This rose is not too difficult to make, though a bit time-consuming if you are finicky about petal placement, like I was ^^; It is all hand-sewn, so you can do this while watching TV or a movie or sitting on the bus, in the car, etc.
Materials:
1 Long strip of fabric. I used a 4"X40" piece and just cut off the extra when I decided the rose was big enough
Needle
Thread
Directions:
1) Iron your strip of fabric like a bias strip binding by ironing it in half lengthwise, then bringing the raw edges in to the center fold and ironing again. Anchor your thread at one end.
2) Start rolling the end like a jellyroll to create the center of your rose. Stitch as you go to hold it in place
3) Twist the long strip in the direction shown in the photo. Keep rolling and stitching. After a couple twist-and-rolls, the rose will start to take shape (in the beginning it just sort of looks like a roll)
4) As your rose gets bigger, make sure the petals don't all line up exactly, or it will look like a strange blob instead of a rose. Try to line the twists up in between the previous circle. Stitch along the bottom to keep them in place as the rose layers gets thicker.
5) When you decide your rose is big enough, tuck the end of the strip on the bottom and stitch in place. Trim the bottom of the rose flat if you need to (the center of mine was sticking out). Cut a circle of felt and use it to cover the bottom of the rose. Attach to your headwear of choice such as a comb, a ribbon, a headband, a brooch pin, alligator clips etc.
6) OPTIONAL: To make leaves, cut two leaf shapes from scrap fabric and stitch together, leaving the base open. Turn it right-side out. Stitch the center vein with either a running stitch or a fancy embroidering stitch if you happen to know any ;) Tuck the base of the leaf under your rose before attaching it to the felt base
It was quite difficult to take photos and hold the rose with both hands at the same time, so I hope this tutorial is relatively understand-able :) Feel free to ask for any clarification in the comments! And let me know if you make a rose, too :) They are useful for spicing up and outfit whether you attach it to your hair, on your clothes, on your bag, or even on your shoes!
Other variation ideas to try:
*Instead of folding over the raw edges, leave them showing for a distressed look
*Sew pearls onto your finished rose like dewdrops
*Glue rhinestones onto your rose like bling-bling dewdrops
*Try different types of material like velvet, leather (use glue instead of sewing), etc.
