How to make artificial flowers: techniques and detailed description

May 19, 2019
Production
Svetlana Funtova

Each handmade item is unique. Of the many types of handicrafts, the production of artificial flowers deserves special attention. You will learn from this article what such masterpieces are made of. Artificial flowers are used to decorate a home, any celebration, or simply as a gift to friends and family. Depending on your skill level, you can choose the simplest or more complex technique.

kusudama flower

Kusudama is a technique for making three-dimensional spherical figures, performed according to the origami principle. The easiest kusudama flowers can be made in a matter of minutes. There are a great many manufacturing schemes; it’s better to start with the simplest ones. By gradually modernizing them, it is quite possible to create something unique. How to make artificial flowers with your own hands using this technique? Read on.

Six squares of the same size are cut out of colored or origami paper. Then proceed to step-by-step flower folding for beginners:

The square is folded in half twice, then unfolded and folded diagonally again. The result should be clearly defined folds; in the future, the following stages of making a kusudama flower will be carried out along these lines.
The square is turned over so that the corner faces upward, forming a pyramid. The corners of the square are compressed to form a four-pointed three-dimensional star. The corners of the star are twisted alternately onto a toothpick to give the figure an unusual shape. The finished product can be glued together, so it will not lose its shape.

Flowers are attached to a stick wrapped in green paper and collected into a bouquet or glued together many parts, creating a three-dimensional ball using the traditional kusadama technique.

Also, a kusudama flower can be assembled from separately made modules. Follow the diagram shown below in the picture.

Fabric flowers

Products made from woven materials are much more difficult to manufacture than paper ones, but they look life-like. It is better to choose satin, velvet, silk fabrics. For some especially ceremonial bouquets or compositions, gold or silver brocade is used. Stretch should be avoided as it stretches and loses its original shape. Of course, for such purposes you can buy fabric of any color in the store, but scraps of old fabrics or old things will also work quite well. Leather flowers that decorate handbags, belts, and shoes in boho style look original.

Corrugated paper

Due to the plasticity of corrugated paper, it is often used to make various crafts, including flowers. It is easy to create a beautiful bouquet of peonies, tulips, chrysanthemums, daffodils and other flowers from it. This case describes the production of the simplest version of volumetric plants.

How to make artificial flowers using this technology:

Fold two sheets of corrugated paper in half four times to form a square. Then the square is folded in half diagonally.
The opposite corner of the resulting triangle is cut off in a semicircle. When expanded, you should get eight circles.
Each circle is taken in the center and slightly twisted, the base is fixed with tape. When all the parts are twisted, they are glued together until they form a spherical shape.

The finished flowers are placed on a wire or skewer. If you make them more voluminous, you can hang them on ribbons and decorate the room for the celebration.

Paper roses

It is not without reason that roses are considered the most beautiful and sought after flowers among women. Perhaps in our time there is no woman who would remain indifferent to them. Even if the roses given to her are hand-made artificial flowers for the interior.

Despite all the complexity in the structure of the petals of a real living rose, making one yourself is very simple. To work you will need:

double-sided colored paper with thick texture;
scissors;
transparent glue (not PVA, as it leaves white marks).

First you need to decide how big the rosebud will be - you need to cut a square the same size. In the square, draw a spiral, like on lollipops, and be sure to make sure that the lines of the spiral are as even as possible, then the flower will look as neat as possible. Cut the workpiece with scissors. Then form a rosebud by twisting a spiral, starting from the end on the outside.

Secure the resulting flower with glue and let it dry. Finally the rose is ready. To complete the effect, you can try bending the edges of the petals outward, like a real bud.

Colored paper

In order to make flowers from colored paper, you can use different techniques, for example, origami or quilling, but they require certain skills and perseverance. Even a child can make beautiful plants from colored paper using this method.

How to make artificial flowers from paper:

Draw a petal on a large sheet of paper. To create one flower you will need 6-8 petals. After all the petals are drawn and cut out, proceed to the next stage.
A small cut is made in the lower part and glued by placing one corner on another, so the petals become voluminous. Then they start gluing the petals together. A circle of paper of any color is inserted into the center.

How to make flowers yourself

What you need to start

This preliminary work is extremely important if you plan to create a certain artificial flower more than once, but even several times. Having templates in hand, you need to make sure that you have all the necessary items to carry out the work.

An indicative set of tools would be the following:

Tweezers.
Mortars.
Knife.
Wire.
Awl.
Sharp scissors.

Depending on the specifics of the practical work, there may be a need for additional materials and tools. It will be useful for beginning craftswomen to study all the video tutorials with master classes and photos of finished artificial flowers before starting work. This will make it much easier to set practical goals and successfully implement them. A bouquet or even a wreath of artificial flowers can be made from different materials, including plastic, paper, fabric, leather, foamiran and organza.

Paper flowers

There are several specialized techniques for making flowers from paper:

Kirigami.
Origami.
Paper plastics.

How to make a certain fake, which technology to give preference to - the answers to such questions will depend not just on the preferences of the master, but also on the properties of the materials used. By the way, you can do the work even with the simplest snow-white paper, which is actively used for printing in offices. But the most beautiful and most realistic flowers are still those made from corrugated paper.

When making paper products, you must have scissors, a ruler and a pencil. As auxiliary materials, you can use adhesive, wire and thread. A huge advantage when creating flower bouquets from paper sheets will be the high speed of action and simplicity.

Here are step-by-step instructions for making flowers from paper, making the task easier for novice craftsmen:

Cut a rectangle from a piece of paper.
Draw a line, departing from the bottom edge a little more than 1 cm.
Next, you should draw a diagonal line connecting the upper corner of the rectangle with the extreme point of the drawn line.
Use scissors to cut off part of the paper (the drawn diagonal line will act as a cut line in this case).
From the cut part to the drawn bottom line, vertical cuts should be made at regular intervals.
The twig or wire should be applied to the narrowest side and glued to it with adhesive tape.
The paper base should be twisted and then directed from the narrow edge to the wide one.
A tape (necessarily transparent) should be attached to the bottom of the folded paper, and its purpose is to securely fix the product.
Each petal should be straightened, resulting in a carnation.

Let's consider another option for making artificial flowers with your own hands.

Plastic products

Most people try to decorate the interior of the room, as well as the outdoor area around the house, with artificial flowers. The most suitable materials for outdoor space will be plastic flowers. They tolerate aggressive natural factors much easier. Plastic is a durable and affordable material. For this reason, many people prefer plastic floral arrangements.

The most ideal options would be plastic bottles, which already have different shades of colors at the very beginning. By using such bottles, you can completely eliminate the process of coloring the finished product. Bouquets of flowers made from plastic spoons will look beautiful. The easiest method for making floral arrangements from plastic is to work with plastic bottles. It is enough to cut off the bottom, because immediately such an element will strongly resemble a flower, and all that remains is to make a small hole in the center for the core.

If you want to give the petals graceful shapes, you should make additional cuts, and then bend them. To make the plastic pliable, it should be heated slightly and kept at a height of 4 cm from the candle flame. You can also collect artificial flowers in garlands, bouquets and create unusual flower arrangements.

Napkins

Often, flowers from napkins are used to create topiary, children's appliques, or decorate gift wrapping.

How to make artificial flowers from this material:

Several napkins are unrolled until a rectangular shape is obtained and the unfolded edge is cut off. The napkins are stacked on top of each other and collected like an accordion.
In the center, the finished accordion is fastened with wire and masked with a piece of napkin of the same color. Then, on both sides, the napkins are lifted and opened until a three-dimensional flower is obtained.

Organza

Organza is a very light and delicate material, which is also easy to work with. Very often, organza flowers are used to decorate a bride’s outfit or accessories. In order to make flowers yourself, you will need: organza, needle, thread, wire, candle, scissors, pattern paper.

How to make artificial flowers from fabric:

Draw 3-4 even circles of different diameters on paper. The details are cut out, pinned to organza and several petals of each diameter are cut out.
Over a burning candle, waste trimmings are first burned along the edge to determine how best to hold the petals during firing. Then each petal is burned in a circle; the smaller ones are best held with tweezers.
All the petals are strung on a thread one by one, starting with the largest. After this, they begin to twist the flower, starting with the smallest details. Then it is hemmed at the base so that it does not fall apart. A wire is threaded into the center and decorated with beads or seed beads.

If you are doing a craft with a child and do not want to use fire, we recommend making a flower as shown in the picture below.

Features of artificial flowers

In recent years, consumers have been abandoning cheap products, purchasing more expensive, good quality flowers made from organza, parchment, latex, and polyester. For home decor, products that are as close as possible to the original flower are more attractive. Consumers are willing to pay more for them.

One of the main advantages of trading in artificial flowers is the high trade margin. You can buy small bouquets wholesale for 10 rubles, and sell them for 50.

Despite the fact that artificial flowers are less susceptible to damage, they still require care. Often the goods arrive dented. Some elements may come off. Therefore, it takes time to prepare them for sale.

You will need storage space for the products. Non-residential premises are used as a warehouse. Storing large quantities of products in the house is not recommended. Otherwise, a lot of debris and parts will remain during transportation. In addition, artificial flowers emit a specific smell.

Before delivering artificial flowers to the store, they need to be prepared. They usually come from Chinese suppliers in large plastic bags. They need to be steamed over a container of boiling water and then dried. It is advisable to immediately purchase a special steam cleaner. Processing must be carried out carefully. Otherwise, some artificial flowers may lose color or become deformed. For such products, a regular iron is suitable.

Small quantities of goods need to be prepared for sale. Because after steaming, artificial flowers take up a lot of space.

Products from Europe usually arrive in plastic or cardboard packaging and do not require any manipulation to prepare for sale.

Ribbons

Making flowers from ribbons gives you the opportunity to fully express your creativity and imagination, and it is not at all necessary to have a high level of skill or special equipment. To make roses you will need: a satin ribbon, it is worth noting that the wider the ribbon, the larger the flower, threads, and a needle.

Do you want to know how to make artificial flowers using this technique? Read the instructions below.

Option #1:

Cut a ribbon 0.5 meters long, fold one edge to form a triangle, twist it and hem it.
Then the tape is assembled along its entire length in the same way, the result should be a long accordion.
Starting from the edge, the accordion is twisted and the edges are hemmed, forming a flower.

Option #2:

The tape is twisted into a tube in the direction away from you, forming the middle and hemmed.
Then the ribbon is folded down, forming a petal, and continues to twist, making the same petals. The finished flower is secured at the bottom with a few additional stitches.

Felt and foamiran

Felt is an ideal material for creating crafts; it is easy to cut, does not fray, and its edges do not require processing. To create a flower you will need: felt, glue, button.

Option #1:

Depending on the desired size of the flower, a base of any color is cut out. In this case, the circle has a diameter of 6 cm.
Then cut out circles of smaller diameter, 2 cm each. Starting from the edge, in a circle, glue the petals overlapping, gradually approaching the center. A beautiful button is sewn in the center. All that remains is to glue a pin on the back and the original brooch is ready.

Option #2:

A circle with a diameter of 10-15 cm is cut out of felt. A spiral strip of the same width is cut out in a circle, starting from the edge and moving towards the center. For ease of cutting, the coil can be drawn.
Then, using a glue gun, the spiral is twisted and glued. The core of the finished flower can be decorated with beads.

Giant flowers have been popular for several years now. They received this name because of their size. Next to this plant, even an adult will feel like a little person. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the technique of making large, life-size artificial flowers by turning on the video below.

Market analysis

Of course, artificial flowers are not as popular as real ones, but they still have a wide range of applications. In addition, artificial jewelry has more advantages than real ones:

Firstly, they are durable and have a certain resistance to adverse external influences.
Secondly, when using truly high-quality materials, artificial flowers are practically indistinguishable from real ones.
Artificial flowers will cost less than live arrangements.

Having come to the conclusion that artificial flowers are in demand, you can think about starting your own business. However, before doing this, you need to familiarize yourself with the state of the market. Artificial flowers are brought to our country, in most cases, from China. There are not so many manufacturers of artificial flowers on the domestic market.

Before starting artificial flower production, the following important factors need to be considered:

General market analysis requiring in-depth marketing research.
The existence of similar organizations in a certain area or city.
Which organizations are the most successful - small or large?
How much higher is the income of handmakers?
Will the investment be justified, and how long will it take?
Where to bring materials from, what is their cost, will it be necessary to order them in other countries.

Having received answers to the above questions, it will be easier for you to draw up a business plan, establish development vectors and potential achievements.

Polymer clay

Flowers made from homemade polymer clay will undoubtedly become a source of pride for the needlewoman and will decorate any interior. In addition, when starting to work with polymer clay, it is quite possible to gain experience by making simple flower arrangements. For this you will need: clay of any two colors for the buds and green for the stem, a knife, a toothpick, a board, wire and beads for decoration.

How to make artificial flowers:

From two colors of clay, “sausages” are rolled out on a board. Then one strip is placed on top of the other and pressed tightly so that they stick together. You can roll them out slightly for better adhesion.
Then the strip is cut into thin layers. Each part is slightly expanded on one side and lengthened on the other, forming a petal.
Pinch off a piece from each color of clay and roll it into a ball. The next stage is creating a flower.
Ready-made petals are attached to the ball in a circle. To make the bouquet more realistic, flowers and buds need to be made of different sizes.
Use a toothpick to make a hole in the bottom of the ball and insert a wire wrapped in green clay into it. The core of the flower is decorated with beads.

How to collect a bouquet?

If one plant is not enough for you, and you don’t know how to make arrangements from artificial flowers, then this section will provide similar information. You can collect a bouquet in different ways. As a rule, a wedding bouquet is based on a ball or hemisphere made of foam plastic; a traditional bouquet consists of twigs collected together; flowers on a mesh base look especially original. The classic version of making a bouquet is described in detail below. To make it you will need flowers on stems, scissors, and tape, preferably green.

Instructions:

Several of the largest and brightest flowers are connected together to form a “cap”; smaller inflorescences, green twigs or buds are inserted between them. At each stage, everything is fixed with tape.
Then more flowers are added in a circle. If they are different colors and sizes, they must be alternated, inserting a smaller one every two flowers.
After this, the leaves are laid out in a circle, fixed well and the stems are cut evenly.
Starting from the top of the bouquet, the handle is wrapped in several layers of satin ribbon. If desired, it can be wrapped with beads, decorated with lace or rhinestones.

We looked at interesting techniques for creating artificial flowers. If you have had such a creative experience, share with us in the comments.

Where to begin

The artificial flower business begins with registration with the tax service. Suitable for retail sale of products. When working with legal entities, it is better to register an LLC.

When submitting documents, you need to select a tax system. UTII is suitable for this business. The tax amount depends on the area. The average monthly payment is 5,000 rubles.

You also need to select OKVED. In this case, 36.63.7 “Production of other products not included in other groups” is suitable.

No additional licenses or permits are required to trade artificial flowers.

Organizing a production line will require large investments. To make piece products at home, you need free time, imagination and the development of skills to create original compositions.

After registration, it is important to conduct a market analysis. Most of the products are imported from other countries. You can purchase goods in China. You can purchase artificial flowers in bulk from Russian warehouses, for example, at the Moscow “Gardener” market. It is enough to send a request to any online store of artificial flowers. The entrepreneur will be provided with wholesale prices and made a special offer. It is better to start a business closer to spring.