Tuesday, 4 August 2015 by Irene Hoofs

DIY Nature-insprired flower wristlet by Bonnie Scorer

We are always looking at ways to incorporate technology into our lives in meaningful, active and engaging ways. We we went out for nature walk, took some photos of flowers and then used them as an inspiration for a crafty project. We would love to hear the ways that you and your children have used technology!
Wouldn't these wristlets be perfect for a wedding or special event? Wear them and then save them as a keepsake.

Purpose of this craft:
* Getting out into nature.
* Extending digital experiences
* Developing fine motor skills: cutting, pasting etc.

Safety Notes:
* Exercise care when using needles and scissors. Do so with direct adult supervision.
* Beads can be choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.

What you'll need:
* Camera (you can use your cell phone's camera)
* Felt
* Fabric scissors
* Fabric glue
* Sewing materials
* Ribbon
* Beads
* Paper/pencil/pencil crayons (*Optional: to sketch out your ideas)

With any project we always find these items helpful:
* Craft tray
* Apron

Step 1: Go out for a walk with an adult and take pictures of flowers and other foliage you might see.

Step 2: Use your photos as an inspiration for making a wristlet or a boutonniere. We sketched out our ideas first before making them out of felt.

Step 3: Using fabric scissors, cut out your designs from felt. You could use your sketches as patterns if you like, cutting them out and taping or pinning them to your felt to cut around.

Step 4:We then sewed on a few details using a sewing machine. (You could do this by hand or skip this step if you like.) Add little beads to create your stamen.

Step 5: Glue your pieces together with fabric glue.

Step 6: We then created a little base for our flowers which you will also slide the ribbon through on the back. Make this by taking a felt rectangle and sewing or gluing another on at the ends (as seen in the photograph). Make sure it is just a little bit wider then the width of your ribbon! Before you glue your flowers onto the other side, be sure to slide out your ribbon and tuck in a piece of paper etc. so your fabric glue doesn't glue your loop shut. Glue on your flowers and leaves. Allow to dry overnight.

Step 7: Slide your paper out of the base, measure and cut your lengths of ribbon (so you would be able to go around the wearer's wrist and tie a bow) and then insert the ribbon as seen below.