We have two questions on the agenda today:

1. What are flower boules?

2. How can I replace boules for making flowers?

So, What are flower boules?

First, let's see what our great Wikipedia tells us:

Bulki- steel balls mounted on metal rods. The number of rolls used is usually at least six. For example: 5,15,20,30 mm in diameter. Changing the size of the balls by 1–2 mm in one direction or another does not matter much. There are no boules for sale; they can be ordered at a locksmith or mechanical workshop based on drawings. The corollas, petals, sepals and, in some cases, leaves are processed with boules, giving them a natural shape characteristic of of this flower.

Yes, our Free Encyclopedia is a little behind the times. Today you can buy whatever you want - you can use a soldering iron, or you can buy ones that look like grandma’s, with ordinary wooden handles that heat up gas stove. But not everyone can afford to buy them, at least not at the beginning. Although, there are Masters who even today honor the traditions of their ancestors and do not betray them. Remember I told you about the great French master of color Bruno Legeron? In his workshop, flowers are still made using such tools.

Balls and other tools for making flowers

Well, in general, Wikipedia is right. Balls are tools, part of which is a metal ball or half a ball with a rod. Thanks to them, flower petals can be made voluminous. High-quality tools are usually made of brass. Brass is an alloy of metals, it has high thermal conductivity, i.e. heats up quickly, holds heat for a long time, and then cools down for a long time.

Yes it professional tools, and thanks to them, some masters create masterpieces. Looking at them, the first thought that comes to mind is: “Of course, without this I won’t succeed.” And this is the first mistake of many beginners, and I once thought so. And in order not to offend anyone, I will show my first works and my mistakes. This is my first fantasy flower. How proud I was of him. Of course, I understood that I was so far from the great masters, but he seemed so unusual to me)))

I made it because I didn’t know how to do it, because back then it was almost impossible to find out anything about leather flowers. There were so many beautiful things in Osinka, but detailed descriptions did not have. You had to read all of the hundred plus pages to find out anything. And now - my mistake. This is what many newbies do. I know, because sometimes I receive letters from them in the mail with photographs of their first flowers. Petals twisted, have some form, but they flat, them not enough volume.

So What can replace boules for making flowers?

I made this rose a little later, already having some experience working with leather and having already made several flowers

Josephine leather rose

I “bulged” the petals of this rose with a screwdriver

Here is also one of my first favorite works - Pink Peony.

Peony brooch is one of my first favorites))

I added volume to the petals of this peony using a tennis ball.

Peony petals

How did I do this? I put the petal on my palm and, as if scrolling, pressed the screwdriver into the petal.

Only later, when I realized that I couldn’t live without leather flowers, that I really wanted bubbles, I was given a set of tools for flower making for my birthday)))

The fact is that genuine leather is a very interesting material. When wet, it can be given any shape. We form folds with our hands, stretch them, add volume using improvised means, and fold the edges of the petals. The main thing is that the petals are not flat.

To be honest, I was kind of embarrassed to talk about it. It sounds somehow unprofessional to use improvised means. And the other day I saw an interesting photo, in my opinion. This is a picture from an old Japanese book on leather flower making.

Of course, it’s a pity that we can’t read Japanese, but we can see. As you can see in the lower pictures, an awl is used to add volume. Those. You can use any object that is suitable in size and has a round side surface.

Only damp skin lends itself to such manipulations, and to give it fixation in the future we pre-treat it adhesive solution. You can’t do this with dry skin; dry skin is gurgled with warm or hot (but not too much) gurgles.

Like these ones homemade devices I found it in the Land of Masters.

And here are the “masterpiece” buns of Svetlana Shovkoplyas, a reader of this blog.

Do-it-yourself buns

Look what beauty she is making now with her gurgles

And now a question for you, my readers, who already has experience, and what did you replace the buns with when you didn’t have them? And if you send me photos, I will add them to this article. I think many newcomers will be grateful to you.

P.S. And here are the first reviews from blog readers. Regina Ryazanova shared her experience:

"I would like to show what tools I use to replace real buns. The first photo is a homemade bun made from a handle for drying towels. And I found the second “tool” on the Internet - an ordinary fork, of which I bent the two outer prongs (so as not to got in the way) I use it as a double leaf knife.

homemade tools for making flowers

And the second photo... just shows how this very “knife” makes veins on the leaves. Maybe it will be useful to someone...

We have two questions on the agenda today:

1. What are flower boules?

2. How can I replace boules for making flowers?

So, What are flower boules?

First, let's see what our great Wikipedia tells us:

Bulki- steel balls mounted on metal rods. The number of rolls used is usually at least six. For example: 5,15,20,30 mm in diameter. Changing the size of the balls by 1–2 mm in one direction or another does not matter much. There are no boules for sale; they can be ordered at a locksmith or mechanical workshop based on drawings. Corollas, petals, sepals and, in some cases, leaves are processed with boules, giving them a natural shape characteristic of a given flower.

Yes, our Free Encyclopedia is a little behind the times. Today you can buy whatever you want - you can use a soldering iron, or you can buy ones that look like grandma’s, with ordinary wooden handles that heat up on a gas stove. But not everyone can afford to buy them, at least not at the beginning. Although, there are Masters who even today honor the traditions of their ancestors and do not betray them. Remember I told you about the great French master of color Bruno Legeron? In his workshop, flowers are still made using such tools.

Balls and other tools for making flowers

Well, in general, Wikipedia is right. Balls are tools, part of which is a metal ball or half a ball with a rod. Thanks to them, flower petals can be made voluminous. High-quality tools are usually made of brass. Brass is an alloy of metals; it has high thermal conductivity, i.e. heats up quickly, holds heat for a long time, and then cools down for a long time.

Yes, these are professional tools, and thanks to them, some masters create masterpieces. Looking at them, the first thought that comes to mind is: “Of course, without this I won’t succeed.” And this is the first mistake of many beginners, and I once thought so. And in order not to offend anyone, I will show my first works and my mistakes. This is my first fantasy flower. How proud I was of him. Of course, I understood that I was so far from the great masters, but he seemed so unusual to me)))

I made it because I didn’t know how to do it, because back then it was almost impossible to find out anything about leather flowers. There were so many beautiful things on Osinka, but there were no detailed descriptions. You had to read all of the hundred plus pages to find out anything. And now - my mistake. This is what many newbies do. I know, because sometimes I receive letters from them in the mail with photographs of their first flowers. Petals twisted, have some form, but they flat, them not enough volume.

So What can replace boules for making flowers?

I made this rose a little later, already having some experience working with leather and having already made several flowers

Josephine leather rose

I “bulged” the petals of this rose with a screwdriver

Here is also one of my first favorite works - Pink Peony.

Peony brooch is one of my first favorites))

I added volume to the petals of this peony using a tennis ball.

Peony petals

How did I do this? I put the petal on my palm and, as if scrolling, pressed the screwdriver into the petal.

Only later, when I realized that I couldn’t live without leather flowers, that I really wanted bubbles, I was given a set of tools for flower making for my birthday)))

The fact is that genuine leather is a very interesting material. When wet, it can be given any shape. We form folds with our hands, stretch them, add volume using improvised means, and fold the edges of the petals. The main thing is that the petals are not flat.

To be honest, I was kind of embarrassed to talk about it. It sounds somehow unprofessional to use improvised means. And the other day I saw an interesting photo, in my opinion. This is a picture from an old Japanese book on leather flower making.

Of course, it’s a pity that we can’t read Japanese, but we can see. As you can see in the lower pictures, an awl is used to add volume. Those. You can use any object that is suitable in size and has a round side surface.

Only damp skin lends itself to such manipulations, and to give it fixation in the future, we pre-treat it with an adhesive solution. You can’t do this with dry skin; dry skin is gurgled with warm or hot (but not too much) gurgles.

These are the homemade devices I found in the Land of Craftsmen.

And here are the “masterpiece” buns of Svetlana Shovkoplyas, a reader of this blog.

Do-it-yourself buns

Look what beauty she is making now with her gurgles

And now a question for you, my readers, who already has experience, and what did you replace the buns with when you didn’t have them? And if you send me photos, I will add them to this article. I think many newcomers will be grateful to you.

P.S. And here are the first reviews from blog readers. Regina Ryazanova shared her experience:

"I would like to show what tools I use to replace real buns. The first photo is a homemade bun made from a handle for drying towels. And I found the second “tool” on the Internet - an ordinary fork, of which I bent the two outer prongs (so as not to got in the way) I use it as a double leaf knife.

homemade tools for making flowers

And the second photo... just shows how this very “knife” makes veins on the leaves. Maybe it will be useful to someone...

Tools for making fabric flowers

Name and purpose of the tool

When creating flowers from fabric they use special tools, fixtures and a soldering iron as a heating element.
Conventionally, tools can be divided into basic and additional.
The main ones are balls, single and double knives, narrow and wide heels, a hook, and a die. It is with these tools that one begins to learn how to create flowers, and in the future all flowers are created.

Additional ones - a penny, a ring, narrow and wide chrysanthemum knives, lily of the valley. They help in the production of small parts and expand processing capabilities. Used when working in classical European technology flower making.
Each tool has a specific function and is designed to perform various types works
Below we will look at each of them in more detail.

To extrude convex surfaces on flower elements and give a natural shape characteristic of a given flower, so-called bulbs are used.

Bulks are balls (hemispheres) mounted on rods. The number of rolls used is usually at least eight, ranging from 3 mm to 30 mm in diameter. The loaves are used to process the petals, as well as the corollas, sepals and, in some cases, leaves. Draw soft, rounded lines, turn away the tips of the petals and shape the middle of the flower.
Bubbles of small diameter will help in creating forget-me-nots, lilies of the valley, spray roses, gillyflowers and other small flowers. They can also be used to process the edges of poppy peony, iris, and other large multi-petal flowers.

Hook - a metal rod in the shape of a hook with a thinned tip. The hook is necessary for processing (curling the edges) of leaves and oblong petals. Ideal for processing lilies and roses. Can also be used in the manufacture of chrysanthemums and orchids.

Knives - single and double - are necessary for processing leaves. The cutting edges of the knives should be somewhat dull to avoid cutting through the fabric. When driving cutting edge on the material, with relatively light pressure, the knives should leave a clearly visible mark, and with stronger pressure, the knife should twist the material.

Single round knife used for applying veins on leaves and processing the petals of some flowers.
Round double knife necessary for processing the middle of leaves (drawing the central vein), and can also be used for processing reed petals and sepals.

Heels - narrow and wide
Narrow heel (1 mm roller) for processing petals and leaves. It will draw softer veins on the leaves and give a beautiful twist to the petals when processing the edges. Used in making chrysanthemums, sunflowers, lilies, clovers, fancy flowers,
Wide heel (4 mm roller) - used when processing leaves. It is this tool that gives naturalism to the artificial leaf. Can also be used for curling petals and corrugating petal edges on poppy, iris, gladiolus, and peony flowers.
A die is a tool with holes of different diameters for creating tubular parts, stems, grass (for example, grass in a field bouquet), decorative tubes

Additional tools:

The lily of the valley consists of two parts: a bulb in the shape of a small bell and metal base, repeating the shape of the bun. It is used accordingly for making lilies of the valley.
Penny or clover knife. Processed small parts flower, used as the main tool for processing clover. A kopek can be an alternative to a single knife if it is necessary to obtain softer lines during processing. This is achieved thanks to a slightly wider working surface than a single knife.
The ring is used to give the edges of the petals a fine corrugation. Can be used instead of a hook. But if the hook is responsible for processing roses and lilies, the ring can be used to process chrysanthemums.
U thin chrysanthemum knife- a tool that combines a single knife and a narrow heel. Gives beautiful natural lines when processing leaves, corrugating petals, processing chrysanthemums. Allows you to process chamomile petals in one movement and does not require the use of other tools in making the flower.
Wide chrysanthemum knife- in terms of parameters and properties, it repeats a narrow chrysanthemum knife, but with a wider work surface. Allows you to process the petals of chrysanthemums, asters, sunflowers, and gerberas.

Some flowers can be made with tools that you probably have around the house, but others will require a special set of buns. Don't rush to buy a large set. The ones listed below are sufficient to get you started.

boules for making flowers from fabric boules for flowers

You will have to cut out the flower details from the fabric with scissors. It is better if there are two pairs of scissors - large and small. requires the application of coloring compounds to the fabric, use synthetic flat brushes. Select the brush number depending on the nature of the coloring.

For gulling, you will need a special gulping tool. These are metal balls various diameters, fixed on rods. To start, you will need boules with a diameter of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 mm.

To translate the pattern, you may need a boule with a diameter of 1-1.5 mm. This tool is called a pillbox.

Thin veins on leaves and flower petals are made from fabric special knives. They can be single or have more blades.

During operation, the boules and knives are heated.

In order for the heating to be uniform, you need to insert the rod of a ball or knife into the hole electric soldering iron, after carefully removing the sting. Do not buy a very powerful soldering iron: with strong heat, some fabrics may simply melt. A 40W device is quite sufficient.

Boiling is carried out on special substrate made of thick rubber, covered with cotton fabric. For pile fabrics, the backing should be softer. You can make it from a regular rubber sponge.

To assemble fabric flowers, you need to make holes in the parts. To do this, purchase an awl.

When working with wire, you will need wire cutters and pliers. The first ones are convenient for cutting the wire, and the second ones are needed for bending it.

When assembling and painting flower parts, you will need tweezers. It is better if there are two of them: with straight and curved ends.

When working in the firing technique, use a candle - a tablet. It is very stable and the flame is protected by the side of the metal frame. To assemble the compositions, you may need a hot glue gun.

For the basics of compositions with fabric flowers, you will need hairpins. Blanks for brooches, vases, baskets and much more.

To secure compositions in pots and baskets, use a special floral sponge “Oasis”. You will need a sponge for dried flowers.

I advise you to order tools for making flowers from fabric from the wonderful floral artist Elena Shevchenko, whose video master classes and finished products simply delight me.