A free tutorial from Ruth Singer: Camelia flower corsage

The lovely Ruth Singer has provided an exclusive tutorial for visitors to The Natural Wedding Company blog – a ‘how to’ guide to making one of her beautiful Camelia flower corsages. 

Ruth will guide you through how to create your own corsages perfect for brides or bridesmaids using fabric remnants – perhaps even left over material from making your own wedding dress!  These flowers are really simple to make and work well with heavy weight satin and silk dress fabrics.

Before you start, download your petal templates and print them out.

Start by cutting out 7 large petals and 5 small ones – make sure you iron the fabric before you start.  There’s no need to draw round the template, simply pin it to a scrap of fabric, cut around it roughly then trim to size following the template {1, 2 + 3}.

Make the petal shaping – thread a small needle {4} and knot the ends together creating a strong double thread.

Starting at one straight edge of the petal, stitch in and out across the straight edge {5}. 

Pull up the thread and fasten with two stitches on the underside, in the folds {6 + 7}. 

Repeat for all petals {8}.

Draw twice around a pot about 4-5cm wide onto the scrap of felt to make two circles {9}. 

Cut them out {10}.

Take one felt circle and using a double thread as before, sew the first large petal on to the edge of the felt, as shown {11}.  Don’t put it too near the centre, or too near the edge, but somewhere between. 

Stitch up and down through the felt so you down pucker the felt.

Repeat with all the other large petals, overlapping them slightly.  Then sew the small petals into the centre of the felt circle, again overlapping slightly {12}.

Sew the button into the centre of the flower, making sure it covers all the stitching {13}.

Take the second felt circle.  Sew the safety pin onto the centre of the circle, stitching as shown {14}.  Make sure you don’t sew the open side of the pin!  Fasten the thread firmly on the reverse side.

Place the pin side of the felt to cover the stitched felt base of the flower.  Sew around the edge, joining the two circles together, keeping the stitches nice and neat {15}.

 

And there you have it – your finished Camelia corsage!

Have you created your own Camellia flower corsage using Ruth’s tutorial?  If so, send us a picture of your finished corsage and we’ll post some on the blog.

And if you don’t rate your sewing skills but would love to incorporate these flower corsages into your wedding day, head over to Ruth’s website and buy one ready made! 

If you’d like to create more of Ruth Singer’s beautiful projects she’s written a fab book called ‘Sew It Up’ which is available from her website or Amazon.

Our weekend at The Great Big Green Wedding Fayre

As some of you will know The Natural Wedding Company headed over to Liverpool last weekend to The Great Big Green Wedding Fayre.  Last week was a bit manic – there was so much to get ready, and on Friday evening I wasn’t sure I felt prepared.  

Luckily my lovely assistant Maria turned up on Friday evening and helped me to stuff my 200 goody bags with the lovely leaflets from some of our directory businesses.  Those businesses included Blossom, Diva Stores, Green Paper Wishes, Oria Jewellery, the Pines Calyx, The Real Cut Flower Garden, and Vintage Memories.  The bags also include a free gift from Falling Star – a May Chang scented room fragrancer which had a wonderful citrus scent.  We have an exclusive offer for all bride- and grooms-to be from Falling Star that I’ll tell you about soon!

We had a stand for the whole weekend, which was placed in a prominent position next to the stage in the main barn.  On arriving at the CHET centre in Little Crosby Village we set up our stand.  It was decorated with white and yellow tablecloths and jugs of seasonal English flowers.  We pinned some jolly bunting along the front and even managed to hang some on the barn wall behind our stand.

On a small table we laid out the beautiful wedding accessories made by Ruth Singer, a textile designer-maker.  All her accessories are made using organic, recycled or vintage fabrics, and include scarves, boas, cuffs and corsages.  Coming soon is a fantastic tutorial from Ruth on how to make your own corsage from recycled fabrics.

On Sunday I gave a short talk on The Natural Wedding Company and how to be resourceful in planning a handmade wedding.  Hopefully I managed to share a few ideas, and inspire some people to create their own do-it-yourself elements for their wedding.  I was so nervous beforehand, but am really pleased that I faced this challenge and I don’t think it went too badly.

At the show there were other great exhibitors, some familiar from the Eco Chic Wedding Show in Birmingham, and others who were new faces.  On the stand next to us was Rosie Weisencrantz, and on Sunday we were joined by Zoe Photography.  There was the lovely Rebecca Joy Sharp who played exquisitely on the harp and The Bows – both perfect for your wedding ceremony. 

Monica and Greg from CRED Jewellery were with us in the main barn, with Greg giving us a short presentation on ethical jewellery – can you believe that around 3 tonnes of toxic waste is created to make one gold wedding ring?  What other reason do you need to choose ethically?

Pebble in the Pond decorated the tearoom in vintage china and pretty floral table runners.  The Liverpool Pedi-Cab Company brought along one of their pedi-cabs, a unique and eco-friendly option for wedding transport!  There were cupcakes from Little Cake Heaven, Cheshire cider from The Bar Events Company, and free facials from The Body Shop at Home. 

Along with the delicious afternoon tea, great choice of exhibitors, and a line-up of short presentations, there was also the all-important bridal show.  This show featured a number of different wedding dress companies, all offering more ethical and earth-friendly options for your wedding dress. 

The lovely Claire from Worn Once With Love brought along a selection of her gorgeous ‘worn once’ wedding dresses.  We were also treated to a great collection of wedding dresses from Oxfam Bridal in Heswall, Liverpool – their dresses are donated from boutiques (some often costing thousands of pounds new) and sold on for a fraction of the price (the average dress costs between £100-200!).  And finally, there was a beautiful collection of vintage honeymoon dresses, mother-of-the-bride outfits and evening dresses from Aliz Vintage in Chester. 

All in all it was a lovely weekend, networking with fellow exhibitors and promoting our website and the great businesses listed on it.  A big thanks to Jemma and Amanda from GreenLeaf Press who organised the event for all their hardwork.  Also, to my lovely Saturday assistant Maria and my wonderful boyfriend who suffered Sunday with me, a huge thanks for all their help and support.

I have also just heard some fantastic news this evening – it looks like the Eco Chic Wedding Show will return to Birmingham next year!  I’ll keep you posted.

Stylish homemade “save the date” cards

September’s creative post is designed to help inspire you to create your own wedding stationery – or at least,  your own stylish homemade ‘save the date’ cards.  ‘Save the date’ cards seem to be relatively unknown in the UK, but they are popular in the US. 

For anyone who’s not sure what a ‘save the date’ card is, you send them out to your guests with the date of your wedding and your names, and perhaps the location of where your wedding will be. 

The great thing about ‘save the date’ cards is that you can send them out before you have confirmed all the details of your wedding, such as time and venue, which are needed for invitations.  Friends of ours who recently got married sent their ‘save the dates’ out in the form of a magnet, which we stuck on our fridge. 

The below images were created using home photographs, and edited on a free online website called Picnik.  This website is easy-to-use and allows you to create high quality images with different effects, borders, and text.  I see ‘save the date’ cards as an opportunity to be quite fun and lighthearted, or you could tie them in with your wedding stationery if you know what it will look like.

Some design ideas and tips

The photograph of the donkeys was taken on holiday in Menorca, and I thought would make a great ‘save the date’ as the donkeys look like they are kissing.  I added a sepia affect to create the two-tone colour so that they text would stand out against it, and used a tool on Picnik to soften the edges of the photo but keep the donkeys in focus.  I used all the same font for the text, and used the ‘stickers’ option on Picnik to create the heart by the couples initials.

This design uses a photograph of yourself and your fiancee, which a lot of ‘save the dates’ feature.  You could get a friend to take some snaps of you, or just use a fun picture you’ve taken yourself.

This design was created by my little sister, the talent behind thegreenorchard photography.  She took a red rose petal and carefully cut it into a natural looking heart.  I love how the date on this design stands out so bold – your guests wouldn’t forget the date!  Check out thegreenorchard photography for tips on how to take great photographs using a standard digital camera.

And finally, another design from my little sister.  This design also features the rose petal heart, but against a backdrop of pebbles.  I think this is a great idea because it allows you to place your text in the different stones, which creates a fun look.

Getting them printed

My favourite idea for ‘save the date’ cards is to get them printed as postcards.  You could even write a personal message on the back, if you wished, and forgo an envelope which saves on paper.  A number of websites allow you to upload your photos and get them printed in various formats, such as postcards, but I don’t imagine a lot of them use recycled or tree-friendly paper. 

One of our listed businesses in the directory, A Local Printer, offer eco friendly printing.  They have an option for 100% recycled postcards and use inks that are vegetable oil based. 

You could also get your homemade design printed as a business card and stick magnets to the back – a great way for people to keep your ‘save the date’.  Why not send a virtual ‘save the date’ – simply email your friends and family with your design attached to the email.  If you are having a personalised wedding website – My Web Wedding can produce them for you – why not have your design uploaded as your homepage while the website is being put together.  Simply let your friends and family know your wedding website address and they can get the details there.

For more creative projects and ideas check out the rest of our blog.  Or visit our online eco-friendly wedding directory for fantastic businesses and products to help you plan your natural wedding.

Friday finds and lovely things #2

The theme of this weeks *Friday finds* is a homemade back garden wedding.  The weather is truly beautiful here today in Cheshire and as such I can just imagine it would be the perfect setting for a homemade back garden wedding. 

Here are a couple of ideas and some inspiration to get planning your own homemade wedding, including a rustic buffet, homemade lanterns and straw bale seating.

Image: a backyard wedding

*The Look*  I just love this rustic spread from a backyard wedding.  The white tablecloths perfectly set off the rustic boards strewn with bunches of deep purple grapes, soft red peaches and the jeweled apricots.  I particularly love how only a few things are in bowls, while the rest of the food is spread out over the wooden boards.

*Create It*  This is a delightful feast for a low-key back garden wedding.  If your budgets tight and your guests are only joining you for an afternoon party, this would be a great way to feed them.  Cover trestle tables with crisp white tablecloths (an inexpensive white bed sheet works just as well).  You can find planks of wood at your local timber yard, or if you’re looking for something more rustic try reclamation yards or ask around at building sites if they have any old scaffolding planks (also great for building raised vegetable beds!).  Choose a selection of seasonal fruit, nuts, crackers and dried fruit and drape them over the boards – aim for abundance, this table really works because it looks like it is overflowing with food like a bacchanalian feast.  Check out the directory for a list of local food and organic and ethical caterers.

Image: I can’t recall where I found this lovely image – if you know please let me know so I can credit them!

Candlelight is not only a more eco-friendly option for lighting your wedding, but its also more atmospheric – who doesn’t enjoy a cosy night in with soft flickering tealights and the one you love?  There are loads of pretty lanterns out there, but you don’t need spend lots of money you can easily make your own. 

*Homemade lanterns*  Get your family collecting all their old jam jars (I love an odd assortment but you could also ask them to keep ones of a similar style if you want something more uniform) and ask them to remove any labels by soaking them in soapy water – I’ve also found that spraying them with eco-friendly multi-purpose cleaner and leaving them for five minutes works wonders. 

All you need now is some lengths of thin but sturdy wire which you can easily shape.  Simply wrap the wire around the neck of the jam jar and secure at one side.  Then create a loop of wire over the top to create your hanger, secure this on the other side and trim off any extra wire.  And there you have it, a beautiful and cheap homemade lantern.  You can find an alternative, step-by-step guide here.

B&Q are currently selling shepherds crooks to hang your lanterns from for under £3 in black and cream.  Hapi Bean – one of our businesses listed on The Natural Wedding Company directory – sell soy wax tealights perfect if you’re looking for an eco-friendly alternative.  If you do want to buy lanterns, some of my favourites are these recycled glass lanterns from Hen and Hammock, another of the businesses listed in the directory.

Image: Country Living

*Straw bale seating*  Straw bales are readymade seating in disguise and just the thing for a laid back garden wedding.  Last year we held a Midsummers Eve party for our friends, and we certainly don’t have enough chairs for everyone, so we jumped in our old landrover and headed down to our local stables.  We filled the back of the landrover up with enough bales to seat our friends, and I’m not sure we even paid anything for them, perhaps a deposit of £10, as we were taking back the following day.  Covered with woollen rugs and blankets there was plentiful and comfy seating for all, and everyone commented on how lovely they were.  Rugs and blankets can be collected from friends, family, carboot sales, charity shops, or here for pretty picnic blankets made from recycled wool.

Colourful cupcake tower for a fun summer wedding

I love to cook, so I thought it was about time that I posted a creative food idea for all of you planning a more down-to-earth wedding.  Cupcakes would be perfect if you’re thinking about creating a colourful and relaxed wedding.  Even if you’re not confident about your cupcake or fairy cake making skills, I’m sure most of us have a family member or friend who is a bit of a whizz when it comes to cake making.  Besides, everyone should have a go at making fairy cakes as they’re really simple, taste so much better when homemade, and you can decorate them any which way you choose!

By making your own fairy cakes, you can ensure that the ingredients are organic, fair trade, or local depending on your preference.  From organic flour to local eggs, fair trade sugar or farmhouse butter, you will be able to make positive choices about what goes into your wedding cakes. 

Now for the recipe.  I use the following recipe, though I can’t remember where I got it from, which produces lovely fairy cakes.  However, there are loads of fairy cake or cupcake recipes out there, or you may even have a tried-and-tested family favourite. 

Fairy cakes

Makes approx. 24

4 eggs
225g sugar
225g self-raising flour
225g butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 180°C.  Fill two 12-hole muffin tins with cupcake cakes.

Whisk together the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the flour a bit at a time, along with the butter, folding them carefully into the mixture. 

Pour the cake mixture into the cupcake cases, making sure not to spill any.

Bake the cakes for about 10-15 minutes, until they have a lightly golden top.  You can always check they’re cooked by inserting a skewer into a cake – if it comes out clean they’re ready.

Allow them to cool before icing.

*Natural cake decorating colours*

A fabulous American company called India Tree create natural decorating colours and sugars made from vegetable and plant colourants.  So there’s no need to worry about E-numbers and other nasties or to forgo beautiful cakes.  They come in just three colours – red, yellow and blue – which means you can create any colour you wish.

*Something different…a cupcake buffet*
Dessert buffets seem to be all the rage in America at the moment, an idea that The Natural Wedding Company loves and thinks is a wonderful way to make your wedding day more guest-friendly.  Rather than having a stack of cupcakes made to look like a tiered wedding cake, why not lay out a table with pretty plates and vintage cake stands and set out your cupcakes that way.  Your guests can help themselves and we’re sure it would be a great talking point.

*Children-friendly wedding idea*
If you are planning a relaxed summer wedding with lots of children coming, why not set up a table with a pile of unfrosted fairy cakes, some bowls of multi-coloured icing and a huge variety of toppings and let them design their own cake.  It would be a great way to provide some entertainment and fun for the children at your wedding.

cupcake tower from Cakeadoodledo

If you don’t fancy making the cakes yourself, why not order some bespoke cupcakes from one of the fantastic companies listed in The Natural Wedding Company directory.  There is Cupcakes and Peonies who are based in the Midlands, Cakeadoodledo down in Devon made using eggs from their own hens, or Kiss Me Cupcakes who use fair trade ingredients.