Quilling Paper Anemone

Crimped petals add extra delicacy and detail to bold black and white quilling paper anemone flowers.

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There’s something about white quilling paper.

I never feel like I’m using a ton of it, but I’m always running out!

The last time I was in a quilling paper jam, my usual providers were sold out of white strips. That’s what I get for waiting until the last minute.

In a panic, I ordered a bunch of strips from Amazon that was from a brand that I didn’t know very well.

When it arrived, I was pleasantly surprised!

The paper is a nice weight, and it’s very bright white.

The only issue is that I’m used to US measurements so the 5 mm width is a tiny bit wider than my usual 1/8″.

Often that doesn’t really matter, but when I sat down to make the quilling paper anemone petals this week, I found the 5 mm strips a little too large.

Being resourceful, I cut them in half and they worked perfectly.

If you have 1/8″ or even 1/16″ white quilling paper strips on hand, they would work just fine for this project.

For reference, the strips I’m using are 20″ long.

To add a bit of interest and texture to the petals of my flower, I also ran the strips through a paper crimper.

Next, roll each strip into a coil, then pinch one end to make a teardrop.

For each quilling paper anemone, you’ll need 12 teardrops.

Now, make large flower petals by gluing 2 of the teardrops together.

They should look like a heart shape.

You will need to make 4 of these bigger petals.

While the petals are drying, start working on the centers of your anemone.

Roll a tight coil from a 17″ strip of 1/8″ black quilling paper.

Push the center out gently to make a slight dome and brush glue on the underside to set the shape.

Fringe another strip of the 5 mm white paper.

This time, leave the paper the original width.

You’ll want the fringe to be a little bit taller than the black dome.

You should tear off about 5″ of length, though.

I found the entire 20 inches to be a little bulky for the next step.

Wrap the fringed strip around the black center.

Fluff the fringe gently with a tool or your fingers.

If you look closely at a black and white anemone, you’ll see that they have black tips on the ends of the fringe.

You can recreate this look easily by lightly running a black marker of the edges.

Now its time to put your flower together!

Because I wanted these quilling paper anemone to look like they were blooming, I needed them to look like the petals were cupping around the center.

To do this, build your flower upside down.

Start by flipping your center over on your work board.

Add a dot of Tacky Glue to the 4 edges.

Place one of the single petals on each dot of glue so they are leaning off the center onto the work board.

After those petals set for a few minutes, you can add your next layer of petals.

Each of the larger, heart-shaped petals are going to need to go between the smaller petals.

Place a small dot of Tacky Glue about halfway down the middle of 2 small petals and add one of the big petals.

See the photo below for more info on the exact placement of this layer.

Repeat for all 4 heart-shaped petals.

You can also use your dome mold to get more of an exaggerated cupped blossom.

Simply place your flower in one of the cups on the underside of your mold after the glue on the petals has set slightly, but not dried fully.

Press gently on the center and you’ll see the petals go up a little.

I usually place a tool on top to keep the quilling in the mold until it dries completely.

The black and white is so eye-catching and graphic!

And the detail of the crimped petals and the black-tipped fringe can be used for other projects, too.

I love the idea of mixing some of these quilling paper anemones with pale pink or yellow flowers to create a striking bouquet.

It would work on a card or with some stems in a vase.

What project would you create with these blossoms?

Leave a comment below with your plans!