Quilling Paper Orchid

When designing these orchids, I knew that I wanted to have them on a single, long stem that could hold up the weight of a few flowers, just like real orchids. I used some copper wire wrapped in floral tape to make this happen. Try adding some small pieces of wire along the longer stem, wherever you want to have your orchids later on.
Now, one of the best things about orchids is how many colors and varieties there are. I choose to make these orchids bright white, with vibrant rose and yellow centers to make them as simple and fresh as I could. I know there are very technical names for the parts of flowers, but since I’m no expert, I’m going to keep my descriptions really basic. Orchids have 5 petals on each flower, one small on the top and two on the bottom, and 2 larger petals in the middle facing out to the sides. To form these petals I made: 3 tight coils, pinched into teardrops, rolled from 51″ strips (or 3 17″ strips glued end to end) 2 tight coils, pinched into teardrops, rolled from 85″ strips (or 5 17″ strips glued end to end) The three smaller petals can remain flat, but the larger two can be slightly domed, by pushing the center out gently with your thumb. Add some glue to the domed teardrop to keep the shape.
Once your 5 petals are rolled, you can start building your orchids! Place the 3 smaller petals about a 1/2″ apart in a triangle shape on a cork workboard covered in wax paper. I found that it was helpful to use a corkboard, wax paper, and a few pins to keep the bottom petals in place while the glue is drying. Glue the larger petals to the bottom ones so that the rounded ends are in the center of the triangle, and the points are facing out, and slightly up in the air. I'd recommend grabbing some Tacky Glue for this step. Your larger petals will stick faster so you don’t have to hold them in one place as long.
Next, it’s on to the inner parts of the orchid bloom! I chose to use a deep rose shade for the inner petals and lip (that’s the small petal-like part pointing down from the center) Here are the measurements for those: 2 tight coils, domed and pinched into teardrops, rolled from 22″ strips 1 tight coil, domed and pinched into a teardrop, rolled from a 33″ strip Orchids also have a rounded piece between the two largest petals, called the column. I rolled this from a 17″ strip of yellow quilling paper, that had been pushed into a slight dome. Some orchids also have a small swirl over the column in the center. So I added that as well, by making a scroll from an 8″ strip of the rose paper with about 3/4″ tail unrolled.
Glue the 3 rose-colored teardrop domes in the center of the white petals, with the larger lip pointing to the bottom of the orchid. Add the yellow column to the very center of the bloom. I also decided to fold the tail of the scroll piece in half to make it a bit more sturdy. Tuck the last rose piece under the top of the yellow column so it curls back towards the white petal underneath.
In order to make my orchid stems look as realistic as possible, I chose to make 3 big flowers. I also rolled some small white and green buds to add to the ends. Each white bud was made from 2 strips of 8″ paper, and the green was 2 strips of 6″ paper.
Apply some glue to the end of each part of the stem and attach your flowers and buds. The small green buds would go on the very tip, then the white buds, and last, the full orchid blooms. The end of the stems will probably fit right into the hole left from your quilling tool in the center of the buds. There is also room on the back of the larger flowers to tuck the stem between the petals. I used some hot glue for this (mainly because I’m impatient) but you can use Tacky Glue as well. Delicate and fresh, this orchid stem looks perfect in a simple glass jar!