We mentioned in our previous post that you could make your own flowers in several ways. So as promised… today we are going to start with the easiest one first. We will teach you how to make your own flowers with crepe paper.

Here is how your flowers will look like…

 

To start off, you will need the following.

  1. Crepe paper – 24 inches by 3/4 inch
  2. Needle and thread – about 1 meter
  3. Scissors
  4. Brad

Oh and by the way, a little rave here…. we are working on Inkssentials non stick craft sheet (which is the background). We just cannot tell you how much we looovvvvee this craft sheet. You have got to try it to know. We can only say, every crafter or scrapbooker who deals with adhesives, stamping, wet embossing and coloring etc must get one of this. :)

Step 1

Cut the crepe paper to a width of about 3/4 inch. The width is the size of the “petal” so if you want a bigger flower, your width will be bigger and vice versa.

  

Step 2

Sew the crepe paper by stitching close to one side of the crepe paper as shown. Remember to leave about 10cm of thread on the starting end so that you can tie a knot later when the flower is finished.

You can use any color thread because the thread will not be seen when the flower is complete. This stitching helps to make gathers on the crepe paper. And no worries if you think you cannot sew because your stitching need not be perfect.

  

As you are reaching towards the end of the crepe paper, you may realise that your crepe paper is starting to gather. It is ok. Do not bother to straighten it out. Just leave it as it is.

 

Step 3

Now take the loose thread of the two ends of the crepe paper, pull your thread and start pushing your paper together so you get gathers. It is up to you how tight or loose you want the gathers to be. We like it tighter. You will also notice that the entire length starts to become like a swirl. That is what you want because it helps to form the flower later.

 

Step 4

Now you are going to start arranging the crepe paper in a circular manner. Work along the side that is being sewn as that will be the inner circumference.

Before you start, take the loose thread of the starting end and ensures that the thread is placed in the center of the circle so that the thread goes behind when the flower is complete. Now start arranging the crepe paper in a circular manner as shown. 

It really depends on which way your crepe paper swirls. In the picture we are working in an anti clockwise manner because it is easier to work in that direction that the swirl of the crepe paper takes us.

  

Work at it until the end of the crepe paper and you will get the shape of a flower with the 2 loose threads behind (or at the base) of the flower.

  

Step 5

Flip the flower and tie a dead knot at the base of the flower. Trim of the excess thread.

  

Step 6

Flip the flower to the right side up. Insert the brad into the centre of the flower. We used a brad from Basic Grey.  And there is your completed crepe paper flower.

  

Try it and have fun.

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