How to Make Pipe Cleaner Flowers

Compuware

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posted on 13 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Pipe cleaner flowers provide all the beauty and color of real flowers without the pesky bees. They are as simple to make as they are cute. They look adorable in old, glass soda bottles and fit perfectly on window sills. They'll brighten up any room and add much needed spunk during the long winter season. Their fun, bright colors are the definition of summer and can be easily changed to fit any personality.

Steps

Making a Simple Flower

Fold the end of a pipe cleaner to form a loop, and twist it to secure it. Measure down 1/3 of the way on your pipe cleaner. Fold this top into a loop, and twist the end around the rest of the pipe cleaner to secure it. You will have something that looks like a stick with a loop at one end. This will make your first petal. This pipe cleaner will make the petal part of your flower. It can be any color you want. Popular flower colors include: white, blue, pink, and purple.

Make a second loop so that the ends of the two petals are touching. Measure halfway down the pipe cleaner, starting from the base of the loop. Fold this top half into a loop. Give it a quick twist to secure it. You should now have two loops next to each other. This will make your second petal.

Fold the end of the pipe cleaner to make a loop, but leave behind a short stub. Fold the rest of the pipe cleaner towards the base of the second loop. Twist the around the pipe cleaner to secure it. Leave the last 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) untwisted. You will need this to put your flower together.

Make a second set of petals using a second pipe cleaner. Use the same steps you used to make the first set of petals. Try to use the same color as your first pipe cleaner, unless you want a multi-colored flower. Remember to leave behind a 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) stub.

Hold the petals together, and twist the ends together. Take the two sets of petals, and align them so that all the loops match up. Twist the two stubs together. When you are done twisting, you can pull the two petal sets apart, like opening a book.

Cut a yellow pipe cleaner in half, and roll it into a flat disk. This will make the center of your flower. Leave about 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) or so unrolled. You will need this stub in order to attach it to your petals.

Poke the yellow stub through the center of the petals, and push the yellow disk down. Push the stub down between the petals, so that it aligns with the petals' twisted stub. Hold the stubs together, and gently push the yellow disk down until it lays flat against the petals.

Wrap a green pipe cleaner around the stubs, and leave the rest unwrapped to make a stem. Hook a green pipe cleaner around the base of your petals. Start wrapping it tightly around the petal base, moving downward. When you reach the bottom, straighten the green pipe cleaner out. This will make your flower stem.

Present your flower. Give it to someone you care about, or stick it into a pretty vase.

Making a Daisy or Sunflower

Cut 2 colored pipe cleaners into fourths so that you have 8 mini pipe cleaners. When you are done cutting, sure that they are all the same height. The pipe cleaners can be any color you want, but make sure that they are the same color. If you'd like to make a daisy, use white pipe cleaners. If you'd like to make a sunflower, use yellow.

Fold each mini pipe cleaner in half, and pinch the folded end tightly. This will make your skinny petals, just like in a daisy or sunflower. Keep the pipe cleaner folded shut, and not spread open like a V.

Gather all of the skinny petals into a bundle. Make sure that all of the folded ends are on the same side. The cut ends will make the top of the bundle. The folded ends will make the bottom of the bundle.

Cut a green pipe cleaner in half and stick it into the center of the bundle. The top of the bundle should be level with the top of the green pipe cleaner. The bottom of the bundle should be facing towards the bottom of the green pipe cleaner. The green pipe cleaner will make the stem. To make a stronger stem, fold a whole green pipe cleaner in half, and twist it to make a thick, half-sized pipe cleaner.

Cut a yellow or brown pipe cleaner in half, and wrap it around the top of the bundle. This will make the center of your flower. It will also hold it together. Hook the end of the yellow/brown pipe cleaner around the bundle, about ½ inch (1.27 centimeters) from the top. Start wrapping the yellow/brown pipe cleaner around the bundle, moving upwards. Use a yellow pipe cleaner for a daisy, and a brown pipe cleaner for a sunflower. Wrap the yellow/brown pipe cleaner as tightly as you can, or it won't hold the flower together very well.

Fold the end of the yellow/brown pipe cleaner over the top of your bundle. When you reach the top of your bundle, you will probably still have some yellow or brown pipe cleaner leftover. Fold this leftover pipe cleaner over the top of your bundle to help hide the cut ends.

Fold the petals upward. By now, you should have something that looks like a closed umbrella. You will need to push the petals outward, like an open umbrella. Be gentle, so that you don't accidentally pull the petals off. To make your flower more unique, curve the tips of the petals upward or downward.

Present your flower. Give it to someone you care about, or put it into a pretty vase.

Making a Rose

Cut 4 colored pipe cleaners into fourths, so that you have 16 mini pipe cleaners. This will make your petals. You can any color you want to make your rose, but make sure that all 4 pipe cleaners are the same color. The most popular rose colors are red, pink, and white. After you cut them, make sure that the mini pipe cleaners are all the same height.

Gather 15 of mini pipe cleaners into a mini bundle. This will make the flower part. Save the last mini pipe cleaner for later. You will need it to hold your rose together.

Cut a green pipe cleaner in half, and stick it into the middle of the bundle. The top of mini bundle should be level with the top of the green pipe cleaner. The bottom of the mini bundle should be facing towards the bottom of the green pipe cleaner. Make sure that the mini pipe cleaners are gathered all around the green pipe cleaner. The green pipe cleaner will be your stem. To make it stronger, fold a whole green pipe cleaner in half, and twist it to make a thick, half-sized pipe cleaner.

Wrap the last mini pipe cleaner around the top of the bundle. Measure down about ½ inch (1.27 centimeters) and hook the end of the mini pipe cleaner around the bundle. Start wrapping the mini pipe cleaner around the bundle, moving upwards towards the top. This will hold your rose together. Wrap the mini pipe cleaner as tightly as you can, or your rose won't hold together very well.

Open up the mini pipe cleaners, and spread them around the green pipe cleaner. You will end up with something that looks like a spider or sea anemone. Don't worry, you will end up with a pretty rose when you are done, and not a spider. Be gentle when spreading the mini pipe cleaners, or you will pull them apart.

Roll each mini pipe cleaner towards the center, as tightly as your can. Start by folding the tip of each mini pipe cleaner over. Then, roll each mini pipe cleaner towards the green pipe cleaner at the center. Keep the roll as flat as you can, like a disk. These will become your petals. Roll all of the mini pipe cleaners in the same direction.

Twist and turn the petals to arrange them. When you are done rolling the petals, many of them will probably be vertical; they should be horizontal. To make them look more rose-like, turn each disk/petal so that it is horizontal. Some disks/petals will need to be on top of each other. There should be fewer petals towards the center, and more towards the outside. The petals will also be closer together towards the center than the outside.