alisaburke: creating with Jules: fabric sewn succulent

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

creating with Jules: fabric sewn succulent

Sewn Fabric Succulent

I love having greenery in my house. Even better when I don’t have to water it! I wanted to come up with a quick craft project, one that you can complete in an afternoon, and have something pretty to brighten up a shelf. I love those crocheted plants I see around; but if you haven’t the patience for crochet, or don’t know how to do it, sewing one is a cute alternative.

You’ll need:

Wire

Stuffing (wool or acrylic)

Stretchy green jersey/ knit fabric- (the stuff t-shirts are made of)

Embroidery floss

Small pot

Small decorative stones

You’ll also need: pliers, sewing needle & cotton, scissors

Cut some lengths of wire double the length that you want your succulent leaves to be. I made mine 4”. Make 8 lengths then fold them over and twist them together using pliers.

Take your stuffing and wrap around the wire, bulking it up towards the bottom of the fronds. Repeat for all pieces of wire.

Cut 8 pieces of the green fabric big enough to cover the fronds. Start sewing them up with a contrasting embroidery floss, using 3 strands. I trimmed my fabric as I went to get a nice, firm fit. Sew all the way to the top then knot, and hide the end inside the frond. Repeat for the other 7 leaves.

Take a circle of fabric and fill it with stuffing and tie around the bottom to keep in place. Sew each frond firmly to this ball.

*Here’s my environmental craft tip: I keep a basket of fabric/ wool scraps and offcuts that are too small for projects, which I sometimes use as stuffing where it suits. Saves me using new stuffing where I don’t need to, and sometimes projects really suit the nice firm stuffing that this method gives.*

Pop however much stuffing (or off-cuts!) you need into the bottom of your chosen pot and place the plant in the top, sprinkling some decorative stones around it’s base. Bend the fronds to your liking and display!