Craft:

Materials

2 sheets of wool or acrylic felt
Downloadable template (PDF)
Straight pins
Scissors
Double-ended floral stamens available in the wedding section of craft stores or online
Tacky glue
Thick elastic ponytail holder
Hand-sewing needle and thread

Directions

Step 1: Print out the template and cut out both pieces. Pin one to each color of felt and cut around all 4 sides.

Step 2: Carefully cut slits along one side of each piece, following the template. Don't cut all the way across the strip!

Step 3: Have some tacky glue and some stamens nearby. Place the 2 felt strips together, matching up the 2 smaller ends. Make sure the sides with the slits match.

Step 4: We're going to roll these 2 strips up together to form a flower. Begin by folding the small end over a little.

Step 5: Next, place a little glue along the edge of the strip. Roll the felt over the glue.

Step 6: Repeat those steps, adding a little glue and then rolling the strips over the glue, until you've rolled the entire strip. Be careful to keep the bottom edges of the strips lined up as you roll.

Step 7: When you've rolled all the way to the end, glue the 2 ends of the strips down separately.

Step 8: Place a pin in the end of each strip to hold it in place while the glue dries. Let sit for about 15 minutes.

Step 9: Turn the flower over and spread out the petals. Then take a stamen and fold it in half. Put a little glue on the folded end, and then tuck it into the middle of the flower, slipping it between petals. Add as many stamens as you like.

Step 10: You might also want to trim the outer petals of your flower here and there so it has a more pleasing shape.

Step 11: Turn the flower back over. Lightly glue an elastic ponytail holder to the back, as shown. You don't need much glue here — all you're doing is tacking the elastic down.

Step 12: Next, cut a circle of felt that's the same size as the bottom of the flower. Glue it lightly to the flower, as shown.

Step 13: Place some pins into the bottom of the flower as shown, to hold everything in place while the glue dries. Let this sit for about 15 minutes.

Step 14: For extra strength, we'll sew the felt circle to the bottom of the flower with a whipstitch. Thread a needle with about 18" of thread and tie a knot in one end. Begin sewing by passing the needle through the top layer of the felt only. This way, you can hide the knot between the layers.

Step 15: Next, pass the needle through both layers. Repeat this stitch to sew your way around the flower.

Step 16: When you reach the elastic, just pass your needle under it, as shown, and keep sewing.

Step 17: When you've sewn all the way around the flower, knot the thread by making a little loop and passing your needle through it twice. Pull the thread tight and cut it. Now your ponytail holder is ready to wear!

About the Author:

Diane Gilleland produces CraftyPod, a blog and bi-weekly podcast about making stuff. Her first book, Kanzashi In Bloom is currently out in bookstores.