Burnt Organza Flower Tutorial

You asked for it….. so here we go, my first ever tutorial! I’m a bit nervous; I hope it is clear and inspiring.

Draw some different sized circles on your fabric (I am using glass organza in these photos). I cheated and traced Little Guy’s stacking cups, but you don’t have to be precise.  I used a chinograph pencil, it works well on the organza and I had it on hand. I am sure you will find something in your supplies that will work (perhaps even a fabric marking pencil!!!!).

Cut out your circles; don’t worry about being too neat.

We are nearly ready for the fun bit now….. But first a couple of safety tips. Every now and then the fabric catches on fire instead of just melting, so have a bowl of water on hand. I have been able to blow out any wayward flames so far – but “be prepared”.

This is really stinky business, the glass organza isn’t too bad, but some of the fabrics I have used are incredibly smelly (and probably toxic) – so make sure you open all the windows.

Hold the edge of your fabric about half a centimetre away from the side of the flame (you can use a candle for this bit too; the soldering torch is just a bit faster and more precise). The edges should start melting before your eyes; just keep turning the fabric circle around until you have melted all of the edge. Try not to touch the freshly melted bit – IT’S HOT! Repeat on all of your circles.

This next step gives the flowers a natural, organic shape and a nice fullness, but you can skip it if you want flatter, more abstract flowers. I haven’t had any luck using the soldering iron for this step – the cooler candle flame seems to be the way to go. Hold the circle about 5 centimetres above the flame and as soon as it starts to crinkle move it away from the heat. This bit takes a bit of practice; I have burnt holes at this stage quite a bit!

Then just arrange your circles in a stack; biggest to smallest and stitch the layers together.

Then decorate the middle.  I’ve used beads or pearls or little loops of thread; the options are endless.


Please let me know if you have any questions or if any of this is confusing. I would love to see your flowers if you give this a go.
Have fun…..