Rozen van zijde

1

Choose a material without wires that is ¹⁄₈ inch (0.32 cm) wide. 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

Cut your material to about 8 inches (20 cm). 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.
  
  

3

Fold the ribbon over itself about halfway to make a corner edge. 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

Fold 1 side of the ribbon over the center fold. 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

5

Fold the ribbon over the center creating a square with right angles. 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.

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

6

Pinch the stack of folds together with your fingers. 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.

7

Pull 1 loose end of the ribbon through the small hole in the center. 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.

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

8

Twist the layers together until they form a rose shape. 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

Tie a knot in your loose ribbon ends at the back of the rose and cut the excess. 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.