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So, today we are going to create this little hibiscus beauty or rather large hibiscus beauty! Are you ready for another one of my Giant Paper Flower Tutorials?!
In honor of summer, it seemed like a great time to make something bright, fun, and perfect for a special party, get together, or festive decoration to have around the house. And, to add a little flare to our project, I thought it’d be fun to make the hibiscus larger then life. Surprisingly I haven’t made a small hibiscus yet – working on it though. 😉
As we get ready to start creating it’s important to remember that we want to do our best to be as realistic with our flower as possible. This will create a more aesthetically pleasing and well crafted design. That being said, because an hibiscus has very few petal layers we will mimic that in our design.
For most of my giant paper flower tutorials I use 4-5 layers of petals but for the hibiscus we will only have three layers of petals. (If you were making a large one like the yellow hibiscus shown above you would only use two petal sizes.)
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Let’s get started, shall we?
Giant Paper Flower Tutorials: DIY Large Hibiscus Flowers
Here is a run down of supplies you will need. If it’s your first time here be sure to view my supply page for the low down on all my favorite supplies!
- Glue Gun
- 65-pound cardstock
- Scissors and/or cutting machine (Cricut Explore Air 2 Machine)
- 3 inch circle punch
- Hibiscus templates
Step 1
Cut the following number of petals.
- Extra large petal (first layer) – 6-7
- Large petal (second layer) – 6-7 (begin here if you’re making a large hibiscus)
- Medium petal (third layer) – 8
- 3 Hibiscus centers
- 1 3-4 inch circle for the backside.
Step one is somewhat optional. With the hibiscus (and feel free to apply this to any other flower template) adding the detail of “veins” on the petals creates a nice finesse to the flower. Creating the petal’s veins is relatively easy. Using a shaping mat lay your petal on the mat and draw lines from the bottom to the top. Give firm pressure but try not to puncture the paper. Find my shaping mat and tool set here!
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Step 2
Your petal should resemble my petal below. Don’t be afraid to be generous with the veins. Likewise, don’t get worried about them being perfectly straight either.
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Step 3 & 4
After you’ve finishing drawing the veins, you can then cut your bottom slits and overlap. Most hibiscus flowers in nature are very open blooms, so I recommend cutting the slit on the deeper side for a more open flower.
Once you have overlapped, give all your petals a gentle curl backwards.
Step 5
Start building your first layer.
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Step 6
Finish your first layer then use your circle punch to cover the back.
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Step 7
Your second layer of six large petals comes next.
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Step 8
For the third layer of medium petals, first add in five of the eight.
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Step 9
Add in the three remaining medium petals.
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To complete the hibiscus, we’re going to add a center that resembles the hibiscus stamen.
Using your shaping mat, roll the center to make the paper stamen stand up, then layer the three pieces together.
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Layer two of the three hibiscus center pieces together, then add in the third one before gluing into the center of the hibiscus.
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This hibiscus center with the traditional stamen is best created using a cutting machine. If you do not have a cutting machine, you can create the basic pompom center which still creates a great final look!
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I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial as much as I enjoyed making it. Find the full hibiscus video tutorial just below as well. Plus find more giant paper flower tutorials here.
How would you use these tropical beauties? Tell me in the comments!
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My mission is to inspire you to nurture the creative magic inside your soul – bringing you fun, easy to learn DIY projects, and quality template designs. I share a variety of projects but specifically love paper crafting and paper flowers. Interested in more flower tutorials?! I’ve created dozens of signature designs for you to enjoy – starting with my best seller, The Art of Giant Paper Flowers, the Giant Flower Library and my shop of endless paper designs and flower templates.
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Allison says
June 23, 2018 at 9:19 amI am trying to make these, are able to make them with two layers
Abbi says
June 23, 2018 at 9:41 amYes, you can just use 2 petal layers if you’d like to downsize.