Cut approximately a 2-in strip (to create a rose about 4 inches in diameter) about a yard long. Use a quilter's rule and rotary cutter for precision, and, frankly, ease.
Finish the outside edge. (the cleanest edge you cut). I used a contrasting zig-zag stitch and a pinking shear. Set your machine 4 for length, and 5 for zig-zag width to match a set of standard pinking shears. Or, you could sew a straight stitch and pink or scallop. Or for simplicity you could either fray-check the edges or just leave it. I kind of like the frayed look (see my 1/4 yard of chiffon example below).
Then, run a basting stitch along the other edge and gather for all its worth. A basting stitch is the biggest straight stitch your machine can do. It's meant to be loose and easy to pick out -- it's often used to hild things like pleats in place until the final seams of a garment are sewn. It is also used to gather ruffles. To gather, leave long tails of thread after you've run the stitch. Then pull one of them gently - being very careful not to break the thread, until ruffles form. Then gently push these ruffles down the seam until you reach the end, and continue until the whole strip is ruffled.
It'll start twisting, and end up looking like this fluffy little worm. Use the twist to form layered circles, and hot glue in place. Then use the hot glue to attach a barrette, or a flat pin back to the back. Or glue to a headband, stitch to a scarf or cardigan -- use your imagination.
Voila!
For extra fun, create the center of the flower from a button or fancy bead (made with the infamous floral chiffon).
For a more Rosette-type shape, taper one edge down to about a half an inch. I accomplished this with the blue one by tucking while I glued, but a more of a spiral would happen if you actually changed the shape of the initial strip.
Gold star to the flower children.
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