The Hour

Flowers and patterned materials are on trend this season so why not get onboard and add a bit of glitz and glam to a simple outfit by making your very own corsage.

These material flower-shaped items (for all you men out there pondering what a corsage is) are the perfect accessory to complete a wedding outfit or jazz up a top.

These fashion must-haves are very versatile and once made, can be worn in your hair, around your wrist, as a brooch or even attached to your handbag or shoes.

“You can scour your local charity shops, pick up fabrics and use fabrics from your own home or any necklaces that are broken and use them to decorate the middle of your corsage,” craft expert Rachel Henderson said.

Before delving into the wonderful world of home-made crafting, you will need to prepare yourself with some fabric, a selection of chunky ribbons, a couple of brooch or safety pins, some needles and thread and of course some craft must-haves such as glue and scissors.

The first thing to prepare is your basic rosette shape using your thick ribbon: “Fold the ribbon up like you are creating a paper fan and then thread through all of the folds you have made,” Rachel explained.

“Tie the two end pieces together and you are left with a decorative rosette.”

The rosette creates the base for a variety of different corsages, a popular shape being the Suffolk puff - a rosette mounted with a bunched up piece of decorative material in the middle.

“You will need a circular object to draw around on top of some material and cut it out. Thread through using a running stitch, go in and out of the fabric just around the very edge of the fabric.

“Once you get to the end, get your two end pieces of thread, pull them together and you are left with a little bunched up fabric shape…fold it out and tie in a knot.”

This can then be added to your rosette using sewing thread or strong glue and can then be decorated with pieces of old necklaces, brooches or material.

Once you have completed your corsage, all that is left to do is decided its use, brooch, shoe accessory, bracelet…the list is endless, enjoy!

For more craft tips, visit Rachel Henderson’s website.