About

Cost
$ $ $ $ $
Difficulty
• • • •
Time
20 mins

These recycled paper flowers employ a bookbinder's trick to make them foolproof, sturdy, and gorgeous enough to eat.
Start with a strip of paper: printed, recycled from a magazine or old gift wrap, with colors and patterns (at least on one side) that you like.

IMPORTANT: The WIDTH of your strip of paper will be the diameter of your flower, so if you want flowers 5 inches in diameter, use a strip 5 inches wide.
The LENGTH of the strip of paper should be AT LEAST 3 times the width. If your strip is 5 inches wide, your strip should be at least 15 inches long...longer will give you more petals and a more ruffled look.

Posted by Smallest Forest from Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia • Published See Smallest Forest's 15 projects »
Tags

PrintEmbed
  • How to make a paper flower. Pleated Paper Flowers - Step 1
    Step 1

    Start with a strip of paper: printed, recycled from a magazine or old gift wrap, with colors and patterns (at least on one side) that you like.

    The WIDTH of your strip of paper will be the diameter of your flower.
    The LENGTH of the strip of paper should be AT LEAST 3 times the width.

    Fold the strip up by halving it lengthwise, halving each half again, and so on and on until you have a narrow accordion (alternating mountain and valley folds) of paper like the ones pictured here.

    You can round the ends, as I have done, or make them into sharp points, or notch them, or leave them square as you wish.

  • How to make a paper flower. Pleated Paper Flowers - Step 2
    Step 2

    Fold your accordions of paper in half CROSSWISE, and poke two holes in the groove formed by the fold using a sharp large needle. The holes only need to be half a centimeter apart or so.
    Most tutorials on the web don't have this step, but just try and skip this and you'll soon see why it's a good idea! Without this step, anyone who tugs on your flower will pull it apart very easily.

  • How to make a paper flower. Pleated Paper Flowers - Step 3
    Step 3

    Use some thread and a needle to stitch through these two holes you've just made, tying the two loose thread ends together firmly but not so tight that you tear the paper! Trim thread ends.

  • How to make a paper flower. Pleated Paper Flowers - Step 4
    Step 4

    Now spread some glue along one side of the folded accordion. Stick it to the opposite side. Let the glue dry before you try to fan out the accordion.

  • How to make a paper flower. Pleated Paper Flowers - Step 5
    Step 5

    Using your fingers, gently fan out the folds until the other raw ends are touching. Spread glue on this side, too, and glue to its facing side. Hold or clamp until dry because the tension in this last step will pull the glued sides apart otherwise.

  • How to make a paper flower. Pleated Paper Flowers - Step 6
    Step 6

    When dry, Thread a needle with some thread and enter the flower from the back (you decide which is the back!) and affix circles and other shapes made of felt, paper, etcetera tot he front of the flower. Buttons are nice.

  • How to make a paper flower. Pleated Paper Flowers - Step 7
    Step 7

    You can also glue elements down to the first circle that was stitched on...shisha mirrors, paste gems, crystals, fimo, whatever...

  • How to make a paper flower. Pleated Paper Flowers - Step 8
    Step 8

    Done!
    Make gazillions and use as tree ornaments, or just for decorating the house, hanging in a window, sticking to skewers and 'planting' in pots, using instead of bows on presents... Make as big or small as you please!

Versions

Comments

Margie E.
Margie E.
beatuiful.
Reply
Donna H.
Donna H. · Fountain Inn, South Carolina, US
I love these folded flowers,and tried it today. But mine didn't turn out so well.It did make a good fan.I really want to make them so I will keep trying!
Reply
suci p.
suci p. · Bandung, West Java, ID · 2 projects
can i make this project
Reply
suci p.
suci p. · Bandung, West Java, ID · 2 projects
can i make this project
Reply
Terri Mimi A.
Terri Mimi A. · Iloilo City, Western Visayas, PH · 17 projects
This is a really easy project to do, and it's so pretty when done! Thank you for sharing it! Happy
Reply
Laura W.
Laura W.
looks really cool, i'm gunna make them Happy
Reply
terryann
terryann · Des Moines, Washington, US · 11 projects
I am going to make them from christmas colored paper and magazine pages for tree decor! so cool.
Reply
Olin C.
Olin C.
that is hard! i wish we could order the stuff from you!!!
Reply
Anke A.
Anke A. · Wernau, Baden-Württemberg, DE · 15 projects
Cute and easy, perfect! Thanks for sharing Happy
Reply
Jet H.
Jet H. · Haarlem, North Holland, NL · 108 projects
woooow this is cool and pretty , awesome!!! thanks for your greate tue and sharing;-D xxx
Reply
Load 1 more comments...

More Projects