| The art of making artificial silk flowers has not | | | | process that determines the end result and thus a |
| changed much throughout history as the basics of | | | | lot of man hours are used up on this process |
| this craft have remained the same. These basics, | | | | alone. |
| however, only provide a framework for the art. | | | | Cutting: The fabric is now cut into the desired |
| It is the artists' creativity which make a silk | | | | shape. For a hand-made flower, scissors and |
| flower special and lead to the diversity in | | | | knives are used. This requires a lot of patience on |
| construct around the world. Knowledge about the | | | | the manufacturer's part and care is to be taken |
| real flower which is being imitated is vital in this art | | | | to ensure that there are no frayed ends in the |
| and the best craftsmen painstakingly dissect | | | | flower. For mass production, dyes are used. More |
| flowers and recreate the whorls of the flower | | | | recently, laser beams have been used to cut |
| accurately. The petals are then cut and either | | | | flowers into the desired shape. This method is |
| glued or sewn to the other petals which recreate | | | | very fast and its accuracy is ensured by a |
| the flower. The basic process for creating silk | | | | computer that controls the laser. Laser cutting |
| flowers is listed below: | | | | also ensures that there are no patched or frayed |
| Raw Material Selection: Silk flowers' texture is | | | | ends. Often, it still requires a human hand to |
| highly dependant on the raw material used for | | | | assemble the petals into the finished flower |
| making them. Real silk, silk blend, polyester fabric | | | | product. |
| (such as rayon), and cotton fibers are usually | | | | Coloring: The petals and stems (made of a wire |
| used in making silk flowers. Many online florists | | | | with plastic or cloth wound around it) are colored |
| and silk flower wholesalers prefer cotton blend | | | | using dyes available. These dyes should be |
| fabrics that are easy to produce and retain their | | | | non-toxic and long lasting. Very detailed flowers |
| color for a very long time. At the start of the | | | | are dyed by hand in the exact color as their real |
| manufacturing process, the fabric is white. | | | | counterparts. Thus this method is quite time |
| Depending upon the process (detailed hand work | | | | consuming to ensure that the real colors are |
| or mass production) the fabric is either dyed after | | | | recreated faithfully. |
| cutting the petals or after the heat molding | | | | Heat Press: The penultimate step involves heating |
| process. | | | | the petals, leaves and stems in the molds created |
| Design: Real flowers are taken apart and studied | | | | in the designing step. The petals are then pressed |
| carefully by trained craftsmen. The petal | | | | onto the desired shape, leaving them looking |
| arrangement, color and structure are all taken | | | | realistic. |
| note of and molds are made from this study. | | | | Assembly: Finally, the petals are assembled and |
| These molds also contain distinctive curves and | | | | sewn or glued together by skilled workers. These |
| textures from real flowers that help in recreating | | | | are then attached onto the stem by wires and/or |
| it in the form of a silk flower. Leaves are also | | | | glue. Thus a silk flower is created. |
| made with this method. This is a time consuming | | | | |