Sew some seeds of creativity this spring. No watering required!
Cupcake Carnations or Paper Posies
You'll Need:
- colourful mini paper baking cups
- needle and thread or fishing line
- buttons and felt or paper circles
- green drinking straws
1. Fold a baking cup in half and lightly crumple in the centre of the bottom so the top edges are wavy and ruffly. Repeat on five more cups.
2. Cut a 12-inch (30 cm) length of fishing line or thread, then tie a knot about two inches from one end and thread the other end into a needle.
3. With your needle threaded, poke through a seventh un-crumpled baking cup from the outside back/bottom, then on through all the crumpled bottoms, joining all six together inside the un-crumpled cup. Poke the needle back through the bottom of this cup to the back of your flower.
4. Thread both loose ends of the fishing line through a two-holed button at the back of the completed “carnation” and tie in a double knot to stop the thread from ripping through the paper cup.
5. Tie the loose ends tightly around the top of a green straw to make the stem and cut off the excess thread.
6. Other pretty flowers can be made by turning one cup inside out and placing it inside another. Then with a knotted fishing line and a needle starting from the back, sew two or three buttons in place in the centre. Using both loose ends of the thread, tie a double knot around the top of a green straw and cut off excess thread.
Originally published in ParentsCanada magazine, May 2014.
