How to make paper peonies

1. Cut a piece of the 180g pink crepe paper measuring 3 x 2cm (1.2 x 0.8in). Fully stretch out between your fingers and cut into 1cm (0.4in) wide pieces (we need four in total). Tear the top edges of each piece with your fingers to give a jagged edge. Apply a light layer of glue to each piece and roll firmly on to the end of one piece of 18-gauge wire and two pieces of 20-gauge wire, 3mm (0.10in) from the top of the paper.
2. Next, take thin 6mm (0.24in) wide strips of 180g mustard crepe paper, fully stretch out and apply a thin layer of glue to the first 5cm (2in). Starting at the top of the end of the wire, secure the paper at a 45-degree angle. Make a small oval shape with a larger centre, measuring around 5mm (0.2in) across at the widest point and 1.5cm (0.6in) long. Repeat with the other two wires too.
3. Cut each of the 20-gauge wires around 2cm (0.80in) from the bottom of each carpel and then push against each wire at the bottom of each to a 45-degree angle.
4. Take a thicker, stretched-out 1cm (0.4in) wide strip of 180g mustard crepe paper with a light layer of glue and place one of the shorter carpels level next to it. Wrap around tightly and add the next three carpels so all four sit closely together. Cut the strip and glue down once all the carpels are secure.
5. Push the four carpels firmly together.

OLA O SMIT

OLA O SMIT

1. Cut a rectangle of 180g orange crepe paper across the grain measuring 13 x 5cm (5 x 2in). Stretch fully between your fingers and cut out two pieces from the stamen template. Repeat again with the 180g yellow crepe paper and cut out one piece using the same template.
2. Take each piece and fold over, then finely fringe in the direction of the grain, down two-thirds of the length of the paper. The finer you fringe, the better the flower will look.
3. Lay the three pieces down with the yellow piece in the centre and apply small dots of glue along the bottom uncut pieces to lightly secure the three pieces together. Twist the strands firmly together with your fingers to make the fringing even finer.
4. Then apply glue to the bottom-left corner, smooth across with your finger and wrap this around the carpels evenly, with the bottom of the fringe sitting at the bottom of the carpels. Keep applying a little more glue as you go, smoothing it over, then secure at the end. Push the paper together tightly underneath so it is completely secure.

OLA O SMIT

OLA O SMIT

1. You can now choose which of the 60g peach crepe papers you would like to have as your main flower colour, with the other peach shade acting as the accent colour.
2. Cut out the petals from the 60g peach crepe paper of your choice using the templates. We need six of the small petals (four of the main colour and two of the lighter or darker accent colour), 30 of the large petals all cut from the main colour and one of the accent colours. You can accordion-fold the paper to make this quicker for you. At this stage, don’t pay any attention to the dotted lines on the templates.
3. Cup the petals individually very gently between your thumb and fingers in the top third and then gently stretch underneath the curve you’ve created very slightly to straighten the petal. If you are creating harsh marks in the paper when you curve it, then you are applying too much pressure.
4. Cut detail into all the small petals and five of the large petals (including the accent-colour petal) following the dotted guidelines on the templates. Round off any straight cut edges that you make with precision scissors.
5. We can now apply the petals directly underneath the bottom of the fringed centre. Glue the small petals first, with a light layer of glue at the base. Place the first three small peach petals equally around the centre and then the next three in-between. Make sure you push each petal on firmly so that they don’t start to come away from the centre.
6. Then work outwards with the detail-cut large petals first. Add the accent-colour petal so it almost forms a triangle with the other accent petals. Then add the next remaining petals by sight, keeping the flower as even as you can and filling any gaps in the petals from the previous layer of petals.

OLA O SMIT

OLA O SMIT

1. To make the calyx, take a piece of the green-tea doublette crepe paper and cut three of each of the calyx pieces. Cup each of these in the centre to give shape and apply a light layer of glue to the bottom of each one. Glue the three small round pieces evenly directly underneath the centre and then place the three longer calyxes in-between.
2. To cover the base of the petals and the calyx, stretch a 1cm (0.4in) wide strip of 160g grass-green crepe paper and glue tightly around covering the base of the petals underneath the flower-head. Then bring this down on a 45-degree angle, applying a little glue as you go and continue down the wire stem. You can cut the length of the stem with wire cutters as well if you prefer a shorter flower. Wrap the stem tightly four or five times.
3. Cut two squares of doublette crepe paper that are larger than your leaf template. Place them both on a table with the colour that you would like the flower to be facing upwards. Cut both on the diagonal, but we need them to be cut on opposite diagonals to each other this time.
4. Take one triangle of crepe paper from one square and the same corresponding triangle from the other square. You can save the remaining two pieces to make another leaf later if you need to. Follow the previous tutorial for gluing the two pieces together and then the remaining steps as well. Although make sure the colour that you would like your leaf to be is in the centre, with both sides that have the same colour touching when you glue them down.
5. Once the pieces are dry, you can then open them out in the same way as the previous tutorial and make your leaf in the same way.
6. Take a 15cm (6in) piece of 24-gauge paper-covered floral wire and lay this in the inside of the valley at the back of the template leaf 1 and two of template leaf 3. For the remaining leaves, place a length of 15cm (6in), 26-gauge paper-covered floral wire in the valley at the back of each. Press down along the back of each leaf firmly to secure. Cut the base of the leaf to a point with precision scissors so it fits nicely against the wire.
7. To assemble a leaf sprig, take the template 1 leaf and a stretched 6mm (0.24in) wide strip of the 60g olive-green crepe paper. Wrap around at the base of the leaf for 1cm (0.4in). Take two of the template 2 leaves and place the leaves on each side at the base of the main leaf. Wrap all three leaves tightly together for about 3cm (1.2in). Tear the strip off and glue down.

OLA O SMIT

You can then style the flower and bend the stem as you wish. I usually give the stem a little shape at each point that a leaf or flower comes off the main stem. You can also bring the flower-head down by gently pushing the wire forwards directly underneath the flower. Adjust any petals so they sit nicely and bring them out a little to fully open up the flower if you like.

This is an extract from A Petal Unfolds: How to Make Paper Flowers by Susan Beech, published April 2022 by Pavilion Books.

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