DIY Fabric Rose Appliques for dress/costume making

In my last post, I showed you how to make easy fabric flower appliques that I used to decorate this costume 🙂

In this post, you’ll see how to make fabric rose appliques. These are also easy to make, and so delicate and pretty. Let’s get started!

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To make these rose appliques, you need:

a roll of 6in wide tulle – one I used is similar to this one (affiliate link).

matching colour thread

felt

If you can’t find a roll of tulle, you can cut tulle into strips. Make each strip 6in (15cm) wide and you’ll need about 1yd (1m) for an applique that’s 2in (5cm) in diameter.

How to Make a Fabric Rose

First, cut the felt into a round shape. This is as big as your applique is going to be, so cut whatever size you like. Here mine is about 1 5/8in (4cm) in diameter, and the finished applique will be 2in (5cm) in diameter.

Take the tulle, and tie a small knot at the end.

Place the knot in the centre of the felt circle.

And do a few stitches by catching the bottom part of the tulle to secure it in place. I’m using darker thread so you can see the stitches, but for your appliques, use matching colour thread.

Then trim the excess at the end.

Then twist the tulle outward once, and wrap it around the knot.

Do a couple of stitches here to keep the twist in place. And try to catch the bottom or side of the tulle, so you don’t see the stitches from the front.

Twist again, wrap it around the knot, and stitch.

Keep going like that, each time twisting the tulle and creating nice layers.

When you reach the edge of the felt, keep twisting and cover the edge of the felt. On the wrong side, stitch every 3/8in (1cm) or so to keep the edge of the tulle in place, so the felt is completely hidden when you look at the applique from the front side.

Once the edge is covered, trim the tulle leaving about 2in (5cm), and hide the end on the wrong side. Stitch the end on the wrong side, trim the excess, and now you have a rose applique!

I think it looks more beautiful if you keep the twist a little loose, and make each layer look random and imperfect. It looks more natural and whimsical.

Just like the other flower appliques, you can simply stitch this applique onto your costume or dress. It’s really pretty to combine these roses and flower appliques, because the materials are different, and it definitely adds more visual interest to your costume design.

Hope you liked the fabric rose applique DIY, and if you did, please share this post with your crafty friends!

And if you want to make belly dance costumes that fit well and look professional, sign up for my free course, Belly Dance Costume Making 101, and learn how! Join from the link below.

Click here to sign up for Belly Dance Costume Making 101 for free!

Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling! 🙂

P.S. Pin this image for your next project!

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