Bryanne Rajamannar - Felt Flower Workshop: A Modern Guide to Crafting Gorgeous Plants & Flowers from Fabric

As I navigated my new role as a mother, I found myself appreciating the smaller, sweeter things in life. I watched my daughter discover grass for the first time and smell her first flower. I was starting to smell the roses again. This included reconnecting with my creative side and my love of nature. Both always played a significant role in my life but took a back seat to the hustle and bustle of adulthood and all-consuming work schedules. I traded in sitting in an office to sitting in the grass.

My precious girl, born with masses of unruly hair, inspired me to make my first simple felt flowers, which I put on hair barrettes and headbands to help tame her mane. My next inspiration was my younger sister. She asked if I could channel my newfound love of making felt flowers into making some boutonnieres and corsages for her wedding. I suppose you could say things just blossomed from there! Using This Book This book is divided into two main parts: Tutorials and Projects. Through the tutorials, youll learn, step by step, how to create individual flowers, plants, and greenery stems. Then, youll use your new skills to combine different flowers and leaves to create a variety of floral projects to adorn your home, event, and yourself! Meet the Author Tell us a little about yourself.

I grew up in Apalachicola, a small coastal town in the Florida panhandle. I moved to Jacksonville, Florida, to attend college and have called it home ever since. I live here with my husband and two daughters. We love going to the beach and spending time on the water in our kayaks and paddleboards. And none of us are huge fans of the cold, so it works for us! How long have you been making felt flowers? About nine years. How did you get started in the craft? When my oldest daughter was born with tons of hair, I had a hard time finding hair accessories that were girly but not glittery and over the top.

I had some felt left over from a nursery project Id made. I used it to make rolled roses like Id seen done with paper and put them on hair clips for her. That was the beginning of it all. When did you decide to take your hobby professional? Within a couple of months, I decided to open an Etsy shop to sell barrettes like the ones I made for my daughter. It was easy, low-risk, and gave me a new creative outlet and opportunity to generate some income. Whats the name of your business, and what do you do? My business is Fleurish Felt Flower Co.

I create felt florals for weddings, home dcor, accessories, and photo props. When I started, I made childrens hair accessories exclusively, so I chose the name Round the Rosies because it referenced both the roses on the clips I made and a nursery rhyme. Over time, my work evolved, and my brand identity needed to evolve with it. Fleurish represents the growth of my business and my own personal growth through this process. What did you do professionally before starting Round the Rosies? Just before I had my oldest daughter, I spent nearly eight years in financial services, primarily in mutual funds operations. But I actually have a BFA in Dance.

I was working in financial services by day and teaching dance by night! What do you love about this craft? I love nature and botanicals. Obviously, I love flowers. I love that the more I work, the more Im surrounded by flowers. I appreciate felt because its a very organic-feeling material. Its also nostalgic for me. When I first started playing around with felt as an adult, it reminded me of one of my favorite toys as a childa felt board with felt shapes.

Felt is a humble material that can be transformed into something beautiful. Its also very forgiving and durable. Over the years, Ive loved finding ways to manipulate the shape and form of felt to make it mimic floral elements. How in the world did you come up with these intricate designstheyre so close to the real things! I pay close attention to real flowershow they fit together, what nuances give them their signature look. After that, its all about breaking the flower down into smaller sections. Once you realize that all flowers have a similar basic structure and are composed of repetitive elements, its just a matter of finding a way to shape the pieces and put them together.

Getting the colors right is a big part of it, too. Luckily, felt comes in a huge variety of colors. What is the most popular flower you are asked to make? Peonies. And lots of succulents. What do you love about being a creative entrepreneur? My business provides me with a creative outlet and an aspect of my life that is distinctly menot any of the labels Im given in relation to other people in my life. Leaving the workforce to stay home with my children is something Im so grateful for.

But it is easy to lose yourself in caring for young children. Being creative nourishes me and is integral to my personal wellbeing. Being an introvert, sharing my creations was uncomfortable in the beginning but has provided so much personal growth. I like that the business provides opportunities for individual creativity as well as interactions with clients and customerswhether online or face-to-face. Generating income is the icing on the cake. How do you balance the demands of being a business owner, mother, and everything else life throws at you? I rarely ever feel like Ive achieved balance! When Im working on a project, Im all in.

If Im doing one thing really well, other things are taking a backseat. Its more of a back-and-forth. I suppose looking at the big picture that could be perceived as balance, but it usually feels more like a seesaw! Do you have a home studio? What is it like? We converted our sunroom into my home studio. Its wrapped in windows, full of light, and has a door I can close off to the rest of the house as well as its own exterior door. What more could I ask for? The room is all white with a black hexagon tile floor. (It used to be carpeted, which is a nightmare when covered in felt scraps!) I have a worktop along the longest wall with storage underneath for all of my felt, supplies, and tools.