How to make a long stem rose
out of duct tape
Duct
tape has become a very popular medium in the crafting community. It’s not just
for holding your car together anymore. With events like the Stuck At
Prom Scholarship Contest being held, it has
broadened the uses of the sticky stuff. Crafters have been making wallets and
purses out of duct tape for years, but with the contest they have broadened
their horizons. Full-length ball gowns are being made with dozens of rolls and
hundreds of man-hours.
Today, we are going to stick with something
simple and learn how to make a duct tape rose. These roses can come in any
color you want. With the patterns they are printing on the tape today, you
could even make it leopard print if you like. These duct tape roses will never
wilt can look beautiful for years to come. If you think you might miss the
fresh rose scent, fear not! Adding a few drops of rose scented oil to the
center of the rose will give you that freshly cut scent for weeks.
Step one: Gather supplies
What you’ll need:
- · Thick gauged wire
- · Wire cutters
- · Green duct tape (for stem)
- · Any color duct tape (for the rose)
- · Utility knife
- · Cutting board
Take your wire and measure out how long you want
the stem to be, leaving about a half an inch extra at the top for the flower
head. 12 inches is perfect for a long stem rose. Set aside.
Step three: Create the petals
Take the colored duct tape you picked for the rose.
For this tutorial we used red.
1.
Pull the tape up from the roll and hold it out in front of you.
2.
Take the right corner of the duct tape, sticky side up, and fold it down
onto itself, leaving a sliver of sticky uncovered.
3.
Next, take the folded left side where the sliver of tape is still
showing, and fold it down so the sticky is touching the exposed tape at the
bottom. This will create a triangle.
4.
Using the utility knife, cut about a half inch underneath the triangle,
leaving a rectangle of sticky exposed under the triangle.
5.
Continue to do this until you have between 45 and 55 triangles depending
on how full you want your rose.
Step four: Assemble the rose
The assembly is fairly easy after the first few
petals are done.
1.
Take the already cut wire from before and lay it on the left hand side
of one of your triangles. Slowly roll the wire to the other end, making sure to
hold onto the triangle so it doesn’t slip off. Continue rolling until you have
a small upside-down cone.
2.
Take another triangle, laying the middle point a few centimeters left to
the point of the cone. Wrap the sticky bottom around until it is secure.
3.
Continue to do this, making sure to move each point a few centimeters to
the left. This will give the flower its petals.
4.
You may need to add or remove petals depending on how tight you put them
together. Make sure to look at it from the center to see if it is symmetrical.
Step five: Cover the stem
1.
Take your roll of green duct tape and cut off about five half-inch
rectangles from the top. Place each rectangle underneath the rose, covering
most of the petals. This will secure the petals and give a cleaner appearance.
2.
Next, cut a six-inch piece of green duct tape from your roll. Lay it
onto the cutting board and slice it down the middle, creating two long strips.
The smaller strips will make it easier to wrap with and cause less waste.
3.
Take a strip, starting from the top, and slowly wrap down the wire,
covering it all. Make sure not to have any of the sticky side exposed.
4.
Continue wrapping until you hit the bottom. Make sure to cover the end
so you don’t have wire exposed.
Voilà! A beautiful long stemmed rose made from duct
tape with your own hands. It will last forever and you never have to worry
about watering it. Make a dozen more and create a beautiful bouquet.
