Iron Craft 2016 Challenge #10--Homemade Boutonniere

For Challenge #10 we were asked to created something to celebrate summer. Before I get to my project, there is some explaining to do.

When I was growing up, there were certain rules that the nuns would pound into our heads. Most of them were etiquette rules or comportment rules for living--we called them "nun rules" and they were usually accompanied by an eye roll.

One of the rules was "In the spring and summer months, a gentleman always wears a fresh flower in his lapel. In the fall and winter months, a gentlemen wears a pocket square because fresh flowers are not always available. But a gentlemen never wears both."

Every Saturday at the theater, I wear a sports jacket or suit to commemorate the end of the week. Since I don't work on Sundays, Saturday evenings are the last shift of my week. During the spring months, I have applied the nun rule above and have been wearing a boutonniere. Last week (and in tribute to this challenge), I decided to make my own. Some of the florists in Manhattan have charged me $10-$20 for a single flower boutonniere similar to the one above.

Therefore, I decided to make my own--which in hindsight is really, really easy. So for this challenge, I share with you my first, homemade boutonniere.

I chose a single flower without adornment to keep it simple and to not excessively show off. There is no greenery, or filler to make it look like a wedding or prom boutonniere. I wanted it to be a throwback to the old Victorian habit of men wearing a fresh flower in their jacket button hole. By the way, the word boutonniere is French for button hole.