Quick Tip: Aligning Layered Flowers

I can usually “eyeball” the center of a single flower, but when it comes to stacking layers of flowers together, my layers tend to drift off-center.  Here’s my solution:

Take a piercing tool, needle, or stick pin and poke through the center of the top layer.  (I use a foam mat underneath to protect my fingers and my work surface.)  Slide the flower up out of the way and pierce the center of the next layer.  Slide that one up, and continue until all the layers are pierced in their centers.  If you can see you’re off a bit, just re-poke until it looks right.

The easiest way to keep them together at this point is to put a brad through the holes you just made.  If I’m attaching a large rhinestone or button–I usually use a small, flat, square brad and just glue the rhinestone or button on top of the brad so long as it hides it completely.

If I want a smaller embellishment in the center, I use a stick pin through the centers and glue in between the layers.  It gets my pin a little goopy in the process, but then once the flowers are aligned I just remove the pin and clean the glue off of it.

Even if you need to punch larger holes to attach an eyelet or snap, it’s helpful to use this piercing method first, then punch the holes where you can center your tiny hole as you look through the hole punch.