How to make flowers using bubbles. Tools for making fabric flowers. The two most common sets of tools characteristic of European flower making techniques

Hello! I am making flowers from fabric.

There are a lot of questions about the use of tools for flower making: how to work with them, on what pillow, what shapes they give...

In this topic I will write a detailed description of the tools for making flowers that I use myself and that my students use. The instruments are also called "Bulki". They can be used not only to make fabric flowers, but also to color their skin, wool and felt.

The balls are inserted into a 40-watt soldering iron and heated up.

On a hard cushion (except in some cases). Draws a double line with a distance of 2-3mm. Used for drawing the central vein of leaves and petals, as well as for drawing various veins. Also used in the production of some chrysanthemums, daisies, cornflowers and gerberas.

On a hard cushion (except in some cases). For drawing various veins.

On the middle pillow. Gives convex shapes. Used for processing leaves. It can also sometimes be used in the manufacture of large chrysanthemums.

On the middle pillow. Draws a convex thin line. Used in the manufacture of chryanthemums, butterflies, fantasy flowers, sunflowers.

You don't need a pillow to work with the die. The die is used for the manufacture of elegant rolls imitating grass, as well as for the manufacture of decorative flagella in various compositions their flowers. In order to make a flagellum, you need to cut strips at least 1 cm wide and carefully pull them through the holes in a preheated die.

On a hard and medium pillow. For curling the edges of rose petals. In the manufacture of lilies, chrysanthemums, orchids.

On the middle pillow. Draws a smooth line. Used in the manufacture of clovers, butterflies, fancy leaves, and chrysanthemums. For drawing softer veins on leaves.

On a medium and soft pillow. To give convex round shapes. Depending on the size of the bun, you can make either a small forget-me-not or a large rose. Soft rounded lines are drawn with bulbs, the edges of the petals are curled, and the center of the corolla flowers is processed (pressed).

A little later I will write about 7 additional ones. tools, no photos yet..

Tools for making artificial flowers. Buy in Moscow and throughout Russia. Shipping to any city is possible.
To make flowers you need to have a small arsenal of tools and devices, which you can buy by writing to me by email
In Moscow ONLY pick up (m. Chistye Prudy).
Shipping within Russia and to other countries is possible but ONLY with prepayment, and ONLY by EMS mail (door-to-door delivery). The advance payment includes the cost of the ordered goods and delivery costs.
average cost EMS delivery in Russia 750-850 rubles, average cost delivery to Europe 2100 rub.

This happens as follows: You call me and tell me your city, then I check with the EMS mail the cost of delivery to your city, tell you the amount that needs to be transferred (cost of tools + delivery cost) and bank card details (or Yandex wallet number). After payment, you send a confirmation (scan of the receipt/cheque or number + date + time of the transaction), and also provide your address and as soon as the money arrives in my account (usually 1-2 days) I will send you the tool.
I do not send tools by regular mail or cash on delivery. Everything is just by EMS mail- this saves you and me time and makes life more comfortable.

Attention! Dear foreingers! If you want to buy artflower tools or other materials, please send a message to this address:

Please type my adress by your hands and do not print this adress anywhere in the internet, I do not want spam bots find my adress and spam my email.

Attention, promotion: with a one-time purchase of the first 4 sets, with 3 soldering irons plus 2 medium and 1 hard pads, a DISCOUNT of 850 rubles.

Summer Promotion! With a one-time purchase of all 5 tool sets, with 3 soldering irons, plus 2 medium and 1 hard pad, DISCOUNT RUR 1500

Current prices for tools are now on the website: http://tsvetyiztkani.rf

1. Basic kit for making flowers. Always in stock!
Cost of tools (15 attachments without soldering iron)
soldering iron sold separately.

All flowers presented on my website are made with these tools. It is very important that you have an idea of ​​the quality of these tools. To further verify the quality of the tools, you can visit one of my master classes on making flowers, where my students and I create flowers using these tools. For the schedule and cost of the MK, see the "Training" section.

Advice. When purchasing a tool set It is recommended to purchase 2-3 soldering irons. I always work with 2 and sometimes 3 soldering irons at the same time. And that's why. When making flowers and working with tools, several tools are often required at the same time. During operation, the tools in the soldering iron heat up, and therefore expand, and sometimes in order to pull out hot tool the soldering iron requires some force. This may cause some inconvenience at work. In addition, during such work, when you constantly and quickly change tools without waiting for them to cool, the insides of the soldering iron become loose, and it quickly becomes unusable. Trying to remove a very hot tool can scratch and damage it. Therefore, the best way out in such a situation is to use several soldering irons. You can easily work with one tool. When you need another tool, you take another soldering iron, turn off the first soldering iron and wait for it to cool down so that you can easily pull out the first one and insert the third tool into the soldering iron. This way, your tools and soldering irons will last much longer. When making flowers using the Living Flower technique, as well as when working using the Japanese technique, you will need 3 soldering irons at the same time. One for curling the petals, the other 2 for processing, because... these techniques often require 3 heated tools at the same time. I have been using the same 3 soldering irons for 3 years now, and they are still in working order.

Before purchasing, I also recommend reading the article “All that glitters is not gold” about tools for making flowers.

2. Japanese tools (Japanese paws and knives) for making flowers.

Japanese flower making tools are now on sale. Set includes 6 Japanese paws: 3 legs are smooth and of different sizes, and 3 legs are made in the form of knives, also of different sizes.

3. Additional set of tools for making flowers.

The set includes: lily of the valley, ring, 2 chrysanthemum knives, double disk-shaped knife, single disk-shaped knife.

4. A set of BIG buns.

"GIANT BULLS" is a flower girl's dream. I dreamed about these buns for 3 years, but they couldn’t be bought or ordered anywhere. Now I have found the opportunity to make them myself at the factory according to my order. And now you have the opportunity to buy such buns. Large boules are exclusively presented only in my sale. There are no such places anywhere else in Moscow. The set contains 4 boules measuring 3.5 - 4 - 4.5 and 5 cm. With the help of these boules you can make large roses and other large flowers.

5. “Set of Japanese feet No. 2 PROFI”

It's finished! The finest Japanese paws for pros and “hooves” are already on sale.

I hasten to inform all flower making lovers, those who have been waiting for this set for so long, as well as those who have not even heard about it. “Set of Japanese feet No. 2 PROFI” is now on sale.

The set is created in the image and likeness Japanese instruments, this is their exact copy, but there are several significant advantages of my set.

To order tools, write to me by email. (Alena Abramova) I will answer within 2-3 days.
In Moscow, pick-up is possible (metro station Chistye Prudy) or delivery by EMS service, but ONLY after pre-payment of the entire order and delivery costs.
Sending within Russia and to other countries is possible, but ONLY with prepayment, and ONLY by EMS mail (door-to-door delivery). The advance payment includes the cost of the ordered goods and delivery costs.
The average cost of delivery in Russia is 700-800 rubles, the average cost of delivery to Europe is 2000 rubles.
Payment is made to a Sberbank or Yandex money card.

6. Rubber pads.

Firm and medium pillows are available. A soft pillow is obtained by adding 2 medium pillows. Size 20*18 cm
Read a detailed description of the pillows

Detailed description of the tools from the main set:

Soldering iron. A 40W soldering iron is used. You should not take a higher-power soldering iron, because the tools in it overheat and the fabric begins to burn during processing. The tip is carefully removed from the soldering iron with force, and nozzles are inserted in its place. (In my kit the soldering iron tip is already removed, you don't have to do this)

Soldering iron attachments, they are special tools for making flowers, often called the funny word "bulki". In fact, a set of tools consists of more than just bullets. The tools are made of high-strength brass, which eliminates the deformation of parts when heated. The set of tools includes 15 attachments: boules with a diameter of 3 to 30 mm (8 pcs), a hook, heels (wide and narrow), a die, a single knife, a double knife, a penny.
Each tool is designed for various types works Given below short description tools, their use, as well as recommendations on which pad to use with each tool.

Double knife.
Draws a double line with a distance of 2-3mm. Used for drawing the central vein of leaves and petals, as well as for drawing various veins. Also used in the production of some chrysanthemums, daisies, cornflowers and gerberas.

Single knife.
On a hard cushion (with the exception of some cases). For drawing various veins.

Wide heel. (Iron)
On the middle pillow. Gives convex shapes. Used for processing leaves. It can also sometimes be used in the manufacture of large chrysanthemums.

Narrow heel. (Iron)
On the middle pillow. Draws a convex thin line. Used in the manufacture of chryanthemums, butterflies, fantasy flowers, and flowers.

Die.
You don't need a pillow to work with the die. The spinnerets are used for the manufacture of graceful rolls imitating grass, as well as for the manufacture of decorative flagella in various compositions of their colors. In order to make a flagellum, you need to cut strips at least 1 cm wide and carefully pull them through the holes in a preheated die.

Hook.
On a hard and medium pillow. For curling the edges of rose petals. In the manufacture of lilies, chrysanthemums, orchids.

A pretty penny.
On the middle pillow. Draws a smooth line. Used in the manufacture of clovers, butterflies, fancy leaves, and chrysanthemums. For drawing softer veins on leaves.

Bulbs from 3 to 30mm.
On a medium and soft pillow. To give convex round shapes. Depending on the size of the bun, you can make either a small forget-me-not or a large rose. Soft rounded lines are drawn with bulbs, the edges of the petals are curled, and the center of the crown flowers is processed (pressed).

Bulka 3 mm.


Bulka 5 mm.

Bulka 8 mm.

Bulka 10 mm.

Bulka 15 mm.

Bulka 20 mm.

Bulka 25 mm.

Bulka 30mm.

Rubber cushions.

In addition to flower making tools, you will also need rubber cushions. Available for sale new generation rubber cushions. They are white in color, heat-resistant and, what is very important, unlike the usual black rubber, they do not contain volatile substances that, when in contact with the covering fabric, paint it a dirty black color. White rubber always remains the same color and your cushions look neat and tidy.

Firm and medium pillows are available. A soft pillow is obtained by adding 2 medium pillows. This method is more economically justified, since rubber white 3 cm thick costs 2 times more, and a soft pillow would cost more. And so you buy one hard and two medium pillows and “kill two birds with one stone.”

To work, you need pillows of varying degrees of hardness and elasticity to give one shape or another to the details of the flower and to draw various lines and patterns. As a rule, pillows come in 3 types: hard, medium soft, and soft. There are also super-soft pillows, but you can completely do without them.

Before work, rubber cushions must be covered with a piece of smooth and dense cotton fabric in one layer. For these purposes, the best fabric for bedspreads is teak or thick satin. It is important that the fabric does not have a prominent weave of threads, such as linen or calico, since such upholstery can leave mesh marks on the details of the flower.

Previously, pillows made of black rubber were used, containing volatile substances, from which the fabric of the cover turned black over time and took on an unkempt appearance. As a rule, craftswomen are neat and very clean by nature, and in order to maintain a black rubber pillow in a neat form, it had to be covered with new fabric once a month, which is quite time-consuming, because instead you can make a flower.

But now it is possible to use pillows made of white rubber, which does not stain the cover, and the pillows remain neat.

Hard pillow- a cushion made of hard rubber, the thickness of this cushion is not critical, 3-4 mm is quite enough for you to work comfortably. The pillow size must be at least 15 cm on each side. You can do more to make your work even more comfortable. As a rule, it is used when working with knives, hooks, penny and heel.

Middle pillow- a cushion made of elastic porous rubber, thickness no less than 1 cm and no more than 1.5 cm, size must be at least 15*15 cm. Designed to work with most tools: knives, heels, penny, hook, ring, and also bobbins small diameter. Indispensable in the work of a flower girl, since it is the most used.

Soft pillow- made of elastic porous rubber, thickness from 2 to 3.5 cm. Size no less than 15*15 cm. Designed, as a rule, for working with boules. At first soft pillow can be replaced with a cushion of salt or sand. To do this, you need to sew a case measuring 15*15 cm and fill it with fine, homogeneous sand or salt, but not very tightly. Also, instead of rubber, you can use ordinary foam rubber covered with cotton fabric, but such a pillow is short-lived - the foam rubber is deformed and becomes unusable. Both saline and foam pillow do not have sufficient elasticity, and when making convex parts, creases and bruises remain on the product.

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 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 change 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...

in this lesson we will talk about tools. As you already know, some flowers can be made without using tools. But when we really want to give beautiful shape petals and greenery, we use special tools for silk floristry.

In a word, a set of tools for flower making is called bulki. But you need to know the name of all types of tools we use, and therefore here we will call bulki - spherical shaped instruments of different diameters on a stem. In addition to the buns, included in the set necessary tools includes knives, paws (or snouts) and some other tools, which I will discuss in detail below.

Previously, instruments were heated on a spirit lamp or an electric stove, so a wooden handle was attached to the instrument’s stem. Now as heating element using a soldering iron is much more convenient to use. In 2010, my husband Alexey made another improvement - he attached a dimer - a power regulator - to my soldering iron. This is very convenient device, which you can see quite often now. The dimer allows you to easily adjust the degree of heating of the tools and simplifies the work with the soldering iron. I will tell you below how to choose a soldering iron and a dimer, but now I want to move on to a description of the tools themselves.

Now on sale you can find quite a lot of offers for the sale of tools for creating flowers, and this is very nice, because... back in 2010, it was very difficult to buy tools.

The price of tools from different sellers ranges from 3,000 to 15,000 rubles, depending on the quality, number of tools included in the set, and the manufacturer.

As a rule, different schools of color making have different sets of tools from other schools. And, in fact, the technique of creating flowers in the style of a certain school is largely determined by the set of tools. So, if you want to make flowers using the Japanese Tanjobana technique, it is better to immediately spend money and buy tools from this school, especially since they are really the best that is currently on the market.

Historically, coloring techniques have been divided into two main groups: Japanese and European.

Until 2007, European flower creation techniques reigned in Russia. But over the past few years (namely, since Yulia Fedotova (Nagai) showed the art of Japanese silk floristry to Russian masters in 2007), the Japanese technique is gradually becoming the predominant technique for creating flowers in Russia.

Tools for creating silk flowers are divided into two main groups:

1. tools for creating flowers using European technology

2. tools for creating flowers using Japanese technique.

A common part for tools in European and Japanese techniques are boules, but knives, heels, dies and additional tools– differ.

Bulbs - usually 8 - 9 pieces ranging in size from 2 mm to 3.5 cm. In principle, you can buy bulbs with a larger diameter of 4 and even 5 cm, but you may need them only if you are going to make very large roses; usually they are not needed .

Bulki different sizes for creating flowers from fabric and leather

But, at the same time, it is worth noting that there are differences in the bulges - there are bulges with full spheres and with truncated ones.

The leading schools of Japanese flower making (including the Tanjobana school) use entire spheres, not truncated ones. This is due to the very technique of working with the tool - with a truncated sphere it is impossible to perform all the processing techniques inherent in these schools.

The two most common sets of tools characteristic of European flower making techniques:

1. Fabric and leather floral tools from Virginia (there are various clones of this set on the market)

2. Professional tools for creating flowers from fabric and leather from the master - Polina Kuznetsova

Knives

There are single knife and double knife. There are two sets of knives that differ greatly in shape.

• Knives in the shape of a circle (in the photo below from left to right - 1 and 3 tools)
• Knives in the form of an “iron” (tools from Polina Kuznetsova, they are in the photo below from left to right - 2 and 4 tools)

Iron-shaped knives are much more convenient and functional to use than round knives.

On the left are single knives, on the right are double knives for creating flowers from fabric and leather

Heels

• Heels in the shape of a circle segment (tools from Polina Kuznetsova, in the photo below they are on the left).
• The heels are in the shape of a circle (they are on the right in the photo below).

Heels in the shape of a circle segment are much more convenient and functional to use than round heels.

Heels for creating flowers from fabric and leather: to the left from Polina Kuznetsova, to the right from the Virginia company

Additional tools:

(from left to right)

• Chrysanthemum knives
• Die
• Lily of the Valley
• Ring
• Kopek

Additional set of tools for creating flowers from fabric and leather

The lily of the valley - as the name suggests - is a tool for making lilies of the valley, but to be honest, I don't even use it when making lilies of the valley.

Conclusion:

if you choose not cheap, but the best set for working specifically in European technology, then I recommend you Polina Kuznetsova’s set (see photo above).

Tools typical for Japanese flower making schools:

Japanese heels (have the shape of a paw)

Heels come in different widths: ultra thin, thin, medium, wide.

From left to right - the first four Russian production, the last three are professional Japanese heels.

Japanese knives:

From left to right - the first three are Russian-made, the last four are professional Japanese knives.

Single knife – has one “cutting edge” (in the photo it is 6th from the left)

There are 2 types of single Japanese knives - with a rounded and with a smooth “cutting edge”. In general, both types are good, but for the Japanese schools Somebana and Tanjobana, the second option is used - a knife with a smooth “cutting edge” (this is the one shown in the photo). This knife has more working surfaces and is also much easier to draw straight lines than with a rounded knife.

There are also double (two-row), triple (three-row) and quadruple (four-row) knives.

Double knife - has two “cutting edges”

In the photo there are 2, 3 and 5 from the left.

Triple knife – has three “cutting edges”

Photos 1 and 4 on the left.

Ultra-thin heel and ultra-thin double blade.

These are very commonly used and valuable tools. And the instruments I purchased from Tanjobana are very different from the other two sets I purchased elsewhere.

You can buy and try everything that is on the market yourself. Or you can trust my experience and not buy everything that is on the market, but buy it right away the right tools from the Tanjobana school (where the narrow double knife is hand-finished and has working edges that are not even found in tools made near Moscow or industrially made in Japan).

Yulia Fedotova immediately talks about what tools there should be, but I already had a bunch of tools by the time I went to study with her, so I didn’t immediately start making flowers using the Tanjobana technique using the tools of this school. And when I acquired the right tools, I felt a huge difference in what and how the result turned out.

Soldered knife

In the two photos above, he is on the far right.

This is a wonderful instrument that is used in two Japanese schools, Tanjobana and Somebana. It combines two tools: a foot (heel) and a single knife. With this tool you can achieve very beautiful corrugation of petals and greenery. And in many methods of processing leaves and petals, it simply cannot be replaced.

Tweezers

This is a very important and indispensable tool. Japanese technology flower making.

It is difficult to explain in words all the subtleties of choosing the “right” tweezers. That's why, The best decision- this is to purchase one recommended by your teacher.

In general, speaking about Japanese instruments, you need to understand that:

• There are forms of instruments, verified over decades, used in specific schools (they often use manual finishing), let’s call them professional,
• there are Japanese instruments of "industrial" production, they are widely available in Japan and also good quality, but they often have other, more simplified forms,
• and there are “Japanese” tools produced in Russia, which only vaguely resemble real professional Japanese knives and paws.

Conclusion:

if you are going to study Japanese technology If you are serious about flower making, then spend once and buy a truly professional tool.

Believe me, the difference between a professional tool and a hobby tool is simply huge.

And also, if you plan to work in the technique of a certain school of Japanese flower making, then purchase tools from this school, then the Master teacher can be guaranteed to pass on all the skills of the craft to you.

If you want to make flowers using the Nuno bana technique or learn from a Russian teacher who uses a Russian set of Japanese instruments, you can use the same set as your teacher.

A set of professional tools from the Japanese school of silk floristry Tanjobana

The best balls for creating flowers from fabric and leather are with a full sphere, not a truncated one. The work of Japanese craftsmen has been verified over decades, professional tools. This set is used for the Japanese Tanjobana flower making technique.

ATTENTION! The SilkFlora school does not yet manufacture, sell or deliver instruments.

You can subscribe to Push notifications and be the first to know that we have on sale the best tools for making silk flowers using Japanese techniques:

In the meantime, we can recommend two places where you should look for tools:

1. If you are going to create flowers using the technique of the Japanese school Tanjobana, then it is better to purchase the tools of this school from their website www.tanjobana.com
2. If the tools from the Tanjobana school are still too expensive for you, or you are not yet sure that you will create flowers using this technique, then you can purchase tools for creating flowers from fabric and leather in the online store www.shop4hobby.ru