we can get to the actual project...Here is a materials list:

A square of your choice of fabric  8x8 up to 12x12
Scraps of felt  -  colours for flowers, green for leaves
A little bit of ribbon
some type of stuffing ( I used batting - you could use cotton balls, rice, dryer lint, belly button lint...well you get the idea)
thread and needle
scissors

Step #2   Lay your fabric rightside down on your work surface

                                              Don't you love Lane's Vanna hands....

Step # 3    Fold your piece of fabric into a triangle

I am going to stop numbering the steps now as it seems a bit annoying (and also I will get the numbers mixed up at some point anyway...)


Now you are going to do a few more folds to get started working towards a cone type shape

Fold the tip of the triangle down, then fold the sides in about 1/4 to 1/2 inch

Feel free to iron at any point...I am too lazy for that!

Now you are going to sort of fold and/or roll one edge to the other to make your cone shape.

Using what ever stitch you are comfortable with sew these edges.

This is going to create your cone.  It will need to be trimmed after sewing so if you have a funny shape don't be concerned.  Stop your stitches even with the folded side's 'corner'.

Now you will need to refold your cone so that the stitching is in the back and then trim.

Ta Da (That's one of my favorite words)  you have a little flower posie basket!

Now, gather up your stuffing (this would be a good time to clean your belly button) and fill up your basket...not too much...just enough.  Don't forget to make sure it gets all the way into the very tip.  I use a pencil or such to gently push it in.

Now you want to sew up this end of your basket.  Fold over as needed to hide raw edges and pin in place.

Before we sew it up add your ribbon (to form a handle), just pin it in between the folds.

Now back to the sewing...stitch across to close up your basket so the stuffing won't fall out.

                                            Oops! forgot to turn this one, just tilt your head!




Now for the flowers!!!!  Cut some shapes like these...oh come on you can do it....it really doesn't matter exactly what they look like, they will be pretty no matter what!

Next...sew them on...we are almost there!!!!!!!


Take your long thin piece of felt and cut it into two pieces.  They don't have to be the same length.  Your are going to sort of roll them into little rosebuds.

These little buds will be sewn to the top of your basket.

Be sure to catch all the layers of felt or the middle of your flower will come out.

Don't know why I used purple thread, you might want to use a colour that is a bit easier to hide.


Add some leaves here and there...I put them behind the flowers (and the leaves are a great place to hide stitches)  When I attach them I try to make the stitches look like a part of the leaf vein.

Here's how to do a purple flower....first scrunch your flower up to make it more interesting.

You are going to stitch right through the base (to sort of hold the scrunchy shape) and then attach it to the basket with the other flowers.

Ok so you have some more flowers and leaves to add...put them where you think they look right and just keep filling your posie basket up!  I try to hide all my stitches so that the back is pretty too, if you aren't successful at hiding them you can just hot glue some more leaves to the back.


And you are finished!!!!!!!!

                                This one is Lane's!!!!!!!!!!

And here is one on our Easter table...





Hope you enjoy making your own Mayday Posie.  We are off to deliver some to the neighbors!!!




xoxo  Elizabeth