How to Make Crepe-Paper Flowers

Crepe-paper flowers capture the essence of live blooms without all the botanical details. Their whimsy makes them not only a pleasure to behold, but also an enjoyable project to undertake. They also offer several practical advantages over their natural cousins, the most obvious being that they are far more durable and won't wilt or droop. The flowers can be made to perfectly match the style and palette of a party in any season. Easy to make, crepe-paper flowers like lilies and tulips are sweet and pretty—and they have a long history as decorations at celebrations. Here, we give the directions for specific flowers, though petals, stamens, and leaves can be altered, mixed, and matched). 

With a few snips and folds, paper can be transformed into exuberant flowers of all varieties. All you need are a few simple tools and materials to get started: cloth-wrapped floral wire ($5.99, amazon.com), floral tape ($4.99, amazon.com), and the right choice in crepe paper. There are, actually, different kinds: heavy crepe paper ($16.88, amazon.com) is best suited for larger blooms for while extra-fine crepe paper ($21.88, amazon.com) is perfect for delicate, finer details. (Crepe paper—more durable and textured than other types of paper—can also be fashioned into decorative fruit and fauna.) We'll show you how to turn tissue or crepe paper into lovely daffodils, dahlias, or carnations that mimic the delicate details of the real blossoms but never wilt. Part of the fun of "growing" these flowers is that you can play Mother Nature and choose any number of petals or any color.

Follow one of our basic techniques for paper flower-making or learn how to make a particular species of flower for a spectacular gift, centerpiece, place setting, party favor, or decoration.

The single-petal method, as its name implies, is used to build a flower petal by petal. Each petal is individually shaped and pleated before being attached to the stem. To construct one of these flowers, first make the appropriate stamen from crepe paper and floral wire and cut the necessary number of petals and leaves from crepe paper. Then shape the petals, and attach them to the stamen with floral tape.

Use six petals (get the template below), a fringe stamen, and two elongated leaves. Shape petals to cup inward slightly; roll three of them at the widest point to curve strongly inward. Pleat base of each petal; pinch folds in place. Attach heavily cupped petals to stamen; add remaining petals, overlapping slightly. Attach leaves low on stem.

Use 35 petals (get the template below) and a button stamen. Shape petals to cup inward slightly. Pleat base of each petal; pinch folds in place. Attach to stamen, positioning innermost petals low, with midpoints at stamen's head; raise each subsequent ring of petals slightly. Curl tips of petals inward.

Use five petals (get the template below), a pistil stamen, and an elongated leaf. Fold petals in half lengthwise, crease, then unfold. Shape petals to cup outward at widest point. Attach to stamen in an evenly spaced ring, leaving the pistils inside the stamen long.

Use five small and seven large petals (get the template below) and a bud stamen. Cup petals at a point just below middle; curl upper edge outward. Pleat base of each petal; pinch folds in place. Attach petals to stamen, first positioning small petals lower on stamen and tightly curled around it; raise each subsequent ring of petals slightly, overlapping petals.

Petals are shaped first, then attached to the stamen individually. To cup a petal, pinch it between thumbs and forefingers, thumbs near center, fingers at edges. Gently pull thumbs outward to stretch the crepe paper, opening up ridges; this will cup it inward into a concave shape. To curl a petal, roll it around a pencil. To pleat the base of a petal, pinch sides together; press folds in place.

To attach petals to stamen, stretch floral tape slightly, then wrap it twice around stamen. Add petals, wrapping tape across base of each as you add it. Once petals are added, wrap tape around twice more, then wrap down along stem to anchor and to attach leaves.

For this technique, a strip of paper cut with a fringe of petals is attached to a stamen, and petals are shaped afterward, sometimes several at a time. First make the stamen and cut petal strips and leaves. Then firmly wrap the strip of petals around the stamen or around itself; secure with floral tape. Practice so the strip doesn't slip, or cut it into shorter lengths and attach in stages. Then attach leaves and shape petals.

Use 36 inches of petals (get the template below), a fringe stamen and one or more teardrop leaves. Attach end of strip to stamen; wind it around, gradually bringing strip higher on stamen. Starting near their bases, curl inner layers of petals tightly inward, several at once. Curl outer petals less tightly.

Use three strips of petals (get the template below), each 12 inches. Tightly pleat bottom edge of one strip, then wrap it firmly around itself, keeping bottom edge aligned. Secure with floral tape. Repeat with other strips. Tape bases of rolled strips to the end of a plain floral wire and to one another, wrapping tape down stem. Pull petals outward to create a dome.

Use 32 inches of petals (get the template below) and a fringe stamen. Attach strip, placing end a little low on stamen and pleating bottom edge as you wrap, gradually bringing strip higher on stamen. Cup each petal inward, then curl inward; pinch each tip to give it a crease.

Use 18 inches of petals (get the template below), a button stamen, and two notched leaves. Attach strip to stamen, pleating bottom edge to prevent bunching, and keeping it aligned as you wrap. Cup each petal outward, then curl petals outward, shaping several at a time. Attach leaves near base of stem with tape.

To attach a strip of petals, place one end against the stamen; wrap strip around it. The base of the strip may need to be pleated as you go; pinch it together occasionally, and press folds in place. Once strip is wrapped, stretch floral tape slightly, then wrap it snugly around the base of the flower several times, touching both paper and stamen; wind tape down the stem to anchor and to attach leaves.

To cup a petal, pinch it between thumbs and forefingers, thumbs near edges and fingers at center. Gently pull thumbs outward to stretch the crepe paper, opening up the ridges; this will cup it outward into a convex shape. To curl petals, slide them between your thumb and a pencil; petal will curl toward pencil.

Cut 18-gauge cloth-wrapped floral wire to desired length: 12 inches is a good starting length for a bouquet; 6 inches works well for a boutonniere.

To make a button: Cut 11/2-inch square of crepe paper. Place thumbnail-size wad of cotton in center; push end of wire into cotton. Wrap paper around cotton; twist ends around wire. Secure with floral tape.

To make a bud: Cut a 3-inch square of crepe paper; fold it into a triangle. Bring far tips in toward center bottom point, slightly overlapping. Hold the tips together; twist. Secure tips to end of wire with floral tape.

To make a pistil: Cut a 1/2-by-6-inch strip of off-white crepe paper. Twist it tightly between your fingers, and tie a knot at one end. Cut three 1/8-by-4-inch strips of heavy red crepe paper; bend each at one end. Attach all strips, off-white in center, to end of wire with floral tape.

To make a floret: Cut 6-by-2-inch strip of crepe paper; fold every 1/2 inch. Cut petals as shown. Wrap around end of wire. Secure with floral tape.

To make a triple button: Cut three 1-inch squares of crepe paper; make three wads of cotton the size of a pinky nail. Attach to wire. Place buttons together, heads staggered; tape together with floral tape.

To make fringe: Cut a 6-by-2-inch piece of crepe paper. Make cuts into one long side, about every 1/8 inch, to create a fringe. Roll paper tightly around end of wire. Secure with floral tape. 

To make notched leaves: Position these leaves down the stem a few inches below the base of the flower head, and secure with floral tape. 

To make teardrop leaves: Cut a few 1/4-inch-deep slits into the sides of each leaf at the tip, spacing them approximately 1/8 inch apart as shown on the template. Give the leaf a slight inward cup, following the shaping technique given for single petals seen here.

To make standard leaves: Pleat the base of each of these leaves before attaching them. Add a short stem made of 18-gauge cloth-wrapped floral wire in one of two ways: Either attach the leaf to the wire by wrapping floral tape around the base overlapping wire and slightly cupping leaf around stem, or glue wire up center back of leaf with craft glue.

To make grass: Start with a 2-by-5-inch strip of crepe paper. Fold accordion-style, and place template on top; create a spiky fringe by cutting narrow Vs into one long side of the strip following the template. To attach, place one end of strip on flower head at the base of the flower head, and wrap it around the stamen; secure with floral tape.

To make elongated leaves: Fold each leaf in half lengthwise, then pleat its base by pinching. Attach these leaves on the stem a few inches below the base of the flower by wrapping floral tape around the base. 

Use continuous-petal flowers made without a stamen (roll the strip tightly around itself, and secure with floral tape). Thread an upholstery needle with double-sided satin ribbon; run needle up through centers of flowers. Leave four inches between flowers.

Make the blossoms at right using five to ten continuous petals cut into rounded teardrops; use an 11-inch length of floral wire for the stamen of your choice. About 4 inches down from flower, twist two tiny circles in wire with round-tipped needlenose pliers; these circles grip the card. About 1 inch below that, bend wire out 90 degrees, then into a circular base. To display, cut 2-inch slits into felt draped over table; slip one side of each base into a slit.