Posy Buttonhole Tutorial — a quiet style

In last month's wired buttonhole tutorial, I promised you a more untraditional approach for this month, and I always like to deliver on a promise, so here it is! As always, the lovely Caroline is here to show us how to put together a posy buttonhole for weddings, corsages, or just because! Wouldn't it be great if people always wore real flowers, how much more colourful the world would be. This tutorial is incredibly easy, so there's no reason not to give it a go!

You will need:

florists tape
thin ribbon
a corsage pin
a selection of seasonal flowers, herbs and foliage, we used: scabiosa, poppy seed heads, verbena, mint, sea lavender, corn flower and dusty miller

1. Gather your flowers and foliage together into a small posy, if you like you can spiral the stems as per the hand-tied arrangement tutorial, but you don't have to.

2. Vary the heights of the posy for added interest.

3. Once you are happy with how it looks, wrap the florists tape tightly around the stems to hold them in place, just under where the flower heads sit.

4. Add a corsage pin to the back and tape round that and the stems.

5. Snip the stems to a couple of inches below the tape, cutting them at an angle will give a nicer finish.

6. Finally, take your ribbon and wrap it around the stems to cover the tape, knot or tie in a bow, depending on the look you would like.

The finished buttonhole:

As always, just to show how easy it is, I made one too.

Hints & Tips

You can make these the day before, but if you do, you will need to keep them in water, so leave the stems longer and then trim to length on the day.
Tape as tightly as you can, for minimum bulk.
Make sure your ribbon is securely tied, you don't want it to fall off half way through the ceremony!
If you can't get hold of a corsage pin, then a safety pin will do.

If you do have a go, have fun, and Caroline and I would love you to share your photos with us.

Emma x