I did not find out until recently, that many states do not make these things we call Mums in Texas in high school for the homecoming game. Mums are something that a boy makes for his homecoming date and gives it to her to wear throughout the day and to the football game that night. In the early years of the mums, they were real flowers, but now they are fake and involve a great deal of preparation. It can be complicated, especially for people who have not done this before and some people will be completely lost without instructions.
Kind of Mum
Since real flowers are no longer used, mums come in three sizes. There is a single mum (one fake flower), which is the smallest. Double mums (two flowers) are twice the size of a single mum and triples mums (three flowers) are three times the size of the singles. Select which size you would like or feel would be most appropriate.
Backing
Mums can be very heavy so it is important to pick a sturdy backing for it. If you have chosen to do a single mum, the best backer is a 6-inch circle backing (these are sold at craft stores). For a double mum, an oval shape holds it best. For a triple mum, heart backing are the best because there is space for all three of the flowers. Some stores have backers that are already made and have the ribbons already attached, so if you’re looking to make this as easy as possible, that might be the best way to go.
Flower Size
The white mum flowers that go on the mums can be different sizes. For a single mum, a flower that is between 6-8 inches. For a double mum, use the same size flower, but two of them and add one more of the same size for a triple mum.
Ribbons
School colors are the colors that should be on the mum, usually there are at least two school colors, and sometimes three. You can pick any combination of these colors that you want, but it is best if you have at least two different colors. There are lots of different styles of ribbon. For any size mum, there should be at least two different styles of ribbons used. The ribbons vary in length from 18 to 60 inches. It is important to consider the height of the girl who will be wearing the mum when cutting the ribbons.
Other Accessories
Most people do not use just ribbons on their mums. Bells, miniature footballs, letters to put on the ribbons, miniature football helmets, and that kind of stuff are all sold at crafts stores and are typically attached to the ribbons to make the mums more exciting.
Assembly
Cut the ribbons whatever length you have chosen, not all of them have to be the exact same length, but relatively the same. Make some of the ribbons overlap a little when you are putting them on the backer and then staple them in place. Do this until the bottom of the back is completely covered with the ends of the ribbons.
After you have finished the first row of ribbons, place additional ribbons a little bit lower than the first row and in between the staples of the other ribbons so that there are no holes when holding up the mum.
Put the flower in the center of the backer and glue it there, hot glue works best.
Make sure that if you have more than one color, the colors alternate and that one single color is not grouped together.
Use another back and do the same thing to it. This is where people attach the other things such as bells to the mum.
Take the second backer and staple it to the back of the first backer. Use another backer to staple on the front of the middle backer so that the staples do not get caught in the clothing.
Final step is to decorate the ribbons. If you have things such as letters, stick them or glue them onto the ribbons and continue to decorate them until you are satisfied.
Good Luck!
Reference
“Homecoming Mum,” www.michaels.com/
