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Quilling Paper Succulents

August 9, 2017

While I was working on my quilling paper greenery post a few weeks back, I remembered a tutorial that I had been sitting on for a while…

quilling paper succulents!

Succulents can come in many variations, but they are usually recognizable by thick, fleshy leaves and a compact shape.

This week I’m sharing a tutorial for quilled succulents that is perfect for a paper craft beginner!

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on the links below and make a purchase, I may receive a small compensation to help me finance this site and keep coming up with awesome tutorials and tips! There’s no cost to you and I only ever include links to companies and products that I trust and work with on a regular basis. 




Quilling Paper Succulents - The paper craft version of these sweet and trendy plants -- www.thepaperycraftery.com

Succulents are so sweet and a bit trendy, and they translate perfectly to quilling!

I’ve seen a few examples online that are incredibly beautiful, but a little tricky.

Being that I love simplifying my crafts, I spent some time figuring out a way to make quilling paper succulents that any quiller can do!

I send a message of warning though: you will need a lot of paper for each succulent (at least 2 packs if the strips are the 17″ variety), and there is a bit of math involved.

Let’s get started!

These succulents are created by 5 layers of increasingly larger leaves.

Starting with the smallest leaves, roll a tight coil made from 34″ of quilling paper in the color of your choosing.

Quilling Paper Succulents - The paper craft version of these sweet and trendy plants -- www.thepaperycraftery.com

Gently push the middle out of the coil to form a small dome.

Quilling Paper Succulents - The paper craft version of these sweet and trendy plants -- www.thepaperycraftery.com

Pinch one side gently, making sure not to lose the domed shape.

Quilling Paper Succulents - The paper craft version of these sweet and trendy plants -- www.thepaperycraftery.com

Apply a little white glue to the inside of each coil with a small paintbrush.

Repeat these steps to make 3 domed teardrops of the same size.

Once the glue is dry, the teardrop will be strong enough to start forming the succulent.

Quilling Paper Succulents - The paper craft version of these sweet and trendy plants -- www.thepaperycraftery.com

These 3 leaves will be the center of the paper succulent.

Glue them together in a way that shingles them around each other.

Quilling Paper Succulents - The paper craft version of these sweet and trendy plants -- www.thepaperycraftery.com Quilling Paper Succulents - The paper craft version of these sweet and trendy plants -- www.thepaperycraftery.com

While the center is drying, start rolling the rest of the leaves.

Like I mentioned above, each layer will be made of 3 leaves, each layer larger than the last.

Here’s the breakdown of the leaf sizes:

  • Second layer: 51″ each (or 3 strips of 17″ paper)
  • Third layer: 85″ each (or 5 strips of 17″ paper)
  • Fourth layer: 119″ each (or 7 strips of 17″ paper)

The fifth layer is slightly different.

In order to avoid a triangular succulent, I added three smaller leaves at the end.

They were each 68″ (or 4 strips of 17″ paper).

Of course, if you’re using pre-cut strips that are longer, or cutting your own, the number of strips needed will vary.

Quilling Paper Succulents - The paper craft version of these sweet and trendy plants -- www.thepaperycraftery.com




Now you’re ready to finish your quilling paper succulent!

Glue the next layer of leaves to the center.

In order to keep the succulent with a natural, open shape, try to keep the glue towards the bottom of each leaf, and line each one up so the center of the leaf is where the two in the layer before it meets.

Quilling Paper Succulents - The paper craft version of these sweet and trendy plants -- www.thepaperycraftery.com

I can’t recommend Tacky Glue enough for this!

Because each leaf is only glued on the bottom, you’ll want a glue that dries quickly so you don’t have to hold each one for a long time.

I used a pen or two to keep the leaves balanced in place as they dried completely.

Continue adding the third and fourth layer of leaves in the same way.

Quilling Paper Succulents - The paper craft version of these sweet and trendy plants -- www.thepaperycraftery.com Quilling Paper Succulents - The paper craft version of these sweet and trendy plants -- www.thepaperycraftery.com

The last smaller layer of leaves will be glued in the space between the largest ones.

This will help the succulent look more finished and more rounded.

Quilling Paper Succulents - The paper craft version of these sweet and trendy plants -- www.thepaperycraftery.com

The quilling paper succulents with these size coils will measure about two inches across.

But they can absolutely be made different sizes by using larger coils, or even more or fewer layers of leaves.

Experiment with color, too!

Quilling Paper Succulents - The paper craft version of these sweet and trendy plants -- www.thepaperycraftery.com

I love these succulents in a wreath or door hanging.

And they’re so lifelike in a small pot.

You can make your own quilling paper pot, like the ones I made in this quilling paper cactus post.

But you can save yourself a bit of time and trouble and place them on top of a real terracotta flower pot, too!

Quilling Paper Succulents - The paper craft version of these sweet and trendy plants -- www.thepaperycraftery.com

How are you going to use your quilling paper succulents?

I’d love to hear your ideas!

Leave a comment below and tell me what you’re thinking!





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in Quilling, Tutorials # How to make quilling paper succulents, Quilling Paper Plants

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Comments

  1. Via Bella says

    August 15, 2017 at 1:18 pm

    These are a cute idea especially for scouts and such. I am going to suggest and see if my girls want to do it- thank you.
    ~ http://viabella-thebeautifullife.blogspot.com

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 15, 2017 at 2:00 pm

      Great idea! Quilling is great for kids! Check out my quilling basics and printables page for help getting started.

      Reply
  2. justine @ sunnyinjune.com says

    August 16, 2017 at 12:29 am

    OMGOSH. these are the cutest! and you don’t ever have to worry about them dying! I have a black thumb.. heh!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 16, 2017 at 12:00 pm

      Ha! Me too! That’s why I love the paper version so much 🙂

      Reply
  3. erinklema says

    August 16, 2017 at 11:25 am

    How neat! Those really do look like succulents! I imagine making these succulents takes some patience and practice at quilling.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 16, 2017 at 12:01 pm

      Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Reply
  4. Tara says

    August 16, 2017 at 11:30 am

    this is so cute! i’ve never quilled – going to have to try now!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 16, 2017 at 12:02 pm

      Thanks Tara! If you start and have questions, don’t be afraid to ask!

      Reply
  5. Jessica says

    August 17, 2017 at 8:06 pm

    SO COOL!!! I didn’t even know this was a thing!! I love learning new crafts! Thanks for sharing!! XO

    https://www.theweekenderafashionfieldguide.com

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 18, 2017 at 8:28 am

      Awesome, Jessica! Thanks for taking a look!

      Reply
  6. Nancy De Souza says

    July 5, 2018 at 1:04 pm

    Love your work – trying making succulents for the first time but am finding it difficult to make large tight coils

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      July 9, 2018 at 10:32 am

      They can get a bit out of control! Don’t worry too much if they get a little crooked as you’re rolling the coils. They can be flattened out again after you glue the end and take it (carefully) off your tool. I hope that helps!

      Reply
  7. Etika Goyal Gupta says

    September 21, 2023 at 10:56 am

    What is the size of the strip? is it 1.5mm or 3mm or 5mm.
    The quilling is really very nice

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      September 26, 2023 at 4:32 pm

      The strips in this project are 1/8″ so 3mm would be the closest. 1.5mm would work well for a more delicate plant, but 5mm might be a bit too clunky for these leaves.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 10 Pretty DIY Fake Succulents To Beautify Your Home | Fake Succulents says:
    January 27, 2021 at 12:46 am

    […] Faux succulent project for your creative children. Start with the smallest leaves, roll a tight coil made of quilling paper. Then push out from the middle of the coil to form a small dome. Gently pinch one side, making sure not to lose the domed shape, continue reading here! […]

    Reply
  2. 29 Easy DIY Fake Plants Ideas | How to make fake plants easily at home says:
    January 28, 2021 at 2:19 am

    […] Looking for a fake plants project for your children? Then you are at the right point. This is an easy and fun project for you kids. Find the DIY here! […]

    Reply

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