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Roses are beautiful flowers, but they don’t last forever. Roses made from ribbon, satin, or silk are great for decorating, enhancing clothing on special occasions, and making craft projects. You can make roses on your own by folding it into a square and then tightening it, or by using hot glue as you twist it into a rose shape.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Folding a Rose

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  1. You can make roses out of silk, satin, or ribbon, as long as they don’t have any wires or framing inside of them. Pick a material that is pink or red for a traditional color, or use white, blue, or even green for a festive look. [1]
    • You can find satin, silk, and ribbon at most party supply stores.
  2. Materials like ribbon or silk usually come in long strands that are hard to work with. Use a pair of sharp scissors to cut your material into a manageable size. Cut the material at an angle to avoid fraying. [2]
    • The cut you make doesn’t have to look perfect, since it will be hidden inside of your finished rose.
    • If you want a larger rose, use more material.
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  3. Watermark wikiHow to Make Silk, Satin or Ribbon Roses
    Take one side of your material and fold it over on top of itself to create a 90-degree angle. Create a loose “L” shape with the material to achieve this sharp angle. Press down on the fold with your fingers so that it stays in place. [3]
    • You don’t have to make this fold directly in the middle, but the closer it is to the center the more even your rose will be.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Make Silk, Satin or Ribbon Roses
    Set up your material on a flat surface so that your fold is in the middle and the loose ends are hanging down toward you. Grab 1 loose end of your material and fold it over the center part of the ribbon. Keep one hand on the center fold of your ribbon so it doesn’t come loose. [4]
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Make Silk, Satin or Ribbon Roses
    Grab the other side of the loose ribbon and fold it over the center. Then, fold it backward to create a right angle in a square shape. Keep doing this in an alternating pattern until you run out of material. Crease each fold that you make so that it stays in place. [5]

    Tip: Keep the center of your ribbon in a square shape as you make right angles. This keeps them together easily.

  6. Pick up the folds that you made in your material and keep them pinched together with your thumb and pointer finger. If the material comes loose, it will fold out into an accordion  that you can simply fold back up into a square. [6]
  7. Watermark wikiHow to Make Silk, Satin or Ribbon Roses
    Grab 1 of the loose pieces of ribbon that is sticking out of your square. Pull it through the small hole that is in the center of your square. If you have trouble getting it through, use a pair of small tweezers to grab the ribbon and pull it. [7]

    Tip: If the square comes undone, pull the loose end of the ribbon through to tighten them.

  8. Watermark wikiHow to Make Silk, Satin or Ribbon Roses
    Grab the back center of your rose where the excess material is sticking out and twist it clockwise until the center squeezes together and forms a rose petal shape. Twist these as much or as little as you want to until your silk, satin, or ribbon rose looks like a real flower. [8]
    • Depending on how tight you want your rose shape, twist your material up to 5 times.
  9. Watermark wikiHow to Make Silk, Satin or Ribbon Roses
    Grab the ends of the ribbon that are sticking out and tie them in a knot so they don’t come loose. Use sharp scissors to cut the ends of the ribbon off so you don’t have loose material hanging off of your flower. [9]
    • You can also use a small ribbon to tie your loose ends together if you want an added decoration.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Using Hot Glue

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  1. Choose either silk, satin, or ribbon, but make sure that it doesn’t have any type of wire framing inside of it. Make sure your material is wide enough to create a rose out of. Choose red or pink material for a classic rose design, or be bold with cream, yellow, and orange. [10]
    • You can find silk, satin, and ribbon at most craft stores.
  2. Depending on the size of the rose you want to make, use sharp scissors to cut your ribbon into a workable length. The longer your material is, the larger your rose will be. Cut the edge in a straight line to make it easier to work with. [11]
    • If you are worried about your material fraying, apply a liquid fray stopper to the cut edge and let it dry before you make your rose.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Make Silk, Satin or Ribbon Roses
    Put a clear hot glue stick into your glue gun and wait for it to warm up. Place a pea-sized dot of hot glue slightly away from the edge of your material. Let it dry slightly before you handle it so you don’t burn your hands. [12]

    Warning: Use caution with hot glue. Try not to get it on your hands as it can burn your fingers.

  4. Watermark wikiHow to Make Silk, Satin or Ribbon Roses
    Take the edge of the ribbon nearest the hot glue and fold it in once toward the rest of the ribbon. Make a right angle with the point of the triangle at the top of your material. Press down slightly on the material to make sure the glue bonds with it. [13]
  5. Use your hot glue gun to apply a pea-sized amount of hot glue on the fold that you just made. Make sure it is mostly centered to ensure that your rose will be even. [14]
    • Place the tip of your glue gun directly onto your material to make sure the glue doesn’t create strings.
  6. Watermark wikiHow to Make Silk, Satin or Ribbon Roses
    Hold the ribbon horizontally. Take the folded part of the ribbon and fold it in half on top of the hot glue. Press down on the glue slightly so that it sticks together. Create a rolled top part of the ribbon that looks like the center of a rose. [15]
  7. Watermark wikiHow to Make Silk, Satin or Ribbon Roses
    Keep using the same technique of rolling the ribbon inward while making it stick with pea-sized dots of hot glue every 2 inches (5.1 cm). Hold the ribbon horizontally the entire time. Keep the folds tight so that they combine to look like a rose. [16]
    • Keep the top part of the ribbon folded over so that there are no edges showing in your rose.
  8. Watermark wikiHow to Make Silk, Satin or Ribbon Roses
    Take the tail of the ribbon that is hanging out from behind your rose and glue it to the bottom of your rose. Put a dot of hot glue on the inside of the tail so that you can’t see it. [17]
    • You can twist the tail around itself once if you don’t want the frayed edge to show.
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Community Q&A

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Add New Question
  • Question
    How do I attach a wire for the stem to a rose, and when should I do it?
    Community Answer
    Attach the wire right before you tie the knot at the end. Do this by inserting the wire.
  • Question
    How do I attach a rose to a dress?
    Community Answer
    Either stitch it or stick with fabric glue. Use red color thread. Additionally, you can make leaves to make it beautiful.
  • Question
    What is the best width for making fake roses?
    Community Answer
    It depends on how big you want your flower petals to be. Thinner ribbons make a smaller flower, and wider ribbons make bigger flowers.
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      Things You’ll Need

      Folding a Rose

      • 8 inches (20 cm) of ribbon, silk, or satin
      • Scissors

      Using Hot Glue

      • Glue gun
      • Hot glue stick
      • 8 inches (20 cm) of ribbon, silk, or satin
      • Scissors

      Expert Interview

      Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about crafting, check out our in-depth interview with Shaelynn Haning .

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To make a ribbon rose, start by cutting a piece of ribbon that's about 8 inches long. Then, fold the ribbon in half. Next, bring the end on the bottom up over the fold you made, and then do the same thing with the other end. Continue to fold the ends over the fold in the center of the ribbon, alternating ends each time. Once you've used most of the ribbon, pinch the 2 loose ribbon ends together so the folds don't unravel. Finally, pull on one of the loose ends of the ribbon to bunch the folds together so they look like petals, and tie a knot on the back of the rose to hold everything in place. To learn how to make roses of different sizes and materials, scroll down!

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      • Anonymous

        May 11, 2016

        "This is a great craft idea for Mother's day. All the tips at the end were/are very helpful!"
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