Make your own Black-eyed Susans

Black-eyed Susans are one of the most recognisable flowers out there. They are small and almost resemble daisies but their petals are pointed down towards the ground instead of up like most other flowers. These fun flowers make great autumn pieces for your home and office. What’s even better is making them yourself! The fresh variety will last several days in a vase but these felt flowers will last years!

You will need:

• Wool felt (mustard yellow colour)
• Fabric marker or a marker that matches the colour of the felt
• Black yarn
• Sharp pair of scissors
• Glue gun and hot glue
• Gree paint
• Wood skewers

Method:

• The first thing to do is get all of your stems ready. Do this by painting your skewers with green paint. Remember to cover your work surface with plastic or newspaper to prevent the paint from dripping everywhere. You can also prop your skewers up in some floral foam or a block of polystyrene while you paint.
• Now make the centre of your flower using the black yarn. Wrap the black yarn around two or three of your fingers several times before cutting the end. Cut a smaller piece of black yarn and tie it around the midpoint of the yarn ball you’ve made.
• Snip the loops of yarn on either side and then fluff them out. If need be, you can trim them some more to get the perfect size and shape. Remember, you don’t want a perfectly round ball. Instead, create more of an oval or dome shape.
• Now it’s time for the petals. Print a petal pattern and trace this pattern onto the fabric. Use this piece of fabric for all of your future tracing. Use your marker to trace the pattern and remember to cut two of these flower patterns for each flower.
• Cut a tiny hole in the middle of each flower so that you can pierce them with the skewer when assembling your flowers.
• Slide the skewer through two flowers and make sure that the petals overlap one another but they should not line up. If you’re unsure, look for photos of these flowers online and see how perfectly nature has arranged each petal.
• Cut a small circle of yellow felt and slide it onto the skewer. This will help hold the black pom in place and conceal the glue.
• Now glue your black pom in place and let it dry before creating your arrangement.
• If you like, you can trim some of the skewers to create a bouquet with flowers of various heights.
• Don’t forget to press the petals down on each flower for the perfect, natural look!

Another interesting idea is to substitute the skewers with strong floral wire and tape. This way you can use these flowers to decorate all sorts of items including gift bags, gift boxes, baskets, and so much more!