My December tutorial I intended to be of larger scope, but because of the Black Friday shipping crunch, my supplies for it haven't arrived yet so I'm saving it for January. Instead I'll show you how I made my corsage to wear with my 1950s Christmas outfit – still in the works.

 

It's simple, but fun. And lots of options! I based my idea on my vintage 1940s holiday corsage, now in less-than-pristine shape.

Time to make a new one!

 

You'll need…

1 vintage millinery spray

ribbon 

twist-tie

1 medium bead cap

beads

quilting thread and needle

corsage pin

 

I found these lovely vintage millinery strawberries on Etsy. They are textured and poseable and such lovely velvet! 

 

They are strawberries I know – hardly Christmasy, but the right colors! Deep reds and very vibrant. 

 

I hoped to make it more Christmasy and match my dress fabric by my choice of ribbon. It's paper ribbon, like for floral arrangements, so not the best choice for working with. Wired taffeta ribbon would have been better, but I had this and decided to try it.

To Make It

1. So, to begin, I arranged the strawberries. When shipped, poseable sprays often become flat, so it's best to fluff them up and make sure all the berries and leaves are evenly distributed. This same step would be applied to a spray of flowers, if you use those instead.

 

2. Make your bow. There are lots of options and different styles. I used this video to make mine, and it turned out great! The twist-tie on the back make it nicely attachable.

 

3. Now to make the decorative center, I took a hammer and flattened the bead cap.

 

With a double loop of quilting thread on a needle with a very small eye (so it will go through the beads), I started at the edge, sewing a pearl bead to each point.

 

When the edge is finished, I stitched more pearls to the center, crowding them a little.

 

To fill in the cracks, I stitched a few of small flat round beads. The idea is to make a stable bead cluster similar to vintage 1950s cluster earrings.

(This whole step could be skipped if you have a vintage earring or other decoration for the center.)

 

Sew it to the center of the bow, securely.

 

4. I bent the wire stem down so the bow covers it. The stem could be cut if desired, but I wanted to keep the spray intact. Twist the bow to the stem.

 

And it's done! Ready to be pinned on the shoulder of a dress, jacket, or coat. And since the bow is removable, I can still use the strawberries for other purposes if I wish, or change the bow to a blue one or something like that for summertime.

 

I do love how corsages were used in vintage fashion, and look forward to wearing this one on Christmas Day!

 

Look for my new tutorials posted sometime during the first full week of every month. Hairstyles, crafts, repurposing, etc.