Springtime is the perfect season for flower art projects. If your child is excited by the warmer days of spring, why not help him or her create some beautiful yarn art flowers to herald in the season? Yarn art flowers are easy, inexpensive, and fun to make. Plus, since there’s really no “right” or “wrong” way to make them, even the youngest child will be successful. Here’s how to make easy, pretty yarn art flowers that both you and your child will love.
Materials You Will Need:
A good supply of colorful yarn (any weight or texture will work)
White glue
Lightweight cardboard or heavy cardstock (old cereal boxes work great)
Scraps of colorful paper (such as construction paper or scrapbook paper)
Pipe cleaners (green)
Scissors
Pencil
Vinyl tablecloth (or other material to protect the table surface)
Awl or ice pick (do not let children use, due to the sharp tip)
Flower-shaped stencils (optional)
Creating the Flower Shapes
Before you can decorate your flowers with colorful yarn, you’ll first have to cut out the basic shapes. If you have some flower-shaped stencils, it can be quite easy to trace and cut a good supply of flower shapes. However, even the most amateur artist can usually sketch out a few basic daisy shapes. The Internet is another good place to look for basic flower shapes that can be printed and traced. Be sure to cut out a few leaf shapes as well. Although you can make yarn art flowers in almost any size you desire, a three to five inch shape usually works best. Since lightweight cardboard and heavy cardstock can sometimes be difficult to cut, you’ll probably want to cut the flower shapes out for your child. Once you’ve traced and cut out several flower shapes, use the awl or ice pick to punch two small holes through the center. These holes will eventually be used to attach the pipe cleaner stems.
Decorating the Shapes with Yarn
Once the cardboard flower shapes have been prepared, the decorating fun can begin. Basically, the goal is to “color” the cardboard shapes with yarn. There are several ways that this can be done. One of the easiest ways is to simply cover one of the flower petals with a thin layer of white glue. Then, using cut lengths of yarn, cover the glue-coated cardboard shape with winding paths of yarn. Continue cutting and using lengths of different colored yarn until the entire surface has been covered. Then, move on to the next petal, and repeat. Once the entire cardboard flower is covered in yarn, let it dry thoroughly.
It can also be fun to decorate flowers with “yarn confetti.” In order to make yarn confetti, use scissors to cut very small pieces of the yarn. You can use foam plates or bowls to hold the different colors of yarn confetti. Once you’ve created a good supply, apply glue to one petal of the flower. Sprinkle the yarn confetti onto the glue-coated surface, pressing down as needed in order to level and adhere the small yarn pieces. Continue until the entire flower has been covered, then allow to dry.
Assembling the Flower
Once your yarn flowers have thoroughly dried, loop a green pipe cleaner through the two holes punched in the center, twisting to form a stem. If your flowers are large or especially heavy, you might want to twist several pipe cleaners together for added support. Using glue, attach leaves to the stem if desired. Cut a flower center out of colorful paper. Glue this circle onto the flower, covering the area where the pipe cleaner was attached. The end result will be a beautiful, fun yarn art flower.
