IMPORTANT NOTICE!
This is a text file. It may not print out properly in a web browser.
If you are having problems printing this document, save it to your hard drive (select "save" in the "file" menu)
And open it with any text editor, such as notepad, wordpad, or word. 


Copyright 2004 SavvySeams. Some rights reserved. Visit http://www.savvyseams.com/ or email info@savvyseams.com for more information. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford, California 94305, USA.

Cypripedium or Ladyslipper Felt Flower Pin

Ladyslipper seeds, like those of all orchids, don't contain any starch to nourish the seed as it grows. Instead they rely on a symbiotic relationship with the mycorrhizae fungus to provide the seed and young flower with fixed nitrogren in exchange for a share of carbohydrates. Ladyslippers grow quite slowly; it takes between 10 and 17 years from seed to first flowering. This slow reproduction is one of the reasons of why most ladyslipper species are endangered. So instead of picking a ladyslipper from the wild, make your own bloom out of felt. It will take a lot less than 17 years!

There are many species of ladyslippers, with widely varying color patterns. Search for "ladyslipper" in the Google Image Search for some different authentic color ideas. Or just make some up.

Materials:

    * Less than 1/4 yard each of two colors of felt (wool felt holds up the best)
    * Embroidery thread
    * A small sew-on pinback


Download the pattern (PDF format)

Click here for text-only printable instructions.

More varieties of flower pins

Getting Started
Step 1: Cut out one flower piece and one of each sepal piece.
Step 2: Choose an outside and inside. Fold one of the outer lobes back, right sides together, and line up the far edge as shown.
Step 3: Working with several strands of thread, start by tying a knot at just above the point where the fold ends.
Step 4: Use an edge-joining stitch to sew this seam. The easiest is a figure-8 or baseball stitch. Bring the needle in between the two fabrics, and poke it up through one side. Now drop the needle between the seam again, and pull it up through the otherside. This makes a "figure-of-8" pattern if you were looking directly down the seam.
Repeat for the other side. Now the petals are beginning to take shape.
Step 5: Repeat steps 2, 3, and 4 for the next set of seams. After you finish this the piece should look like the picture.
Step 6: Now sew up the back. Use almost the same methods as before. However, this time start by lining the curves up at the top and start with a knot right where the seam starts. Use the figure-8 stitch to sew up the seam. There will be a little gap at the bottom (see below).
Step 7: After you sew the back seams there is a little gap at the bottom. Simply gather the fabric together and sew it closed, knotting the thread when you're finished.

Repeat steps 6 and 7 for the other side, and then turn the flower right side out.
Your flower should look like this after step 7.
The back view of what the flower should look like at this point.
Step 8: Do the embroidery on the tongue. I used a basic chain stitch in the example. Remember that the tongue will the folded over in the finished piece, so the back of the tongue is the "right side".
Step 9: Embroider the short sepals. Using several strands of thread and a basic running stitch. Start by securing the thread directly in the middle.
Use a running stitch all the way around and back to the middle. Secure the thread ends in the middle. Repeat for the long sepal piece
Step 10: Assemble the petals and sepals as shown.
Step 11: Use a few stitches to stitch all the pieces in place, and...
Step 12: Sew the pin to the back throught all fabric layers.
Step 13: Now bring the needle to the front and secure the ends. Then bring the needle once through the threads on the underside of the tongue.
Step 14: Now pull the needle through the petal *but not the sepal* a little ways below where the pin is attached.
Step 15: Anchor the thread to the back of the petal, leaving some slack (as shown in the next photo).
Leave some slack so the tongue "projects" from the flower.
Step 16: Get long sepals wet, and twist them downwards. Let them dry in the twisted pattern and they will hold their shape in the pin.