Crepe Flowers

You will need

Template from papercraftermagazine.co.uk
Crepe paper: pink, orange
Lightweight handmade or tissue paper, green
Wire: hobby, 0.6mm; fine gauge
Wire tape, pale green
Embroidery hoop, 27cm diameter
Ribbon, hessian wired
Cord, orange
Marbling ink, green
Yarn: Stylecraft Super Chunky, lime green
Cotton wool
All-purpose glue

Wreath

1. To make the large lily, use template A and cut out six petals. Trim each in half lengthwise and apply all-purpose glue down one of the centre cut lines. Lay a length of hobby wire along the glue, then place the remaining half of the petal over the top, sandwiching the wire down the centre. You may need to re-cut the point of the petal.

2. Pinch the base of the petal together, then wind over the pinched area and down the wire with tape. Repeat to make up six petals. Bend the wire within the petal into a curve and up again towards the point. Stretch out the centre slightly, then repeat on the edges near to the point of the petal to create a fluted effect.

3. To make the stamens, snip five 9cm lengths of wire. Trim small rectangles of orange crepe paper. Place the tip of the wire in the centre, fold the rectangle in half, then roll. Pinch the base of the paper, then wrap and wind the pinched area and hold down the wire with tape, forming one stamen. Make four more in the same way. Hold the five stamens together and wind tape around the base ends, connecting them together.

4. Hold the stamens in the centre and place the six petals around them. When you are happy with the arrangement, wrap the base of the flower with tape and about halfway down the wires. Trim away four of the ends, then continue wrapping the tape around the single wire to the base.

5. Bend and shape the flower and stamens. Carefully drop green marbling ink into the centre base of each flower and a tiny drop either side; don’t overdo this as the ink and the oil within it travels up and down the paper. Make two smaller lilies in the same way, this time using template B and cutting five petals only.

6. Using template C, trim three leaves per stem. Again, these are made in the same way as the flowers, by cutting the leaf in half, applying glue and wire, then reforming with the remaining half of the leaf. Wind the wire with tape. Make up the three leaves and connect them together by holding one of them and placing another 2cm below the first. Connect the wires together with tape, then attach the third opposite the second and twist the tape down the remaining length of the wires. Repeat to make three more leaf stems.

7. Make up the pom-pom flower centre by snipping a small circle of orange crepe paper. Lay a small piece of cotton wool at the top of a length of wire. Bend the wire over the wool and form into a ball shape. Place the orange circle over the ball, then twist the base to cover the ball. Wrap tape over the twisted area and halfway down the wire and set aside. Repeat to make a second flower.

8. Cut card, 5cm square, and wrap lime green yarn around it 15 times. Snip a length of yarn, thread one end under the hank and pull up to one edge, then tie the two ends tightly. Cut through the hank at the opposite edge and remove from the card. Holding the two ends of the tied yarn up, wrap fine gauge wire 1cm down to form a tassel, making sure that the ends are secured firmly. Trim the tassel into a flower shape and thread the orange flower centre through the middle of the pom-pom flower. To complete, wrap tape from the base of the flower around the wire from the orange centre, sealing the tied ends of the yarn inside the tape.

9. Remove the centre of an embroidery hoop. Attach the large lily onto the inner hoop by winding the wrapped wire around the wooden circle. Fix a leaf stem either side, then add the two pom-pom flowers beside the leaves. Secure the two smaller lilies, followed by the remaining leaf stems.

10. When the components are in place, push the inner hoop into the outer part. To have the flowers appear off-centre, twist the outer hoop until the screw part of the hoop is sitting at the top of the wreath. Tighten the screw to hold the flowers and leaves more firmly, then bend and adjust them to your liking. Make a double bow from hessian ribbon and fix it to the hoop with fine gauge wire. Tie a bow with a length of orange cord through the screw, then knot on a hanging loop.

Candle ring

Make up several leaves on shorter lengths of wire, then attach them together in one continuous piece. When the garland is long enough to fit around the base of your candle, secure the two ends together with tape.

Hair comb

Make up one of the smaller lilies, plus three leaves, and attach these to the outside of the flower. Wrap the wire end around a clear hair comb.