Burlap is a surprisingly eco-friendly fabric, and its footprint becomes even more appealing when you realize that it’s almost as easy to source secondhand as it is new.
Eco-friendly AND upcycled? That’s a Crafting a Green World double win!
Burlap is a pretty easy choice for home dec projects like storage baskets, wall hangings, and wreaths, but one of my favorite uses for it is also, I think, one of the less obvious:
Burlap flowers look really cool!
You can fold and sew burlap into flowers the same way you would, say, cotton, but burlap’s relatively loose weave means you can also choose to pick out threads to get results that are actually quite delicate-looking and very unusual compared to the look of most fabric flowers.
And nope, they don’t all have to be brown, because you can also dye burlap!
Check out this list, below, of some of the most interesting burlap flower tutorials that I’ve found online. Make something traditional, make something weird, but most of all–make it out of burlap!
Burlap Flowers with Button Centers
These burlap flowers involve pulling out most of the weft threads so that you’ve got a loopy, quite delicate-looking flower with a sturdy burlap base. Although the tutorial calls for a button center, I think you could substitute a variety of fun embellishments!
Burlap Flowers on a Canvas
Many of these burlap flower tutorials are meant to result in flowers that are stand-alone and 3D. This tutorial, however, shows you how to make several types of burlap flowers that are mounted on a canvas! These flowers would work well incorporated into wall art, greeting cards, or as embellishments for any surface.
Burlap Poinsettia
Here’s a holiday-friendly burlap flower that works equally well as a table decoration or tree ornament.
Burlap Rose with Petals
Further down my list, you’ll see a no-sew burlap rose, which is a great beginner option. This tutorial is a little trickier, but results in a rose that’s so realistic that it even has petals!
Burlap and Muslin Flowers
Burlap looks lovely with a variety of other fabrics, including muslin, linen, and quilting cotton. This tutorial makes the most of that amenable combination by creating flowers using both burlap and muslin!
Burlap and Lace Flowers
Burlap can fit in even with more elegant decor when you pair it with lace.
Burlap, Lace, and Wood on Canvas
Here’s another combination that works well together: burlap and wood!
Embroidery Hoop Flower
I LOVE that instead of the typical method of folding and sewing one piece of burlap into a single flower, this tutorial instead uses several pieces of burlap to make a large-scale flower using an embroidery hoop as its base. It’s also easy to resize–just resize your embroidery hoop, and work from there!
Giant Burlap Flower Wreath
Why make a bunch of small burlap flowers to put ON a wreath, when you could instead make one giant burlap flower that IS a wreath?
Burlap Flower Wreaths for Every Season
This set of tutorials uses the same basic method to make everything from a daisy to a poinsettia.
Burlap Flower with a Stem
This tutorial shows you how to attach a stem, wrapped in florist’s tape, to your burlap flowers. Now you can put them in a vase, make them into boutonnieres, or gather them into a bouquet!
Gathered Burlap Flower
Here’s a surprisingly simple method to make a beautiful burlap flower that looks a lot more complicated than it is!
Multi-Layer Flowers
If you like the look of both the fringed flowers AND the folded flowers, then this is the burlap flowers tutorial for you!
No-Sew Burlap Ribbon Flowers
If you want a bit of a head start, use burlap ribbon instead of burlap fabric! Burlap ribbon has the strip-cutting work done for you, although it gives you less room for play, as the width of the ribbon determines the size of your flowers.
No-Sew Burlap Ribbon Roses
Since these roses start with burlap ribbon that’s 2″ wide, this is a great project to substitute actual burlap fabric instead. Yes, you’ll have raw edges when you cut burlap fabric into 2″ strips, but if you use these roses solely for decor, only spot-cleaning when necessary, there’s not much difference between sealed and raw edges.
No-Sew Rosettes
These fun little flowers have fringy edges and a fun embellishment at the center.
Petal Flowers on a Button Base
There’s a lot of gluing here, but the tutorial uses glue dots instead of hot glue to make it a little easier on your fingers. With a button base, this flower is especially easy to turn into a brooch or hair accessory!
RIT-Dyed Burlap Flowers
Here’s a tutorial that goes through several ways to dye burlap flowers using RIT dye. It’s a good way to check out methods vs. results to see what YOU want to try!
Sewing Machine Rosettes
Most of the flowers in this list are made with hand-sewing, or sometimes glue. If you don’t have the patience for that, instead whip out dozens of these burlap rosettes on your sewing machine!
Shabby Flowers
These burlap flowers make raw edges a highlight, giving them a shabby chic look.
So which is YOUR favorite material to make flowers with–ribbons, felt, or burlap?
