How to Paper Piece a Trellis & Flowers
Paper crafting is a hobby that has many uses in the home. You can make decorations to hang on your wall or cards and gifts for friends, or spruce up your scrapbook with fancy but easy techniques. The craft of paper piecing is no more complicated than putting together a puzzle, but you can achieve spectacular results. Get the hang of paper piecing techniques by crafting a trellis and flowers. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Cardstock
- Scissors or paper cutting tool
- Leaf paper punch
- Flower paper punch
- Circle paper punch
- Adhesive
Instructions
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1
Use a ruler to measure and mark strips on white cardstock. You'll need one to two dozen strips, about 1/8 inch to ½ inch in width, depending on how big you want to make your project. Cut out the strips and set them aside.
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2
Punch leaves from green cardstock. You can use one shape over and over or several different shapes for variety. You'll need six to 12 leaves, depending on how leafy you want your vines.
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3
Cut six to eight thin, wavy green strips. Use a wavy template, trace with a pencil, then cut them out with scissors. Alternatively, use decorative-edged scissors or a paper cutter.
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4
Punch out 24 floral shapes with a small- to medium-sized flower-shaped paper punch. Punch them all from the same color cardstock, or cut 12 in one color and 12 in another color. Using two of the same colors, one just a shade lighter than the other, will give a more subtle shading variation, while using two different colors will make bolder flowers and add more contrast.
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5
Punch out 12 circle shapes in a different color for the center. For example, if your flowers are yellow daisy shapes, use a red or brown circle for the center.
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6
Lay a sheet of cardstock on the table for a background paper, onto which you will mount all of the elements. Choose whatever color or print you desire, and cut it to the desired size you want your finished product to be. Paste two or three vines as a bottom layer for where you plan to piece the design together. Past four to six leaves on them in random places.
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7
Arrange the white strips in a criss-cross pattern to create a lattice-style design. Space them out evenly, and trim any if necessary. Glue them down to make the trellis.
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8
Trim the vines so they are all different heights. Arrange them on top of the trellis. Allow them to spread out in different directions. Don't make the design too symmetrical.
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Lay 12 flower shapes down, and glue a second flower shape on top of each one. Don't line up the petals perfectly; turn the top flower shape slightly so you can see the petals behind it. Glue one circle in the center of each flower.
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10
Arrange and affix the flowers and remaining leaves on the vines.
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Tips & Warnings
Rather than paper punches, you can use die cuts or cut out shapes by hand with a scissor.
To create more depth, bend the petals of the top flower shape slightly forward. Brush colored chalk around the edges of the elements to give them shadows and highlights.
Instead of glue, use foam sticky dots for a three-dimensional design.
