Zipper Rose Tutorial

I love making hair accessories. Not sure why. I don't really love wearing them but I sure love making them and giving them to my sisters or friends. I have seen zipper flowers popping up here and there and for Christmas I decided to make one for my sister. It was easier than I thought it would be so I wanted to share how to make them.

What you need:

metal zipper (or thick toothed zipper) at least 7 inches long

glue gun

felt scraps

headband

First, take your zipper and separate the sides/tapes by removing the bottom stopper. I tried using pliers but ended up just pulling it apart. Just make sure to not rip anything.

Next, dab some glue onto the extended part of the tape and fold over. Dab and fold one more time. This will be the center of the rose.

Now work in small sections. Dab a thin line of glue along the bottom edge and then wrap around the center keeping the shape round.

Keep on going until you get to the other end of the zipper tape. Add a thicker line of glue and attach it to the underpart of the flower. You are now done with one zipper rose.

(For some reason this picture won't rotate... but you still get the idea of what the back looks like)

Repeat all steps for the other half of the zipper.

Now, if you want to make a headband out of your roses, here is what I did. I cut 2 small rectangles of felt. On the first glue both roses. Keep them close together so a lot of felt doesn't show through.

Next, figure out where you want the roses positioned and glue directly onto the headband.

Use the other piece of felt and glue on the underside. Make sure to fill in any gaps between the pieces of felt.

And if you're cheap like me and got headbands from the dollar store, you might want to include this last step. I cut 2 smaller rectangles, added a thick line of glue on one side (down the center is fine - the glue will squeeze out towards the sides), and sandwiched each end of the headband (to add some cushion so it is more comfortable to wear). And you are done!

Linking up with Skip To My Lou Made By You Mondays, The Girl Creative: Just Something I Whipped Up Monday, Cottage Instincts Make It For Monday, and at Making the World Cuter.