Coffee Filter Rose Tutorial

Saturday, April 30

I’ve had some requests to do a tutorial on the coffee filter roses I made for my wedding. So here it is. Like I said they really are easy once you get the hang of them. A bit of practice and you’ll have beautiful roses in no time.

The supply list is simple.
You will need:
floral wire  22–24 gauge
white cone shaped coffee filters
floral tape
scissors
pen
Petal template (Martha Stewart and Cassie Mae Chappell have a great one, click here to download it)

Trace the petal patterns onto the coffee filters and cut them out. I like to stack more than one filter together so I can cut multiple petals at a time. With the right scissors I was able to cut out five neatly. Be careful not to leave any pen marks on the filter as they will show up in the final product.

Tip: Make sure that you keep the different petals separated. It will be hard to tell which one is which when you have them all cut out.

So this is where the explanation gets tricky, so bear with me as I try to explain it the best I can. Hopefully the photos will help. Starting with petal #1, insert a wire into the center of one of the petals. Pull the wire down until it is halfway down the petal. Roll the pedal up and secure it to the wire with floral tape.

Tip: Make sure that you wrap each petal with enough tape to secure it tightly. If not the petals may separate when you are curling and painting them.

Rip open petal #2 at the seam, leaving one side still connected. You don’t want to rip them completely apart. Start at one end and wrap the petals around the wire and tape securely. Repeat the steps for petals #3 and #4.

Pedals #5 and #6 require two steps so that they stick securely to the stem. Take three #5 petals and tape them securely them to one side of the flower. Secure the other three petals to the other side. Repeat the process with the #6 petals.

When you are finished it will look nothing like a rose. More like a blossom. The next step does the magic. Slowly start to pull the petals apart. The easiest way is to put your fingers into the center of the flower and spread them apart.

The flower doesn’t have to look perfect at this time you just want the petals to be some what open.

With a wooden stick  (a pencil will work) curl the petals edges. It’s easier than it seems. The petals hold a curl really well.

Once the petals are curled you will need to color the roses. Water colors work really well to add lots of dimension to the flowers, but it also takes a bit more time. Since I had so many to color I used red wine and beet juice. Just pour into a bowl and dip the flowers in. The coffee filters absorb the color really easily.

The red wine give the roses a nice overall red tone. Add a bit of water to the wine if you would like them lighter and pinker.

The beat juice dries with an almost tie-dye affect, give the roses a lot of variation. It will also dry a bid deeper and a bit orange too.

Experimenting with the colors is the fun part. And since no two roses look alike you don’t have to worry about being perfect with them.

Once you have soaked them, hang them upside down to dry. You will need to re-work them and re-curl the petals a bid once they are dry. It sounds like a lot of work but it really isn’t too bad. Once you get it down it goes really fast. Like I said, I made hundreds of them for my wedding and it really wasn’t that bad. Get a few extra people to help and you’ll have them down in no time.

I have gotten a bit of criticism about these roses and want to clear things up. I am in no way claiming that I am the original creator of the coffee filter rose idea. I have seen them around and decided to create them for my wedding and wanted to pass on a tutorial for you if you were interested in creating them as well. Enjoy making them!!

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