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Quilled Flower Greetings Card

Roll, pinch and glue paper strips into a bunch of pretty quilled flowers for a handmade card that people keep for years.

A white greetings card decorated with pink, yellow and turquoise quilled paper flowersSave to Pinterest

Quilling looks fancy, but it’s really just rolling paper. Once you’ve made one petal you’ll be hooked, I promise. This card takes about an hour the first time and gets quicker every time.

Don’t worry if your petals aren’t all the same size. That’s what makes it look handmade and lovely.

What you'll need

  • Quilling paper strips, 3mm or 5mm wide, in 3 or 4 colours
  • Slotted quilling tool (or a cocktail stick)
  • A5 card blank with envelope
  • PVA glue with a fine nozzle
  • Tweezers (handy but not essential)
  • Pencil and ruler

Let's make it!

  1. Pencil sketch of curved flower stems on a card blank

    Plan your bunch

    Lightly pencil three or four curved stems on the front of your card. Keep them loose and wavy. Real flowers never grow in straight lines!

  2. A pink paper strip being rolled on a slotted quilling tool

    Roll your first coil

    Slide the end of a strip into the slot of your tool and turn it slowly, keeping the edges level. Roll right to the end, slip it off and let it relax into a loose coil.

  3. Teardrop and eye-shaped quilled petals on a craft mat

    Glue and pinch into petals

    Dab a tiny bit of glue on the loose end and hold for a few seconds. Now pinch one side to make a teardrop, or both sides for an eye shape. Make five or six petals per flower.

  4. Small tight yellow coils for flower centres

    Make tight centres

    Roll a yellow strip tightly and glue it without letting it relax. These little buttons sit in the middle of each flower.

  5. Green paper strips glued on edge as flower stems

    Glue the stems

    Stand a green strip on its edge along your pencil line, dotting glue underneath as you go. Tweezers make this much easier.

  6. Finished quilled flowers on a card with leaves and stems

    Arrange your flowers

    Glue a centre at the top of each stem, then tuck the petals around it with their points facing in. Add a few green teardrops as leaves.

  7. The finished card standing up next to its envelope

    Finish with a message

    Let the glue dry flat for an hour, then write your message inside. Pop it in the envelope with a little bit of tissue to protect the flowers.

Kimberley's top tips

  • Less glue is more. A dot on the end of a cocktail stick is plenty.
  • If a coil unrolls too far, just roll it again. Paper is very forgiving.
  • Keep finished petals in a muffin tin so they don't roll away.