Would you believe these flowers are made of paper? Here’s how to craft striking hydrangeas from crepe paper
These gorgeous hydrangeas are made from sturdy florist crepe paper. While the crafting takes time, the result is well worth the effort—the flowers are so beautiful, it's hard to believe they're made of paper!
Paper hydrangea—materials:
- Sturdy florist crepe paper or double-sided crepe paper in olive green and a color(s) of your choice for the flowers
- 20–30 pieces of thin floral wire, 0.5 mm thick, 40 cm long
- 2 pieces of thick floral wire, about 1 mm thick, 30 cm long
- Green floral tape
- Glue, e.g. Aleene’s Quick Dry Glue or Tacky Glue
- Sharp scissors
- Wire cutters
- (Green and yellow pastels)
- (A soft brush or sponge)
Paper hydrangea—instructions:
1. Cut 50–60 pieces of thin floral wire, each 7 cm long. Bend one end tightly in half. Cut 50–60 strips of crepe paper in your chosen color, 1.5 cm wide and 4 cm long. Stretch each strip sideways, then wrap it firmly around the folded end of the wire. Use a small amount of glue to secure. Let dry.
2. You’ll need about 50 flowers for one hydrangea bloom. Each flower needs four petals. Cut 200–240 petals from the crepe paper in your chosen color, following the template. There are two slightly different templates—one with a wider petal (the white flower) and one with a narrower petal (the lilac flower). Choose whichever you prefer.
3. To make your flowers look as natural as possible, you can add shading with pastel colors. It’s easiest to shade the petals before assembly, but you can also do it after the flower is assembled. Shade the base of each petal with pale green or yellow. Use a sponge or brush to apply the pastels, blending thoroughly.
4. Start assembling the flowers by gluing four petals onto each wire stem. Overlap the petals slightly. Once the petals are secure, wrap each stem with green floral tape to cover the lower part of the petals.
5. Group the flowers into small bunches of five or six. Use floral tape to attach individual flowers into these small clusters.
6. Build the bloom by attaching around 10 small flower clusters. Take a piece of thick floral wire and secure each cluster to it one at a time, wrapping with floral tape. Arrange them in a dome shape around the central cluster so it looks like a real hydrangea bloom.
7. For one flower’s leaves, you’ll need three or four rectangular pieces about 12 x 14 cm. Cut them from green crepe paper and gently stretch them. Slice each piece down the center to form triangles. Place the cut edges together (1). Flip one piece over as shown in the picture (2). Notice how the paper grain runs sideways, resembling leaf veins. Cut a piece of thin floral wire into two or three segments. Lay the wire between the triangles. Apply a thin line of glue, overlap the paper pieces slightly, and glue them onto the wire (3). Let them dry, then cut them into a leaf shape following the template (4).
8. Attach the leaves to the stem below the bloom with green floral tape or a strip of crepe paper. Wrap the entire stem with green floral tape or crepe paper. Finally, gently bend the petals outward from the center so your flowers bloom beautifully. If you haven’t shaded the leaves yet, you can carefully do it now.
Tips!
- Always cut the petals along the paper grain so the paper stretches across the petal’s width, making it easier to shape them naturally.
- Clean your paper flowers by gently brushing them with a soft brush or paintbrush. Be careful not to get them wet.
- High-quality materials will last a long time and won’t fade in sunlight.
Design, instructions and photos by Sukhi Raghunath; text by Johanna Riskilä. Heavy florist crepe paper and floral wires and tapes from a craft store.
