Unusual table decoration made by stitching the flower design in two different sizes.

Wired Flowers   

CAUTION       If lighting the candle it is best to put any candle in a small glass so that there is no fire risk

To download the embroidery design ready to stitch in two sizes and a PDF of these instructions click this link Wired Flowers  This is a zipped file and to unzip it right click on the file then select ‘Extract all’.

Easy Wired Flowers                              

This design creates an unusual table decoration and because it has fine wire in the centre of each petal it can be manipulated to form the shape that you wish. If you have never tried adding wire into a design this is an easy deign to experiment with. The trick is simply to slow the machine speed right down when adding the wire. Even better, very few materials are needed to create this flower.

I love creating 3dimensional objects using machine embroidery and this design evolved from a simple leave that I designed in Bernina embroidery software and then stitched adding a wire in the centre of the leave. When I washed the water-soluble stabiliser out the leave naturally curved.

Original leaf design

Going back into the software I used the wreath feature on my basic leaf to create my flower.

Materials needed

Water soluble stabiliser

Embroidery Thread (variegated threads are particularly good)

Scotch sticky tape

26- or 24-gauge wire. I like to use 26-gauge cake or florist wires which come in straight lengths, but any fine wire will do if it is not thicker than 24 gauge.

Stitching instructions

1. Hoop water soluble stabiliser. I used a double layer as this is dense stitching.
2. Ensure top and bottom threads match.
   1. Stitch the first thread colour of the design this is the 6 leaf shaped petals.

         design as it is stitching showing use of variegated thread.

   

   2. When the design is stitched remove hoop from the machine. Look at the centre of each leaf and you will see a double line which is the placement line for the wire.   Each zigzag and satin stitch line to hold down the wire is a different colour as this stops the machine after a wire has been stitched down and allows you to position the next wire. But you do not change the thread colour. Th whole deign is stiched with one colour only. However if you wish to use a different colour for the centre lines you can. design ready to add wire.

                                                                                                                                                             close view of wire placement line

   4. To add the wire, do one leaf at a time. Cut a piece of wire the length of the centre of the leaf and using the scotch tape to hold it in place position it between the 2 straight stitched lens. Tip it is better to cut the wire slightly too short than too long.

                                     Wire held in place with scotch tape

   5. Replace the embroidery hoop in the machine. Slow the speed of the machine. The next line to stitch is a zigzag line which holds the wire in place. This stitches from the centre of the design to the tip of the leaf.

   close up of zigzag line.

   6. This line is then covered with a satin stitch. Remove the hoop from the machine and repeat steps 5 and 6 until all the leaf petals have their wires added. Finally, the design will stitch a satin ring around the centre. Again, keep the machine at a slow speed because of the wire.

   

   photo shows 2 wires satin stitched in.

   7. Wash out the stabiliser and allow to dry naturally. You will be surprised at how the design curls in a natural flower shape depending a little on what weight of wire you have used.

   

    2 colour ways                                                                                  

To Create the double flower effect stitch the smaller design which fits into the medium hoop and the large design which fits into the large hoop.

Large and small flowers put together to create a candle holder.