2D diagram

How to make a paper lily from cut paper

Paper Lily (Cut Paper): try all 3 steps in the 3D player. Turn and replay every move. Print the complete diagram sheet or save it as PDF.

Easy3 steps15 × 15 cm · One square

Cut six long petals with a narrow stamen between each two, lift the petals and curl them back, then stand the stamens up and roll their ends.

You need: Light card or thick paper, a pencil, scissors and a round pencil or a cocktail stick for curling.
Start: Begin with a 15 × 15 cm square of light card or thick paper, colored on both sides.

Finish

Your model is ready

Stand the lily on its base and ease the six petals so they curl back evenly round the stamens. Look into the lily from above, then turn it to see the petals curling back around the stamens.

3D paper

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Step-by-step diagrams

1
Cut out the lily
Draw a small twelve-sided base, a long pointed petal on each of its six long sides and a narrow strip on each short side between them. Cut in from the top edge to the tip of the top petal, then all the way round the outline. Cut right down to the base between each petal and strip.
2
Lift the petals and curl them back
Hold the base still. Lift all six petals steeply at their bases. Then draw each petal over a round pencil from its middle to its point, so it curls back more and more toward the tip. Leave the narrow strips flat.
3
Stand the stamens up and roll their ends
Lift each narrow strip almost upright in the middle of the flower. Wind the last few millimetres of each strip round a cocktail stick so its end rolls into a small coil, then slide the stick out.
✓
Finish
Stand the lily on its base and ease the six petals so they curl back evenly round the stamens. Look into the lily from above, then turn it to see the petals curling back around the stamens.