4 Ways to Fold an Origami Flower: For Adults & Kids

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An easy flower paper folding guide to make tulips, roses, & dahlias
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Even if you've never done origami, by following some simple instructions, you can fold your own cute paper flowers in minutes. Folded paper flowers make fun crafts and thoughtful homemade gifts for Mother’s Day or birthdays. Below, find four simple tutorials on how to make tulips, dahlias, and roses out of origami paper or sticky notes. With a little practice, you'll soon be folding paper flowers like a pro. We even spoke with origami experts Robert Homayoon and Coco Sato to learn their best advice for origami beginners.

Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Folding an Origami Tulip Bulb

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  1. Traditional origami paper is colored on one side and white on the other, so face the colored side up. [1] If you are using paper colored on both sides or white paper, it will not matter which side faces up.
    • Standard origami paper is square, and you need square paper for this tutorial. Double-check that the paper is square before you start folding!
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    Bring the opposite edges of the paper together to create creases that form the shape of a cross through the middle of your paper. First, fold the paper in half by bringing the top edge to the bottom. Then, fold the paper in half by bringing the left edge to the right one. [2]
    • Crease the paper along the seam of the fold well for best results.
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  3. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    Turn your paper over so that the reverse side is facing up. Fold the bottom right corner to the upper left corner and crease. Unfold. Then, fold the bottom left corner to the upper right corner. Crease and unfold. Check that your folds have produced an “X”-shaped crease. [3]
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    Hold the paper with the reverse side facing up (the side you just folded into an “X”). Collapse the base by tucking the sides of the “X” crease into the middle. Pull the top and bottom edges together to sandwich the left and right sides in place. Crease the resulting fold to form a triangle shape. [4]
    • Congrats—you’ve completed a waterbomb base, a fundamental origami fold!
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    Look for the fold running down the center of your waterbomb base. Take the right-side front flap and fold it until it lines up with the center crease. Repeat this fold with the left-side front flap. Turn the paper over and fold the remaining flaps to the center crease on this side. [5]
    • When you’re done, check that the paper resembles a diamond shape.
  6. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    First, take the right flap and pull it over to the left side. Do the same with the back side of the paper so both sides are smooth. Fold the outer corners of the top flaps straight inward until they reach the crease in the middle. Flip the paper over and repeat this fold, turning the diamond into a pointed triangle. [6]
  7. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    The left-side flaps of the triangles on each side of the paper have a fold, creating a kind of pocket. Open this fold with your finger, then slide the opposite flap into it. Flip the paper over and repeat with the remaining flaps. [7]
  8. Use your forefinger and thumb to hold the overlapping seam where you tucked your flaps together. Air can escape easily from this seam, so hold it firmly. Put your lips to the center of the “X” shape that forms the base of your tulip bulb. Exhale steadily until your tulip bulb feels fully inflated. [8]
  9. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    The top of your now-inflated tulip bulb has "petals," or extra layers of paper, on each of the four sides of your bulb. Peel these petals back about ¼ of the way down from the top so each petal comes to a point. [9]
    • Leave your petals uncreased and slightly pulled back from the tip of your tulip bulb to create a more natural appearance.
    • Fold more flowers to make a beautiful paper flower bouquet .
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Folding a Paper Tulip Flower for Kids

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    Place your square sheet of origami paper flat. Pick up the lower-right corner and bring it to the upper-left corner, creating a triangle. Crease at the base of the triangle. Repeat the fold by picking up the lower-left corner and bringing it to the upper-right corner, creasing. Unfold. [10]
    • Popular tulip colors include red, pink, orange, yellow, and purple. Use origami paper in one of these colors to create a realistic tulip flower.
    EXPERT TIP

    Robert Homayoon

    Origami Expert
    Robert Homayoon is an Origami Expert known for his engaging YouTube videos and accessible instructions. He has been teaching origami on YouTube since 2009. His channel has a following of over 676,000 subscribers, and his videos have garnered over 211 million views. Robert uses his channel to highlight his passion for teaching people origami, crafts, and how to solve puzzles. He graduated from SUNY Albany in 2007 and earned his D.M.D degree from Temple University Dental School in 2013.
    Robert Homayoon
    Origami Expert

    If you don’t have origami paper, use printer paper. While it’s not as thin as origami paper, printer paper is the kind most people have at home. Measure and cut the paper into a square before you fold anything.

  2. Bring the lower-left corner up to the upper-right corner, forming a nice triangle over the crease you just made, says Homayoon. Rotate the paper slightly so the long edge is at the bottom, closest to you. [11]
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    First, take the right-side corner and bring it toward the crease in the center of the triangle. Don’t align it with the middle crease—place it halfway along that side of the triangle. Crease the fold to secure it. Repeat with the left-side corner, bringing it toward the central crease so it lines up with the midpoint of the left side. [12]
    • Your petals don’t have to be perfect. Homayoon recommends changing the angles to experiment with different petal shapes. Do what looks best to you.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    Turn your folded tulip flower over so the reverse side is face up. Look at the diamond shape—the edges are too pointy to resemble a real tulip, which is round. Take the left-side corner and fold it inward about 2 centimetres (20 mm). Repeat with the right-side corner, folding it inward. [13]
    • Your tulip flower is complete!
  5. If you haven’t used a hot glue gun before, ask an adult to help you. Place a dab of glue on the reverse side of the flower (the side with the barely folded-in corners). Press the top tip of a green pipe cleaner into the glue. Wait about 5 minutes for it to dry. [14]
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Folding an Origami Dahlia

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    Rotate a square piece of origami paper so it’s pointing upward like a diamond instead of a square. If it’s double-sided paper, place the white side face up. Fold it in half from top to bottom, then unfold and fold it in half from side to side. Line up the points and edges when you fold. [15]
    • Crease both folds so you can clearly see a cross-shaped crease when you unfold the paper.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    First, pick up the top corner of the diamond and fold it down so the tip touches the center of the cross-shaped crease (where the lines intersect). Repeat this with the bottom corner of the diamond, folding it up so it meets the top point. Crease the edges. [16]
    • The resulting shape resembles a hexagon.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    Without shifting the position of the points you just folded, bring the top and bottom edges of the shape into the central crease. Fold the top edge down and line it up with the crease, creasing it at the center. Repeat with the bottom edge. [17]
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    Turn the paper over so the reverse side is facing up. Along the horizontal central crease, fold the bottom half upward and line up the bottom edge with the top edge. Crease the fold. [18]
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    Place a dot of white craft glue on the color part of the paper (if it’s two-sided paper; if it’s all one color, place the glue on the front-most layer). Then, fold the paper in half from right to left, lining up the corners. Crease at the fold. [19]
    • Your first petal is now complete!
  6. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    Use the same colored paper for each piece so your finished dahlia is uniform. Don’t worry if some of the petals are uneven—just make them as similar to one another as possible. [20]
  7. Place a dot of craft glue on the side of one of the pieces. Press it against another piece until they’re bonded. Repeat with the rest of the pieces. Finally, glue the first and last pieces together to finish the flower. [21]
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Folding a Paper Rose Bouquet

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    Peel a single pink sticky note from the pad. Place it sticky-side up and fold the sticky side down so it sticks to the note itself. From there, roll the edge of the note inward until it forms a skinny tube. [22]
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    Pinch one end between two fingers and twist the other end, until the bottom end that you’re pinching narrows. Don’t twist both ends—the un-twisted end is the bud of your rose. [23]
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    To begin making the stem and leaves of the rose in your bouquet, peel a green sticky note from the pad. Fold the sticky side down against the note. With scissors, make three snips along that folded edge, about 3 ⁄ 4 inch (1.9 cm) apart. [24]
    • The three snips create four equal-sized notches along the folded edge.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    Take the top two corners of a notch and fold them downward, turning the notch into a triangle. Repeat with the remaining three notches. After you complete these folds, the sticky note resembles a fence. [25]
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Paper Flowers
    Place your green sticky note down with the triangles facing left. Set the pink tube at the top of the sticky note with the rosebud on the left side. Roll the green sticky note around the rose until it’s completely wrapped around itself. [26]
  6. 15 roses make a full miniature bouquet. Tie them together with thin string or ribbon to give as a gift, or display your cute craft in a small jar. [27]
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Can I put a stem on the flower?
    Community Answer
    Yes. To do so, just get another small piece of paper, roll it up tightly and glue it onto your flower.
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    Not Helpful 56 Helpful 110
  • Question
    How long does it take to make the flower?
    Community Answer
    A flower that is fairly simple should only take around five minutes; a medium-complexity flower may take 15 to 20 minutes; and a hard flower can take up to 30 minutes.
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  • Question
    What if I don't have colored paper?
    HumanBeing
    Top Answerer
    Make white flowers or color your paper with paint, pencils or coloring pens. If you use ink pens or paint to color the paper, make sure it is dry before you begin making your flowers.
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      Things You'll Need

      Origami Tulip Bulb

      Paper Tulip Flower

      Origami Dahlia

      *Origami paper * White craft glue

      Paper Rose Bouquet

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      Expert Interview

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

      References

      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/8SRm28ZuKe4?t=3
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/8SRm28ZuKe4?t=9
      3. ↑ https://youtu.be/8SRm28ZuKe4?t=48
      4. ↑ https://youtu.be/8SRm28ZuKe4?t=111
      5. ↑ http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-traditional-tulip.html
      6. ↑ http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-traditional-tulip.html
      7. ↑ http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-traditional-tulip.html
      8. ↑ http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-traditional-tulip.html
      9. ↑ http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-traditional-tulip.html
      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/HsOODP5ZSww?t=22
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/HsOODP5ZSww?t=27
      3. ↑ https://youtu.be/HsOODP5ZSww?t=60
      4. ↑ https://youtu.be/HsOODP5ZSww?t=86
      5. ↑ https://homeycons.com/how-long-does-hot-glue-take-to-dry/
      6. ↑ http://www.origami-instructions.com/easy-origami-yamaguchi-dahlia.html
      7. ↑ http://www.origami-instructions.com/easy-origami-yamaguchi-dahlia.html
      8. ↑ http://www.origami-instructions.com/easy-origami-yamaguchi-dahlia.html
      9. ↑ http://www.origami-instructions.com/easy-origami-yamaguchi-dahlia.html
      10. ↑ http://www.origami-instructions.com/easy-origami-yamaguchi-dahlia.html
      11. ↑ http://www.origami-instructions.com/easy-origami-yamaguchi-dahlia.html
      12. ↑ http://www.origami-instructions.com/easy-origami-yamaguchi-dahlia.html
      13. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DsdeLGx-Y3Y?t=2&feature=share
      14. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DsdeLGx-Y3Y?t=7&feature=share
      15. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DsdeLGx-Y3Y?t=10&feature=share
      16. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DsdeLGx-Y3Y?t=13&feature=share
      17. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DsdeLGx-Y3Y?t=20&feature=share
      18. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DsdeLGx-Y3Y?t=25&feature=share

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To make a paper flower, fold a piece of origami paper in half from left to right and from bottom to top, and then on both diagonals, so you end up with folds in the shapes of a cross and an “x.” Tuck the sides in and collapse them to form a triangular base. Now fold the outside flaps to line up with the center crease, then fold the outside corners of the outer flaps inward. Join the opposite side flaps together and then gently blow air into your tulip. Finish it by peeling back the “petals,” or extra layers of paper. For tips on how to make your tulip petals more dramatic or more natural-looking, read on!

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