Today’s Project: Whimsical Ric Rac Flowers

When I spotted this month’s theme, my mind immediately went to creating something that would bring that playful, vintage vibe into home decor.

The result? Gorgeous dimensional ric rac roses; although, I think they look more like peonies.

I decided to add mine to embellish a decorative pillow. Remember too many seasonal pillows is NOT a thing.

But once we have our flowers made, we’ll talk about all kinds of ways to use them to add charm to your decor.

(And yes, I started with pre-made white pillow covers from Amazon because sometimes life’s too short to drive to IKEA. No shame in smart shortcuts, friends!)

Crafting at Your Comfort Level

For the “I’ve got this” speed crafters: 
Quick how-to card below gives you the essentials to run with!

For my “Talk me through it like we’re crafting besties” friends: 
Keep scrolling for all the details, tips, and hand-holding you could want.
I’m right there with you!

Okay, craft-curious friends! Let’s break this down step by step with all the tips and tricks I wish someone had told me when I first made these adorable flowers.

For Creating the Magic Blossoms-

• Ric rac trim: Medium or jumbo size works best (those tiny ones are cute but will test your patience and eyesight)
• Needle and thread: Nothing fancy, just something that somewhat matches your ric rac
• Hot glue gun (optional): For those “I need this done yesterday” moments
• Scissors
• Pins: To wrangle your ric rac ends
• Iron: With steam capability – trust me, you’ll thank me later!

For the Pillowy Canvas-

• Plain pillow cover: I grabbed some from Amazon
• Felt or thin ribbon: For adding stems and leaves if you’re feeling extra fancy
• Craft paints & textile medium: If you want to go all out with a painted background
• Misting bottle: because it truly makes a difference with just about every paint project
• Paint brushes & palette: For your inner artist
• Beverage of choice: Crafting is thirsty work, friends!

Grab your iron, crank up the steam, and press that lumpy, bumpy ric rac sandwich until it lies flat and behaves itself. The heat and steam help train those fibers to stay in their new interlocked position.

Pro tip: Use a pressing cloth and a more moderate temperature if your ric rac is synthetic – melted ric rac is definitely NOT part of this craft!

Now for the transformation! Start with the folded end – this will be the center of your bloom.

Begin wrapping the ric rac around itself, keeping it tight for the first few turns to form a nice bud center.

Thread your needle with a double length of thread, knot the ends, and tack through the bottom of the flower every circle or two. This keeps your creation from springing open like one of those joke snake-in-a-can pranks.

PRO TIP: If you’re struggling to keep it tight while stitching, a tiny dab of hot glue can hold things in place while you sew. I won’t tell the craft police!

Continue spiraling your ric rac outward, maintaining even tension. As you reach the outer layers, you can loosen up a bit to create a more “blooming” effect. Keep securing with stitches every circle or two.

You say when it’s done!

When your bloom is looking good, cut off any excess trim. Fold under the raw edge and stitch securely.

Now for the magical transformation! Gently fold the outer petals back away from the center, creating that perfect “just bloomed” look. You can open as many or as few petals as you like – some flowers are shy, others like to show off!

Once you’ve arranged your petals just so, use your hot iron to encourage those open petals to stay that way. A quick press will help them remember their new position, standing open, proud, and beautiful.

STYLE TIP: For a more dramatic flower, open more petals and press them flatter. For a younger bloom look, just open a few of the outermost petals while keeping the inner ones tightly spiraled.

Moment of truth: Is your flower looking a bit lopsided? Embrace it! Real flowers aren’t perfectly symmetrical either – it’s called “character”!

Creating Ric Rac Buds (Because Every Blossom Needs a Friend)

For these adorable little buddies:

1. Use just a single layer of ric rac
2. Press so the bumps fold up onto the center of the trim – these will be your tightly closed petals
3. Start by tacking that first tiny fold in place with your needle and thread
4. Roll 3-4 more “petals” tightly around the center one
5. Secure this group with a few stitches
6. When it looks just right, as plump as you want, cut your trim at a valley (dip), fold it under, and tack in place

Make it botanical-

Paint the bottom and about halfway up the sides with leaf-green craft paint thinned with textile medium.

Or wrap a skinny green ribbon around the base and down to create a stem. So cute you might actually squeal!

Be sure to Pin this post, so you’ll find it again!

Decide on a design plan before attaching your flowers.

For my project, I started with a creamy white pillow cover and added an impressionistic-inspired background of a sunny sky over a meadow of flowers.

PRO TIP: If you are painting your pillow, don’t forget to insert a piece of cardboard to hold the fabric tight and to keep the paint from seeping through to the backside.

Your choice of colors and arrangements ca dramatically change the vibe of your finished pillow:

• Cottage Charm: Cluster dusty-hued flowers in one corner of a softly striped pillow
• Mid-Century Modern Bold: Arrange geometric patterns of flowers in vibrant, contrasting colors
• Shabby Chic: Pair pale pink and cream flowers with lace trim accents
• Scandinavian Minimalist: Keep it simple with just one or two statement blooms in muted tones
• Boho Eclectic: Mix different sizes and colors with other textured elements

Step 3) Arrange and Attach-

Decide on placement for your ric rac peonies—random scattering, a border design, or one statement bloom in the corner. Play with the arrangement before committing!

Once you’re happy with the layout, pin each flower in place, then secure with small stitches around the base. Take your time with this step—proper attachment ensures your flowers will survive many pillow fluffings.

If you are needle and thread adverse, you can always fire up the hot glue gun.

PRO TIP: If you’re using glue, slip a piece of wax paper inside the pillow cover first. Nothing ruins a craft high faster than accidentally gluing your pillow cover shut!

Want to kick your flowers up a notch? Try these embellishments:

• Intersperse a few small ric rac “buds” among your open blooms
• Start with a small pom pom as the center and build your petal circles around it
• Add felt or ribbon ribbon embroidery leaves between the flowers
• Enhance with a few seed beads or tiny buttons in the flower centers

FINAL TIP: Take a photo of your finished pillow in good light before you give it a permanent home on your entry hall bench.

Nothing boosts crafting confidence like documenting your beautiful work—plus, it makes for perfect social media sharing!

• Add stems and leaves cut from green felt or with ribbon embroidery
• Paint a simple background on your pillow first (flowers in a vase? trailing vine?)
• Mix different sizes of ric rac for varied flower textures
• Combine with other embellishments like buttons or tiny pom poms in the centers

Show Off Your Blooms!

I’d love to see your ric rac flower creations! Tag me in your photos or drop them in the comments below. And remember – if yours don’t look exactly like mine, that’s not a fail, that’s called “artistic interpretation”!

Happy crafting, friends! Until next time, keep those scissors sharp and your glue guns hot!