Learn How to Make a Paper Rose Bouquet – Free Template

Spread the word!

Learn how to make a realistic paper rose bouquet with unique flowers using my free SVG Cut Files

Maybe it’s because it’s almost Mother’s Day and I haven’t been home to visit mom in a while, but I have been on such a paper flower-making kick lately. I’ve been testing and tweaking patterns for the past week and the first template is ready to share! So today, I’ll be teaching you how to make a paper rose bouquet (with or without a cutting machine), and something else I’ve gotten pretty good at since I started making realistic flower templates – how to make each flower look different, even if it’s from the same template! We’ll also be making extra leaf stems to fill out the arrangement.

Something else you’ll notice about this template is that the petals aren’t the perfect round shape you see on a lot of other flower templates. While nature obviously did a beautiful job on flowers, it didn’t give them that smooth petal outline. I wanted to make these roses look as natural as possible, so I traced the outline of several petals and arranged them together to make the template pieces. That makes this a perfect project for a Cricut Cutting machine. (But definitely still doable with scissors.) So, whether you’re working with a cutting machine or not, let’s get started!

Legally, I have to tell you that this post may contain affiliate links and that you can read the whole boring disclosure policy here. All this means is that if you click and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Now let’s get back to the crafty goodness you came here for.

SUPPLIES FOR PAPER ROSE BOUQUET

• Cardstock in green and pink – you’ll need at least 2-3 12″ x 12″ sheets of each to make a decent sized bouquet. (Save a scrap piece of the green cardstock after you cut your template pieces. You’ll need that for wrapping the stems.)
• A sharpened, round pencil (not faceted like most regular ones.)
• Hot Glue and Glue Gun
• Floral Wire
• Wire Cutters
• Needle Nose Pliers
• Green Floral Tape
• A way to cut out your cardstock pieces – I used my Cricut Maker
• My Rose Bouquet Template – Click the button below to get the free project files!

HOW TO MAKE YOUR PAPER ROSE BOUQUET

First, you’ll need to download and prepare your cut file. You can find it in my Crafter’s Resource Library – along with all my other project files, cheat sheets, and guides! Click below to get the password.

Getting your templates ready to cut

Next, you’ll upload the SVG files into Cricut Design Space (or the program for your machine). There are five SVGs you will be using for this project. I created a separate file for the rosebud, two different mature roses, a set of extra petals, and a set of extra leaves.

Once your files are uploaded and inserted into your project, you’ll duplicate each group for the number of flowers you want.

I recommend at least 4-6 mature roses and 2 rosebuds. You’ll also want one set of extra leaves for about every 4 roses.

The extra petals are optional. You can add them as an extra layer to your roses to make them a little fuller. Or you can mix and match the petals to help make each rose look unique.

There is no need to resize the templates once you’ve uploaded them to Design Space. I set the sizing on them to make the finished flower about the same size as an actual rose.

If you do want to size them up a little before you start cutting, you’ll definitely want to use the extra petals so that they still look as full.

Tip: Make sure to select all of your pieces and scale them up together so they end up at the same ratio.

Once you have as many flowers and leaves as you’d like, go ahead and cut them out using your Cricut and your blue or green cutting mat. Make sure to curl the mat instead of your paper when removing the cut pieces. Some of them have very small connecting points and can be easy to rip if you’re not being careful.

Don’t worry about sorting the petals the way they were grouped in the cut files. All you need is to group the petals by size so that you don’t place a smaller set over a larger set when assembling the blooms.

How to Curl Your Petals to Achieve Unique Looking Flowers

Once all the pieces are cut and sorted, it’s time to start curling the edges. The direction you curl the paper is the first part of what gives each of these roses their realistic shape.

A real rose petal is curved in three different directions:
-Up around the base of the flower
-Sideways around the inner petals
-and outward at the top of the petal

To mimic this look with our cardstock, we will also be curling each petal in those three directions.

The Basic Curls

It’s easiest to start with the sideways curl. Line your round pencil up from the middle to the end of your petal, and curl each side inward around it.

For the smallest and innermost petals of each flower, and the two small outside petals for each rosebud, use the sharpened tip of the pencil to curl the end of each petal into a cone shape.

Next, at the base of each petal, use your pencil or your thumbs to curve each petal up and give each set of petals a loose bowl shape.

The Shape-Defining Outer Curls

Lastly, flip your petal bowl upside-down and use the pencil to curl the end of each outward. (Except the smallest petals that you already curled into a cone for the center of each flower.) The bigger the petal, the bigger you can make this curl. For some of the petals, curl straight outward, and for others, hold the pencil on a slight diagonal.

As you go, try to have a good variety in the direction of the outward curls. This will help with giving each rose a unique and realistic look once it’s put together. For some of mine, I even curled a diagonal on both sides of a petal.

Adding Folds to the Greenery

Now take a second and add folds in the center of each leaf section, as well as creasing the middle of the leaf stem about an inch at the bottom.

For the sepals (part of the rose that supports the base of the petals – see above), use your fingers lightly curl up the tips Then we’ll be ready to start burning our fingers hot gluing!

Now, I know that assembling the roses to make each one “bloom” differently definitely looks difficult. But in all my trial and error getting this template just right, I learned a trick that actually makes it pretty easy.

Assembling Your Paper roses

We’ll start using that trick in the second layer of petals.

First, start with your smallest layer of petals, which is curled into little cones. Choose one to be your center and curl it again into the tightest cone you can, and hot glue it in place. Now, starting with either petal next to it and working your way around, glue each one fairly tightly around the last.

You should end up with a slightly larger cone, with a slightly squared bottom. Pinch the corners or roll them along the table to round them off before adding the outer petals.

For the Rosebud

Adding the outer petals of the rosebud is just a little different than the rest of the petals. When real roses are that small, the outermost petals appear to be on a bit of an angle as they wrap around the bud.

So put a dab of hot glue on the bottom of your bud and press on a set of outer bud petals. (Make sure they don’t line up perfectly with the inner petals. You’ll want to cover the pinched corners from before.)

Now wrap the first petal up around the bud (a little less tightly this time) and then ever so slightly, slide it to the right before gluing it in place, giving it the appearance of blooming out on an angle. Do the same with the next petal.

Finally, hot glue the bottom and press the last bud piece in place, perpendicular to the previous one. Again, fold these petals up and push them slightly to the right before gluing them into place. To give a little bit more of a blossoming appearance, only glue the right side/middle of the petal. Let the left side curl out a bit.

For the Bigger Flowers

First thing’s first: add a dab of glue and press the next layer of petals onto the base just like normal.

Now here’s where we get to start using that trick I mentioned!

The most difficult part of getting these roses to look realistic is finding a way to have all 3 curves show up in each petal when it’s glued together. You can’t glue it and then manipulate the curves because the cardstock will rip. And you can’t just curve the petal how you want it and then glue it to the bud because when you wrap the petal up around the base of the flower, the outer curl will either disappear or fold over itself and form a crease.

My Favorite Paper Flower Trick!

To solve this problem, first, decide on the basic curl pattern you want that petal to have. Based on the petals around it, and the original outside curl you made on that petal.

Gently pull it up and start wrapping the base of the petal around the base of the flower and work your way up. Manipulate the curl as you go until it looks how you like and the bottom, sides, and middle are tight up to the flower. DO NOT LET GO!

Firmly pinch the unattached petal between your thumb and index finger. Now slide the rest of the flower back out, keeping the working petal in the same form. Quickly dab some hot glue inside the petal near both outside edges and in the middle. Make sure the glue is down far enough that none gets on the outer curl. Then simply slide the rest of the flower back into place. Continue to hold the petal firmly until the glue is set.

Easy peasy!

Repeat this for each petal on the second and third layers of each flower. For a more open look, make the outside curls bigger as you add more petals. For a full bloom, you can add a fourth layer of petals from the extra petals section of the template.

Putting It All Together

After you’ve completed all the flowers, group each one with a leaf piece, a sepal piece, a 7″ length of wire, and a tiny rectangle cut from the green scrap cardstock you saved. (No need to measure, but think 1/4″ by 1/8″).

For each rosebud, grab a mini leaf piece and sepal piece, another scrap rectangle, and 5″ of wire. Add each of these groups of pieces to a full flower group.

Then for each remaining leaf, cut another 7″ of wire.

Attaching the Stems

To attach the stem to each flower or bud, start by using the wire to poke a hole through the middle of the sepal. Pull it through a few inches, and use your fingers or needle-nose pliers to create a small flat loop (parallel with the sepal) in the top end of the wire. Dab a good amount of hot glue around the hole you made, and pull the wire back so the loop gets covered in glue. While it’s still hot, press the flower or bud on top of the wire. Add a little more glue if needed.

Once it’s secure, curl or bend the sepal tips the way you like. Glue some or all of them up to the side of the flower, depending on how you want it to look.

Now take the little rectangle and put a fold in the center. Add a little bit of glue to the inside, and pinch it closed around the wire. This will create a little volume under the flower when we wrap the stem in floral tape. It also makes the wrap a bit easier to get started since the tape sticks better to the paper than the wire at the beginning.

How to Attach Leaves and Connect Stems

Once all your flowers and buds have stems, it’s time to start wrapping them in floral tape and adding leaves. You’ll want to start with the rosebud stems because they need to be wrapped already when we attach them to the main stems.

Cut a length of floral tape that’s easy to work with. (I like to use 7-8″ at a time.) Stretch the end a bit to make it sticky, and start wrapping several layers at the base of the flower. Once it’s thick enough, you can pinch it into more of an upside-down cone shape, and start wrapping down the stem.

I found it’s easiest to hold the tape on a diagonal and twist the flower, pulling the tape a little as you go.

Once you get an inch or so down the stem, pinch the stem of a leaf around the wire and keep wrapping around it. If you have a hard time with this, you can glue the stem in place first.

To attach a rosebud stem to the main stem: follow the same method as attaching a leaf. Press the bud stem up to the main stem just under your floral tape, and continue wrapping downward until the new stem is secure.

To create a leaf-only stem: Run a thin line of hot glue down the crease in your leaf stem and press the end of the wire into it. Once the glue is just cool enough to touch, pinch the cardstock around the wire and hold it in place until secure. Wrap floral tape around the glued area until it’s covered well. Then wrap downward until the rest of the wire is covered.

Continue wrapping until all the stems are covered. Then trim the end of the tape and pinch to finish it off.

Now just play around with the pieces until you get an arrangement you like! If you keep moving things and can’t find an arrangement that looks good, try making some more leaf stems to fill it out.

And you did it! (Please tag me so I can see your pics! @simplecreativelivin on IG)

That’s all for today, friends.

Stay Crafty,
KatyAnna

---

Download the Free paper Rose Bouquet Template

---

Liked This Project? Pin it To Save For Later