Springfold Paper/All plans/Paper flowers/2026-08
A Double-Ring Tissue Peony in Under an Hour
Crepe paper peonies fail for one reason: the petals are cut to the same length. Two sizes, a 16 mm difference, and a stem whose wire never reaches the centre — that is the whole method. Twenty-four petals, 55 minutes, no specialist tooling.
Stretch the sheet before you cut anything
Crepe paper arrives at about 70% of its final width. Hold the sheet at both short edges and pull steadily until it will not stretch further — usually a 30% gain. Cut before stretching and every petal will grow after assembly, which is why so many crepe peonies end up as flat discs.
Stretch in small pulls across the width, working down the sheet, rather than one heroic tug along the length. The grain runs vertically in most crepe; pulling along the length will tear it.
Cut petals in strips, not one at a time
Fold the stretched crepe into a 62 mm deep stack twelve layers thick and cut the petal outline once. The top edge wants a shallow wave cut with pinking shears — a straight top edge reads as a carnation, not a peony. Repeat the same stack at 46 mm for the inner ring.
Cutting in a stack also guarantees the twelve petals are identical. Individually cut petals vary by 3–4 mm, and the variant ones always end up on the front of the finished flower where they are most visible.
Cup each petal over a thumb
Press the petal into the curve of your thumb and pull the edges outward with the other thumb, working from the middle to the top. This does two things at once: it cups the petal and it thins the top edge so it curls on its own. Two passes is enough. A third pass tears crepe at the base.
The outer twelve get a shallow cup; the inner twelve get a nearly closed one. If you cup them all the same, the finished flower opens like a saucer.
Wrap the centre last and keep the wire out of it
Fold the 20 mm cotton ball into a scrap of stretched crepe, twist the base, and push it onto the stem wire so the wire tip sits 5 mm below the top of the ball. Bend the wire tip over into a small hook first — a straight wire tip will work its way through the ball in a week.
Add the inner twelve petals around the ball, then the outer twelve, taping each ring to the stem with a 30 mm wrap of floral tape. Tape stretches as you pull it, which is what makes it stick to itself; wrapping with slack tape is the usual reason a stem comes undone.
Specification
| Petals | 24 — twelve at 62 mm, twelve at 46 mm |
|---|---|
| Head | 150 mm across, 70 mm deep |
| Crepe stretch | Pull the strip to 130% before cutting |
| Centre | 20 mm cotton ball wrapped in the same crepe |
| Working time | 55 minutes, first attempt nearer 80 |
| Blank size | 200 x 200 mm |
| Pieces | 26 |
| Assembled | 160 mm head on a 150 mm stem |
Shape parameters
These are the numbers the cutting plan is generated from — change one and the net is redrawn around it, so the drawing and the figures can never disagree.
| Petals | 24 |
|---|---|
| Petal length | 62 mm |
| Petal width | 24 mm |
| Petal curvature | 0.62 (0–1) |
| Disc radius | 18 mm |
| Calyx points | 5 |
| Calyx radius | 16 mm |
| Leaf length | 58 mm |
| Glue tab | 5 mm |
| Stem length | 150 mm |
Fold order
| Line | Kind | Angle |
|---|---|---|
| Petal spine only — tissue does not hold a second fold | valley | 150° |
| Calyx arms, mountain | mountain | 90° |
| Leaf spine, valley, with a 10 mm stem tail folded round the wire | valley | 160° |
Cut list
- Twelve outer petals at 62 mm, cut as a strip and not individually
- Twelve inner petals at 46 mm, cut one size down
- Calyx star at 16 mm radius
- Two leaves at 58 mm
Check the plan against the object
What goes wrong
- Cutting before stretching. The flower is the right size on the table and 30% too big the next morning.
- Using a wire that runs all the way into the head. Any knock transfers straight to the petals and tears them.
- Cutting petals individually, which produces a flower with one obviously short petal at the front.
Keep it clean
- Crepe fades faster than card. Keep the finished stem out of daylight and the colour will hold for about a year.
- Store upright in a tall box; laying a peony down crushes the cupped inner petals beyond recovery.
- Dust with a hairdryer on cold, at 300 mm, angled so the petals are blown outward rather than flattened.
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