The Crafty DIY That Turns Fabric Scraps Into Cute & Rustic Sunflower Decor

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For many crafters, having scraps and leftover bits is a way of life. If you work with fabric, you likely have extra pieces you're looking to use. While there are plenty of crafts that can be made with large fabric pieces, working with scrap pieces can be a bit more challenging. However, there is an easy project that lets you create a rustic-looking sunflower by repurposing fabric scraps into decor for your home. To create your fabric sunflowers, you'll need a canning lid with ring, strips of fabric (preferably yellow), twine, hot glue, and a piece of burlap.

If you don't have all of these items on hand, you can pick up things like burlap and canning lids at places like Dollar Tree, Walmart, or Michaels. If you're just missing the canning lids and rings, you can pick them up on Amazon without the jars themselves. The Esuduky 52-piece Mason Jar Lids with Rings box is just $8.99 and gives you 26 rings and 26 lids that you can use for this craft, if you want to create a garden of sunflowers. While the primary instructions for this particular project have you making sunflower ornaments, you can play around with the design to use these flowers in other ways.

In order to make your own fabric sunflowers, you'll want to start by separating the canning ring from the lid. Then, tie pieces of the fabric around the ring until it looks full and fluffy. Cut the edges of the material so that the "petals" of your sunflower are more even. Once the fabric petals are in place, tie on the twine to create a loop for hanging the piece like an ornament. You'll want to fluff the fabric so that the flower looks full.

Next, you'll want to take the flat lid portion and cover the front with burlap. Since burlap has an open weave, it's recommended that you paint the lid a solid color. Press the flat lid into the canning ring, as you normally would, with the burlap-covered piece facing outward. If you struggle to get the lid piece to stay in the center of the ring, you can add a circle of hot glue around the edge so that it attaches to the fabric on the ring itself. 

In order to get a clean finish at the back of the flower, cut a piece of cardboard to completely cover the excess burlap on the back of the lid piece and overlap it over the tied fabric as well. You'll need to hot glue this cardboard round over the center piece to finish the flower.

While this project is great for creating sunflowers, it doesn't have to be limited to a classic sunflower design. You can play around with the fabric colors and patterns you use to make more whimsical flower designs or create pretty holiday ornaments with this DIY. If you have a fabric that you think would work better as the center of the flower, you could always use that instead of a piece of burlap. If you decide to do a regular piece of fabric as the centerpiece of your canning ring flower, some people add a bit of cotton between the fabric and the metal lid to give it a fuller look that pops through the center ring.

If you like the idea of this project but want a different way to display it than just as an ornament, try gluing the floral round on a stick instead. Skip tying the twine to your canning ring; instead, attach a small stick or stake to the center of the ring when you glue the cardboard round to the back of the flower. This gives the stick stability while also allowing you to create a floral stem that can be used as a centerpiece or to make a bouquet in a vase or pot. With a stem, this is the perfect addition to the kitchen, which you can display with other herb and flower DIYs, the dining room, or any room where you want to add a touch of floral whimsy.