Making crepe paper flowers

The art of making paper flowers has been around for centuries in Europe, America, China, Japan and beyond. In recent years it has soared in popularity in part thanks to social media, as the creations are always wonderfully photographable and the creative possibilities are endless.

If you’re interested in making your own flowers, here’s a brief guide on what materials and tools you’ll need.

  

Basic material list

 

Crepe paper
Essentially there are three types of crepe paper.

Heavy crepe (1) sometimes known as floristry crepe paper or Italian crepe, this usually comes in weights of 180g, 160g or 140g. It has a pronounced grain, or crinkle, this means there is lots of stretch, which is ideal for more sculptural techniques.

Double sided crepe (2), or ‘doublette’ is a medium weight crepe which is manufactured by attaching two lighter weight papers together, so you’ll often find each side is different colour. It has a smoother grain, or crinkle which means there is less stretch than the heavier weight papers, however it still has enough body to support petal forms without needing additional support.

Fine crepe paper (3), this comes in several weights, 60g, 40g and 90g. The 60g and 40g are very similar with a fine grain or crinkle with some stretch. The 90g is really stretchy.

Wire (4) - I use paper covered wire to support the flowers, for some larger heavier petals and to add structure to foliage. It comes in several gauges, (the higher the gauge the thinner the wire). As a rule I generally use 16 or 18 gauges for stems, or flowers with very heavy heads. This wire is quite rigid. Gauges 20 and 22 for small flowers, climbing flowers where some flexibility is needed on the stems, branches and some larger leaves. Gauges 26 or 28 for leaf stems or where petals need some additional structure.

Ideally you’ll need a minimum of three different gauges, I’d recommend choosing an 18 gauge wire, a 22 gauge wire and a 26 gauge wire to start with.

Glue (5) - I prefer to use Modge Podge, however other white craft glues would also be fine. Others use glue sticks, but personally I have found these never work for me. For larger flowers, or those with lots of petals, I use a hot melt glue gun.

Floral Tape (6) – This is a waxy self adhesive tape used by florists, and comes in a variety of colours. I tend to use just green. It is useful for wrapping stems, creating flower centres and attaching petals.

 

Additional materials

 

Spun white paper balls or cotton balls in various sizes, to be used to create centres or the underlying flower structure. I have them in several sizes from 10mm- 100mm.

Cotton wool balls, kitchen towel, toilet roll and safety swabs are also useful for creating centres.

A selection of paints, inks, soft pastels, water soluble pencils, ink pads and bleach, tea and water.

 

Basic tools

 

Scissors (1) - I  recommend at least two pairs, a general purpose pair, large enough to cut through heavy crepe or multiple layers of crepe paper, and a pair for more delicate or detailed cutting out and for fringing. The most important thing is that these are comfortable to use and sharp! A scissor sharpener (2) is also useful.

Wire cutters (3) - needed for cutting the wire

Pliers (4) - useful for bending the heavier gauge wire.

Skewer (5) - used for curling petals. A small length of 18 gauge wire, a cocktail stick or the end of paint brush will also work.

Glue spreader (6) (or glue brush/ squeeze bottle)

Ruler (7)

Pencil (8)

Cutting mat (9) (or oilskin/plastic cloth to cover the table

 

Additional tools

 

Paint brushes, sponge wedges, scalpel, paint palettes, embossing tools, air brush