Wool Felted Ball Boutonniere

A whimsical take on the traditional bridegroom's boutonniere, without using any flowers.

This instructable comes to you from the creative mind of the newly Mrs. Awajiman, who wanted to add a whimsical, personal touch to my groom's outfit on our wedding day.

Backstory
Our wedding was held at San Francisco Airport Aviation Museum, an unexpectedly stunning and somewhat offbeat venue in the heart of the SFO international departures terminal. Since it is a functioning museum and library, there were strict restrictions on floral vendors and the type of flower arrangements that could be brought in, which led us to ultimately decide for a flowerless wedding.

Mrs. Awajiman made around 300 - 400 stems of felted ball 'flowers' to be used for centerpieces and decorations. She even commissioned a custom felt flower bouquet from Princess Lasertron who incorporated a few of our felted balls into the arrangement. The boutonniere was an added surprise that she squeezed in amongst the bajillion other DIY things we did for our wedding day.

Benefits:
Since we were on a tightish budget for our wedding, any DIY elements had to help us save on the expense of purchasing a ready-made item or ordering one from a vendor. For the felted ball boutonnieres,  there were a number of advantages over going with a traditional florist:

• Total project cost ran around $10 - $15, with enough material to make 4 boutonnieres, making it a good option for large bridal parties.
• Low difficulty: 15 - 30 minutes of build time per boutonniere
• Easily sourced tools and materials
• Lasts a lot longer than a floral boutonniere. You'd be able to tack this on your tux well after you're no longer able to fit into it.
• Could be customized to any color theme.
• Convenient conversation piece when meeting new in-laws.
• Has that handmade, personal touch.
• They're kinda charming in their own way.

Step 1: Harvest Some Wool

Everything needed for this project can be gathered around the house or at your local arts & crafts store. With regards to the wool and ribbons, you may be able to find a better selection of colors online (or wash and dye your own wool if you're ambitious).

Tools

• Needle Felting Kit: should include at least two (2) felting needles and one (1) foam brick.
• Scissors and/or wire cutters
• Needle nose pliers

Materials

• Wool roving: this is essentially dyed, unspun wool. A small package produces 6 - 12 balls, depending on diameter.
• Cloth covered stem wire
• Green ribbon: for stem wrapping (width: 1cm; or 2/5" - 1/2")
• Permanent double sided tape: same width as green ribbon. This is not double sided foam tape.
• Colored ribbon, felt leaves/petals, paper flowers, etc: for embellishment
• Boutonniere pin

Comments

[hmlangille]

This instructable inspired ALL of the floral decor for my wedding. I used them to accent the floral arrangements my friends, family and I put together in borrowed vases, and even in my bouquet. Thank you so much for this idea!

[AwajiMan]

Thank you, hmlangille! Mrs. Awajiman will be so excited to hear you liked it :)
Your arrangement looks beautiful! Congratulations on your marriage!

[LindaEvi]

If you are looking for a great selection of wool and needlefelting supplies check out New England Felting Supply. www.feltingsupply.com I have purchased from them and they are always helpful and knowledgeable. Have fun!

[AwajiMan]

Thanks for the tip! We'll have to check them out.

[happygoluckygirl]

I re-read and re-watched your instructable and laughed when I read this: "...The stabbing motion and crunching sound of the needle in the foam pad were a great form of stress relief..."

I ought to try that for my stress relief! Repetitive motions do help me with stress. For example..knitting is a form of stress relief!

THanks for a great idea!

[Annaclee]

I was going to ask... did you ever stab your finger by accident? That would be painful

[AwajiMan]

Yes, I did. It hurts a lot!

[sunshiine]

Nice ible! Very clever!

[AwajiMan]

Thanks! All the cleverness comes from my better half ;)

[Annaclee]

what a clever idea... I have not seen this prior to your wedding.

[happygoluckygirl]

very entertaining instructable. organized, professional and easy instructions. Love the idea of a different approach for making boutonniere instead of the cookie cutter traditional ones.

great, creative idea and nothing was left out ! A novice can follow instructions and be successful!!!! I love real flowers but the BALL idea is fabulous.