Raffia flowers make delightful and inexpensive gifts, and are most acceptable contributions for the sales of work and charity bazaars. They are quickly and easily made, and look exceedingly effective on a dark velour or velvet hat.
Take a piece of chamois leather. This can be purchased cheaply at any ironmonger's, or a pair of old gloves can be used.
Cut out four or five leaves about 2 inches long, four or five about 1 inch long, and a few smaller. These form the petals of the flower. Thread the raffia with a large darning needle. Make one long stitch, putting the needle in at one end of the leaf, and carrying it to the other. Continue backwards and forwards until the leaf is covered.
Now take a contrasting colour, and work across the leaf, thus forming a darning stitch, until the leather is entirely hidden. Next oversew the edges with small neat stitches. This binding stitch makes the petal very firm.
Work every petal in the same way and then join together to form the flower. Now, take a plain white hat-pin, and paint any colour desired. Push it into heart of flower, and sew leather securely round head.
Any coloured raffia may be used. A most effective flower is made with a ground work of orange and the darning stitch of dull yellow. The centre of the flower painted black and green.
Another charming flower is made of scarlet raffia, wlth a black darning stitch and centre. The exact tint may always be obtained by buying the plain raffia and dyeing with ordinary cold water dye.
Source: WOMEN'S COLUMN. (1924, December 30). The Evening News (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1924 - 1941), p. 12.
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