How to Make Wire Flowers (Step-by-Step Instructions)

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Learn how to make wire flowers as a beautiful decoration or a special gift. With just a few inexpensive items, you can create these works of art. The nice thing about these abstract flowers is they do not have to be perfect, they look better if all of the petals are not in the same shape and size. They make a great Spring decoration. I showed how to make these wire flowers craft on my Mother’s Day TV segment at NBC affiliate WBAL.

I first had the idea to make wire flowers after I made a wearable art design for a fashion show where I created an abstract steampunk jellyfish. I designed a fitted steampunk-inspired dress with a flowing skirt to resemble tentacles. I wanted a headpiece to look like the bell-shaped body that appeared to have fluid movement. I needed a strong wire that would retain its shape. I decided to use metal coat hangers. Although they were not that easy to bend and shape, the headpiece came out exactly how I pictured it looking.

When I decided to use my same technique to make wire flowers, I wasn’t sure what type of wire I was going to use to make them. I knew that a coat hanger would have been too thick and heavy to make smaller flowers and I would not be able to bend them into smaller petals. I wanted a type of wire I could shape with my hands and use pliers to twist the petals together.

I thought that craft wire would not be strong enough, but when I made a flower frame and attached the tissue paper, it stabilized the flower was perfect.

How to Make Wire Flowers

• Bend the wire to create petals. Twist the center of the petal before creating the next one.

• Twist thin wire around the center of the flower to secure, keeping a long piece of the wire for tails.

• Add white glue to the rim of the wire flower frame.

• Cut pieces of tissue paper and attach it the wire flower, covering each petal.

• Create a glue and water mixture to thin the glue slightly. Paint the entire flower with the thinned glue and let dry.

• Paint the outside rim and center of the flowers with acrylic paint. Dip the paintbrush in water to give the inside of the petals a color wash.

• Paint a small amount of gold paint onto the inside of the flower near the center for a nice dimensional glow. Glue beads to the center of the flower.

• Attach the wire tails of the flower to a flower stem, secure with hot glue.

• Tape off sections of glass vases and paint gold (I got these at the dollar store). Let dry.

• Remove tape from the vase and display your beautiful wire flowers! Send me a picture if you make these. I would love to see them!