Bring a bit of spring indoors with this stunning pipe cleaner lily! It’s vibrant, textured, and looks almost real — but it’s made entirely from craft supplies you probably already have at home! This craft is perfect for older kids, tweens, and adults who love floral crafts or want a handmade bouquet that never wilts.
With just a bit of bending and gluing, you’ll have a beautiful bloom that lasts all year long. These gorgeous DIY lilies make a sweet homemade gift for Mother’s Day, Easter, or a spring birthday. You can also add them to a vase for a colourful centerpiece, or attach one to a wrapped gift for a cute handmade touch.
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How to Make a Pipe Cleaner Lily
Materials:
- Pipe cleaners (pink, green, brown, and yellow)
- Soft pastels
- Floral wire
- 18 gauge Wire
- Floral tape
Equipment:
Watch the step-by-step video tutorial:
Instructions:
Step 1: Find what you need
- Gather your supplies and materials.
Step 2: Make the petals and leaves
- Fold a pink pipe cleaner in half.
- Then fold it in half again.
- Fold a second pink pipe cleaner in half and connect it through the middle of the first pipe cleaner, so the two “V”s intersect.
- Twist the longer pipe cleaner a couple of times at the base of the first pipe cleaner. Then bend the ends down towards the other pipe cleaner, on either side.
- Pinch the end of the petal into a point and arrange the pipe cleaner pieces so they lay flat and curve a bit.Wrap one of the longer outside pieces around the bottom of the other pieces, securing them together.
- Optional: Use a soft pastel or some eyeshadow to add shading to the petal. Use your finger or a paintbrush to blend it in.
- Repeat 5 times so you have 6 petals total.
- Then do the same steps with green pipe cleaners to make 2 leaves.
Step 3: Create the stamen
- Cut 6 pieces of thin floral wire to be 2-1/2 inches each. Use pliers to bend about 1/4 to 1/2 inch down at a 90 degree angle on one end of each piece.
- Cut 5 small pieces, about 1/2 inch each, from a brown pipe cleaner. Then cut 1 small piece the same size from a yellow pipe cleaner.
- Add a bit of hot glue to the bent end of a wire.
- Place a pipe cleaner piece into the glue. Repeat with the rest of the pipe cleaner bits and wire pieces.
- Arrange the wires so that the yellow piece is in the middle. Wrap one of the wire ends around the rest of the bundle, securing them together.
Step 4: Assemble the bloom
- Add hot glue to the base of one of the petals.
- Set the petal against the stamen, holding it until it stays in place on its own.
- Add 2 more petals around the stamen, spacing them evenly.
- Then add the rest of the petals, placing each between 2 of the previous ones.
Step 5: Add the stem and leaves
- Cut a piece of garden wire or thick floral wire to be about 12 inches long.
- Add hot glue to one end of the wire and place it on the bottom of the flower, in-between the “stems” of the petals.
- Now wrap a green pipe cleaner around the wire stem and petal “stems” at the base of the flower.
- Leaving a wrap or two of green pipe cleaner bare, wrap floral wire tightly around the green pipe cleaner. Continue down the stem about 1/3 of the way.If your floral tape doesn’t want to stick to the pipe cleaner, secure it with a tiny dot of hot glue.
- Use hot glue to attach one of the leaves to the stem.
- Wrap more floral tape around the bottom of the leaf, and then glue the 2nd leaf to the other side.
- Wrap floral tape around the bottom of both leaves and continue until the bottom of the stem.Secure the end of the tape with another dab of hot glue, if needed.
- Your pipe cleaner lily is complete!
- Place your pipe cleaner lilies in a vase for a beautiful decorative bouquet!
Helpful Tips:
- We strongly recommend gluing the leaves to the wire before wrapping with floral tape, as well as adding a small amount of glue to the floral tape at the beginning and end of the wrapping process. Both add extra hold and durability, preventing the ends and leaves from coming loose over time.
- You can buy artificial stamen online or at the craft store instead of making your own.
Can I use other colours for this pipe cleaner lily tutorial?
Absolutely! Lilies come in so many beautiful shades, so there are lots of fun colour options when making this pipe cleaner flower.
Try making white lilies with yellow centers, orange tiger lilies, or even purple and pink blends. You can buy assorted packs of pastel pipe cleaners or even purchase a pipe cleaner flower-making kit!
What type of wire is best for the stem of my DIY pipe cleaner lily?
You can use garden wire or thick floral stem wire for the stem of your pipe cleaner flower. Look for something sturdy enough to hold the bloom without drooping.
Can I make different styles of pipe cleaner lilies?
Yes, you can absolutely make different styles of pipe cleaner lilies! With just one simple change, you can give your petals a pretty rippled edge.
And if you want to mix things up even more, there’s also an easy way to make a closed lily bud. Keep reading for full instructions.
Lily with a rippled petal edge:
- Once you’ve twisted the second pipe cleaner and are ready to frame the center pieces of the petal, wrap both sides of the longer pipe cleaner tightly around a skewer.
- Remove the skewer and gently stretch the pipe cleaner out so it’s wavy. Finish the petal the same way you would when making a smooth-edged petal.
Closed lily bud:
To make a closed lily bud, you’ll follow very similar steps to the tutorial above.
- To make a petal, fold a pink pipe cleaner in half. Then, twist it twice, just less than halfway down from the fold.
- Fold the two ends back in the opposite direction (toward the fold) and follow the same steps as with the opened flower petal.
- Make 4 petals in total. You can make a leaf the same way with a green pipe cleaner.
- To assemble the unopened bloom, add a line of hot glue along the inside edge of one side of a pink petal. Place the edge of a second petal into the glue.
- Repeat to attach the remaining 2 petals so they make a closed bud.
- Follow the same steps used for the open flower tutorial to add the stem and leaves, but use a 6 inch piece of garden wire for the stem.
- To add the unopened flower to your open lily’s stem, glue the shorter stem onto the longer stem where the leaves on the longer stem sit. If you make the unopened flower before the open one, you can also use floral tape to wrap the unopened flower’s stem into the longer stem.
How can I display my pipe cleaner lilies?
You can place your DIY lilies in a vase, or use floral foam in a container to arrange a bouquet.
Add some faux greenery to fill in the space or make some other pipe cleaner flowers to create a mixed bouquet!
This pipe cleaner lily is the perfect way to brighten your day (and your craft table)! Whether you’re making just one bloom or a full bouquet, it’s a beautiful project that’s both creative and calming. With just a few twists and a bit of glue, you’ll have a flower that never fades or wilts!
Here’s even more DIY flower craft ideas:
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Where to buy:
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