DIY Paper Marigold | Day of the Dead | Dia de los Muertos | Autumn and Fall Flowers | Papercraft Tutorial

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The autumn trees are putting on a glorious show for us here in Michigan. Everywhere I look right now I see beautiful oranges and yellows. It’s inspired me to create DIY paper flowers in these gorgeous fall hues. I tried my hand at a realistic marigold flower with pleasing results! Marigolds naturally grow in all of those classic autumn colors we love. Plus, next week marks the start of Day of the Dead celebrations (Dia de los Muertos), and marigolds are popular during this time. So let me show you how to make my DIY paper marigold with realistically-shaped petals.

First, to design this paper flower, I traced the petals of a real marigold. As it turns out, there are a number of different shapes of marigold petals, and in varying thicknesses. I decided to make my flower look like the full, lush marigolds you see in the Dia de los Muertos celebration imagery. So lots and lots of tightly packed petals. Typical colors are orange and yellow, but marigolds also grow red, too.

DIY Paper Marigold | Day of the Dead | Dia de los Muertos | Autumn and Fall Flowers | Papercraft Tutorial

Stunning! Make a DIY Paper Marigold | Day of the Dead | Dia de los Muertos | Autumn and Fall Flowers | Papercraft Tutorial

Two of my readers have already made their own versions of the paper marigold! Here is a pretty marigold comb made by June Langley:

Paper Marigold made by June Langley

And here is a lovely earthy marigold made by reader Ilia Hernández:

Paper Marigold made by Ilia Hernandez

And look at this gorgeous marigold embellishment on this frame by reader June Langley:

Paper Marigold Flower by June Langley

I will walk you through the whole DIY paper marigold project, so let’s get started! This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)!  Read my full disclosure policy.

DIY Paper Marigold Materials

How to Assemble the DIY Paper Marigold

First, download Design #59 which is my free pattern (see the bottom of this post) and cut it out. If you use a Cricut or another cutting machine, the SVG cutting file is included. If you want to cut it out with scissors, there is a PDF included as well.

You need four base petal sets, plus the five sets of bud petals for each flower. You do not need to worry about grouping/ungrouping, attaching, or scoring—this file is good to upload and cut.

Tip: If you’re not sure how to upload an SVG cut file to Cricut Design Space, watch this helpful video training series I made. If you’re on an iPhone or iPad, here’s how to download and upload SVG files to the Cricut Design Space app.

Materials for the DIY paper marigold

Next, lay out the bud petal strips in order from narrowest petal to widest petal.

Arrange the bud petal strips in order of side for the DIY paper marigold

Glue the five sets of bud petals together end to end.

Glue the strips together end to end for the DIY paper marigold

The glued bud petals for the DIY paper marigold

Gently squeeze each petal to give the petal some definition and structure—this makes it look more like a realistic flower. Do not crease, just gently bend.

Squeeze each petal of the DIY paper marigold

Bend the petals upward toward the center on each of the four sets of base petals to give the petals a bowl shape.

Folding up the base petals of the DIY paper marigold

Glue the four sets of base petals together at the circular base, one on top of the other. As you set each base petal on top of the other, rotate it so the petals are filling in the spaces between petals.

Gluing the base petals together of the DIY paper marigold

Now, using a quilling tool, roll up the glued base petals to form the bud.

Rolling up the bud petals of the DIY paper marigold

Once it is all rolled up, remove it gently from the quilling tool and glue the bottom well.

Glue the bottom of the bud petals for the diy paper marigold

Glue the set of bud petals to the center of the glued base petals.

Fluff the petals to your satisfaction and enjoy!

Fluffing the petals on the DIY paper marigold

Tip: If you want to add a stem to your marigold, but a wire up through the hole in the bottom of the base petals before you glue the bud petals in.

Stunning! Make a DIY Paper Marigold | Day of the Dead | Dia de los Muertos | Autumn and Fall Flowers | Papercraft Tutorial

I’d love to see your project! If you make one, please share a photo in our Facebook group or tag me on social media with #jennifermaker.

Free Cut Files & Pattern for My Paper Marigold

Get the password for the library with the free paper marigold pattern and SVG/DXF/PDF files here by filling out this form:

Love,

JenniferMaker.com

If you enjoyed this tutorial, be sure to check out all of my other DIY paper flowers, too!

Save the Paper Marigold Flower to Your Favorite Pinterest Board!

Stunning! Make a DIY Paper Marigold | Day of the Dead | Dia de los Muertos | Autumn and Fall Flowers | Papercraft Tutorial

Learn how to make DIY paper marigold with realistically-shaped petals. This project is perfect for autumn and day of the dead. #cricut #cricutmade #cricutmaker #cricutexplore #svg #svgfile

More Paper Flower Tutorials & SVG Cut Files

Rolled Paper Rose Flower | Quilled Flower | JenuineMom.com Rolled Paper Peony Flower | Quilled Flower | JenuineMom.com Paper Tulip | Rolled Flower | Quilling | JenniferMaker.com DIY Paper Magnolia | Rolled Flower | Quilling | JenniferMaker.com paper caranation  Paper Daisy | Gerbera | Rolled Flower | Cricut How to make rolled paper sunflowers -- free cut files!

View all my paper flowers here.

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