Silk Spider Web Rose Tutorial Plus a FREE Giveaway

EDITED:  WE HAVE A WINNER

True Random Number Generator Result: #19

Erica is the winner of the Silk Spider Web Rose Kit. Please email me at domesticdiva@si.rr.com with your full name and mailing address!

Congrats!

I’ve made dozens of tiny silk ribbon spider web roses, but I needed something BIG for the front of a Christening gown.  And they say, bigger IS better, so I made these simple roses and thought you, too, would like to make them.  As an incentive to get you to try this easy tutorial, I’m giving away a kit with all the supplies you need to make these roses yourself.

Ok…so let’s get started!

Supplies Needed

• Embroidery Hoop
• Silk Dupioni or Silk Shantung 3″ x 40″
• Matching Silk Foundation Fabric for Embroidery Hoop
• Matching Thread or Embroidery Floss
• Hand Sewing Needle
• Safety Pin 
• Hot Glue Gun (optional)
• Rhinestone or other Decorative Button (optional)

First let me say, you can make your silk rose as big or small as you want.  It all depends on:

• the size of your “spider web” (foundation circle)
• the width and length of your silk fabric strip.  If you want a small rose, make your silk strip no wider than 1 inch.  If you want a jumbo rose, cut your strip 4 inches wide.

I made a quick video tutorial to help.  Written instructions can be found below.

Laying the Foundation

Hoop some background fabric in your embroidery hoop.

Now decide how big you want your rose to be.  Take any circular item such as a can, cup or small container.  Trace it onto the hooped fabric using a pencil or disappearing ink pen.  Mark 5 points in the shape of an upside-down star and your center point like this:

Thread your needle with matching thread.  Come up at point A.  Go down at point B.  Come up at the center point (pictured below)catching the A-B thread:

Go down at point C creating a fly stitch:

Now come up at point D and down at the center point.  Then come up at point E and down and the center point.  Now tie a knot on the underside (don’t cut the thread off just yet).  You’ll now have 5 spokes.

Creating the Rose

To make a fabric strip, cut into the selvage edge of the fabric and tear it to the other selvage edge.  You want frayed fabric strips…adds more character…LOL.  Take your fabric strip and secure one short end to the center of the star using the needle and thread.  Leave your needle and thread on the underside of the hoop.  You’ll need it at the end to secure your rose to the foundation fabric.

Now attach a safety pin to the other side of your fabric strip.  This will enable you to easily thread the fabric strip through your spokes.

Start weaving your fabric strip over and under the spokes in a circular motion.  Keep twisting your fabric strip as you create the rose.

Once you have covered all of your spokes, complete the rose by tucking the end of the fabric strip under the rose and removing the safety pin.

Using the needle and thread that is attached to the underside of your hoop, secure the rose with a few stitches.

Cut out your finished rose making sure NOT to cut your foundation spokes.  Sew it to a garment, glue it to a hair clip or use it to decorate a tote.  The options are endless.  You can even create these roses directly onto your items.

Now, don’t think you can only make these roses with silk fabric.  Try quilter’s cotton, chiffon, organza, cotton knit, velvet, beaded satin, spandex or even tulle.

Various Uses for Silk Spider Web Roses

• Covered Buttons
• Thumb Tacks
• Baby Items such as bibs, booties, blankets and clothing
• Bridal Items such as money bags and garters
• Headbands
• Hair bows
• Hats
• Pillows
• Sachets
• Christmas Ornaments
• Brooches
• Purses and Totes

Silk Spider Web Rose Kit Giveaway

To win the supplies you’ll need to make these roses, post a comment and I’ll use a random number generator to pick the winner on Friday!

I’d love to see the roses you make, so please post a link and share your pics!

 

The Making of a Christening Dress

 

I should have smacked myself upside the head.  I’d had a month to get the Christening gown for Sophia completed, but ended up finishing it just a few hours before her Baptism.

Beyond my usual procrastination, I have a habit of “designing as I go.”  I usually have an idea of what I want it to look like.  However, I continually change design elements and always end up with something totally different from my original design.  Am I the only one who does this?

Working with silk shantung is challenging to say the least.  And trying to set the tiniest gathered sleeves is beyond nerve-wracking!

Then I sewed lace and tatting to tulle.  At least I was smart enough to do it flat (before sewing up the side seams of the skirts).

But the worst was trying to gather 6 skirt layers (1 cotton batiste, 3 tulle, 1 netted lace and 1 silk shantung overskirt) and attach them to the tiny silk shantung bodice.

Whew! DONE!  To give you an idea of size…this dress bodice is a size 3 months…LOL!  It just looks bigger in photos.  Ok, so the dress is huge…I think it measures about 48 inches.  And oh my…it was HEAVY!

At the last minute, I decided to do these silk dupioni spider web roses.  I’ll post a quick tutorial this week (once I get another manicure), so everyone can make some, too.

To make dressing the baby easy, I used large sewn-in snaps and covered them with no-functioning rhinestone buttons.

Here’s a close-up of all the skirt layers.  I’ve made several special occasion dresses, but never a Christening dress.  This was a first.  I’ve been collecting vintage laces and tatting for ages and loved using them for such a precious little girl!

Meet Sophia, daughter of my dear friend, Diana (aka Diana of Not Just Bagels)!  The Christening gown fit Sophia perfectly!    It was such a feeling of accomplishment to see Sophia in the Christening dress.

Sophia enjoyed sucking on the big silk roses.  Isn’t she beautiful?

Diana loved the dress and is going to put it in a huge shadow box to display in Sophia’s room.

Wishing everyone a Happy 4th of July!