Paper Flower Tutorial - Three Flowers made from Circles

Hello again, all Blog Friends!

I have been promising, for a while, that I would make another tutorial for you - to show how I make some of my paper flowers. 

This tutorial is Part 1. It shows how to make three types of flower, using punched (or cut out) circles of paper.  They are fairly simple and I hope anyone would be able to make them.

Paper Flowers from Circles

Equipment Needed

You need some method of creating paper circles. Either a circle punch, like those above (which both cut a 2" circle - one plain, one scalloped); or else a circular object to draw round, a pencil and scissors; or a circle-cutter tool. 

You may also need a ruler, pencil, craft knife, tweezers (I didn't need these for this set of flowers, but some people might prefer to measure everything, to make sure it's level, or to hold paper pieces with tweezers etc... we're all different).

Materials Needed

Various sheets of coloured paper. Patterned is nice, but plain will do.  I use two colours for my flowers, but you can make very nice ones with just one colour of paper. (The two-coloured ones are easier to use for a tutorial, as it's easier to see what's going on.) Also some good glue and an assortment of small buttons or other suitable embellishments, for flower centres.

Flower 1 - Folded Circle flower with four petals

Cut four circles from your coloured paper. Fold each in half, creasing it well along the fold.

Apply a little glue at the centre of your first folded circle. Press a second circle on top, at right angles, as shown.

 

Do the same with a third circle, placing it over the second and lining it up parallel to the first, as shown above.  Then feed the fourth circle in betwen the first and third pieces, as in the picture, to give you four overlapping "petals" on your flower.

Add a small button or other embellishment.

Flower 2 - Half-circle flower with four petals

This flower is similar to the first, but it doesn't have the layered look. It's a good flower to use when you don't want the thickness of a folded flower, or to save paper! 

 

Cut two circles per flower. Fold these in half, then cut carefully along the fold, to give you four half-circles.

Assemble the flower by laying the half-circles over each other, in the same way as for the folded-circle flowers above.

Feed the fourth piece carefully between the first and third half-circles. Adjust to make sure everything lines up and you have four even petals. It's more obvious with this simpler flower, if the petals are a bit wobbly!

Finish with a button or embellishment. As you see, the back of the half-circle flower isn't "pretty" like the folded circles.

You could attach it to a circle of cardstock or paper, to add interest and finish off the back more neatly. It depends what you're doing with the flower, of course - the back may not matter if it won't be seen at all.

The added circle does give the flower more "substance" and weight though and the extra layer can be seen a little, especially if you use a foam pad to fix the flower to the top.  Experiment to see what you like best!

Flower 3 - Half-circle flower with six petals

This last flower is made using the same principles as the first two. It can also be made with folded circles, which give it a lot of weight and a lovely layered effect. It can be a bit expensive on the paper though and if you use heavy paper or cardstock, it can result in a very thick flower.  Again, experiment to find what you prefer.

 

 

Use the same overlapping technique as above, but this time each petal is 2/3 of the half-circle, rather than half of it (ie. an angle of 60 degrees, instead of 90). 

Slot the final piece in between the first and fifth sections.

 

 

Adjust the petals of the flower, to make them as even as possible.  Then lift one petal carefully and apply a thin line of glue underneath its edge.

Press the segment down carefully and repeat for each petal, until you have glued all round.

Glue your choice of button or embellishment to the middle of the flower, to finish it off.

There you are - three types of flower, made by the same method! I hope you enjoy making some for yourself and experimenting to see what you like best.

The same technique can also be used to make flowers with eight, ten or even twelve petals. I wouldn't recommend using folded circles of stiff paper for these though! Either use thinner paper, folded, or cut your circles in half and use a backing circle of stiffish paper or cardstock.

Another nice idea, that I've seen someone else do, is to make larger and smaller versions of these flowers, then layer them. This looks especially pretty with multi-petalled scallop-circle flowers.

The buttons can also be attached with stitching, which gives a nice finish. Make the holes for your stitches first, so you know where to sew. Then make a stitch or two before you drop the button over the needle. It just makes it easier and gives a stronger result.

I don't always glue the edges of the petals down. I often prefer to use a single circle of stiff paper or cardstock as a base. I then glue the segments to the base, using spots of glue in the centre. This allows the petals to stand out nicely - I can even curl them slightly to add shape. It also avoids the problem of glue showing on the top of the flower, although if you're careful this can be covered by the button. 

There are several sets of these flowers in my Etsy shop just now, all of which were made with a base. It's a bit more fiddly, but gives a neater and more stable result.

If you make any flowers using my tutorial, I'd love to see what you've created!