Paper Dahlia Flowers in Three Styles

Instructions

STEP 1: GET MY FREE PAPER DAHLIAS SVG FILES

First, download my Paper Dahlia SVG/DXF/PDF files from my free resource library. It's Design #387. I have included files for two different types of dahlias: one shaped with paper cones; and one shaped with broad paper petals, which can be made in two sizes. I'll demonstrate all three!

The paper cone design is easy to cut because it only uses one size and shape of petal. However, it takes longer to cut since it uses many individual petals.

The broad petal design has different sizes and pieces but does not require as many individual petals for the final project, so it cuts more quickly. Also, the paper cones take longer to assemble than the broad petals but make a more 3D finished flower. The final sizes can easily be changed to suit your needs. If you want a small, quick version, I recommend making the middle part of the broad petal design, which I’ll refer to as the 8” flower.

There are versions of both flowers designed for the Joy available in my file, too!

Choose the design you want to create. Then, upload the appropriate SVG file to Cricut Design Space and add it to your Canvas. You may need to zoom out to see the full design. You can click on the minus sign (-) in the lower left corner of the Canvas to do this.

Here’s what both designs look like on my Canvas. Remember, the 8" flower is part of the Broad design.

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

STEP 2: PREPARE YOUR PAPER DAHLIA DESIGN FOR CUTTING

I recommend that you prepare and cut one of these flowers at a time.

Each file is designed to create one flower. The cone petal design can make a variety of sizes from 10" to 15" in diameter without any changes. I’ll show you how to make the different sizes in the assembly section. The broad petal design makes a 18.5" flower. You can use it to make a 8" flower by only using the center ring of attached petals.

Add the flower you want to make to your Canvas.

To cut the large flowers for both designs, you need to prepare the base guidelines – the layer that looks like a dart board – which we’ll create using the Pen feature.

First, you must set the guidelines to “Pen” and attach them to the base circle. To do this, select the design and click “UnGroup” above the Layers panel. Now, select only the guidelines on top of the circle (they are already a single layer for easy selection). Click “Basic Cut” under Operation and then select “Pen” from the drop-down menu. Select both the guidelines and the circle by holding shift and selecting both Layers. Finally, click “Attach” at the bottom of the Layers Panel.

Your Canvas should look similar to mine for the cone-based design.

If you’re making the broad petal version, it should look like this.

If you are making the cone design, jump to Step 3.

For the broad petal design, decide if you want to make the 18.5” or 8” flower. If you decide to make the larger flower, continue to Step 3. If you would like to make the smaller flower, select the broad petal design’s base circle, guidelines, and individual petals by dragging a bounding box around all of them. Click “Group” above the Layers panel. Now hide the group by clicking the Eye icon next to it in the Layers panel.

Your screen should now only show the smaller connected petals and you are ready to cut!

If you want, you can resize any of these designs. To do this, click on “Select All” in the top menu, then simply drag the resize handle in the corner of the bounding box until you get the size you want. Make sure to keep the lock closed to maintain the aspect ratio.

You can also enter exact dimensions under size in the top menu.
If you need help resizing an SVG in Cricut Design Space you can check out my resizing guide. I explain exactly what you need to do to resize any design to fit your needs.

And remember, I included Joy versions for both designs too! If you want to make much smaller flowers, you can use those versions on any machine.

STEP 3: CUT YOUR PAPER DAHLIA DESIGN

Now we're ready to cut. Make sure you have the right machine selected in the top menu and click "Make It."

If prompted, click "On Mat" and continue.

On the Prepare screen, make sure the size of the materials is correct for each color.

TIP: Combine your cuts to use fewer mats, saving time and material! First, note the intended colors of each mat so you know which color cardstock to use for each object. If you changed a mat's Material Size, return it to "12" x 12"" so that the Cricut knows you want to use the entire machine mat area.

Select you want to combine, then click the three dots to the upper left of the first object, and choose "Move Object."

A "Move Object" pop-up will appear displaying thumbnails of your mats. Click on the mat you want to move the flower piece to and hit "Confirm."

Your view will switch to that mat, with the object you just moved added to it. Drag that piece to an open part of the mat. Make sure lines don't overlap.

Here are my mats for each type of flower if you want to make yours the same:

8” Broad Petal:
Two (2) mats - outer petals in darker color
One (1) mat - three inner petals in lighter color

Broad Petal:
One (1) mat - base and smallest three inside pieces in the lightest color
Two (2) mats - middle of large flower/outer five pieces of the 8" version in the middle color
Seven (7) mats - individual large flower’s petals in three sizes in the darkest color

Cone Shape:
One (1) mat - inside cones in the darkest color
Three (3) mats - middle cones in the middle color
Five (5) mats - outer cones and the base in the lightest color

NOTE: The number of cones needed can vary because you use fewer cones for each ring as you move toward the center. If you roll them tightly, you may need to make extra. If you roll them loosely, you may not need all of them. If you need more of a certain color, cut additional copies of the needed mats.

Click "Continue" in the bottom right.

Now let’s choose material and tool options on the Make screen.

TIP: If you run into any issues cutting your materials check out my Cricut Tips & Tricks for Cleaner Cuts for help!

For all mats, choose “Light Cardstock – 65 lb (176 gsm)." I always select “More Pressure” for a nice, clean cut.

Place your cardstock on your StandardGrip Machine Mat and use a brayer to make sure it's fully adhered. For the base layer – which the 8" dahlia does not need – make sure your Fine Point Pen is in Clamp A and check that your Fine-Point Blade is clean and in Clamp B. Then, load the mat into the machine and press "Go."

When the mat is finished, unload it, flip it over, and roll it back to release the cardstock. This helps prevent the cardstock from curling and ripping.

Cut all of your petals, using the color indicated on the screen. As you take the pieces off of the mats, stack duplicate elements together to keep everything straight.

STEP 4: ASSEMBLE YOUR PAPER DAHLIAS

The assembly directions for the two styles of dahlias are very different. I’ll demonstrate the cone-based design first.

Cone Petal Dahlia

Here are the pieces used to create the version with cone petals:

First, let’s shape all the petal pieces into cones. The petal shape is a rhombus, so it is not quite a square. Two sides are longer than the others. Turn the petal shape so that it is like a diamond with the longest sides on top.

Curl the lower sides of the rhombus in toward each other using the bone folder tool. If you do not have one, you can simply curl the edges around your finger, or use the straight edge of a ruler. The side corners should overlap a bit.

Unfold the sides enough to put two dots of glue, one on the right corner facing you and another on the back of the left corner. Make sure the glue is close to the edges, but not so close that the glue will squeeze out when you press the corners into each other.

Pinch the glued spots together, closing your cone.

Once all the cones are assembled, it’s time to add them to the base. The guidelines provide a good starting point for your dahlia by keeping the cones even all the way around the base circle.

Lay down your first layer of cones before gluing them to get an idea of the final size. Start by choosing one of the guideline circles. I started two circles in from the edge for my largest dahlia. Place cones on all the straight lines first, making sure the tip of each cone is aligned to the edge of the same circle.

Now place cones in between each of the cones already on the base, making sure the tips of the additional eight cones are aligned to the same guide circle. You should use 16 cones in all for the first layer.

TIP: You can change the size of the dahlia by moving the beginning layer of cones to different circles on the guidelines. If you want it to be smaller, move the points to a smaller circle and the opposite for a larger flower. The same works for the broad design.

Check to make sure your overall size is what you expect. Adjust as needed. Begin gluing petals to the base by flattening the area of the cone that attaches to the base. Add glue to the back of the flattened area and press it onto the base. Make sure to line up the point of the cone to the correct guide circle.

Once you have glued all 16 of the cones to form your base layer, lay the next layer on top in between each of the already glued cones. The tips of the second layer of cones should line up with the next smaller guide circle. When you have arranged the second layer, check again to make sure your cones are where you want them before flattening and gluing them in place.

Continue gluing layers in this manner. You will use fewer cones for each layer as you work in toward the center. When gluing the center cone pieces, you will need a long tool to press the cone tips down into the center. The bone folding tool works quite well for this, but you can also use a small dowel or an unsharpened pencil.

Your cone dahlia is now complete!

8” Broad Petal Dahlia

Creating the 8” dahlia is also the first step for making the larger Broad Petal design.

Here are the pieces used to create the small dahlia with broad petals:

A center crease is all we need to shape the broad petals. To create the crease, carefully fold the petal sides together and press firmly with your fingertips starting at the outer tip and working toward the bottom flat edge. Stop creasing when the sides start to curve out. Unfold the petal. Now the upper part is cupped!

Before gluing the layers together, bend each petal up slightly from the central piece. For the smallest inner layer, bend the pieces in all the way and then pull them back out slightly to create the illusion of petals just opening.

Add glue to the bottom of the second largest layer’s base and place it on top of the largest layer. Rotate the layer so that the petals of the second layer nestle in between the petals of the first.

Continue applying glue to the next smallest layer, rotating the petals, and placing it on the center of the previous layer. Do this for all of the layers.

If you want to only create the 8” dahlia, you are now done! If you are making the jumbo dahlia, set this part aside and follow the broad petal assembly instructions below.

Broad Petal Dahlia

Here are the pieces used to create the dahlia with broad petals:

Follow the same creasing steps as the 8” petal instructions. Stop your crease when the petal’s sides curve out. The rest of the shape is what I’ll call its tab. We’ll leave that flat.

Crease all the petals before starting the assembly.

Now let’s assemble the first petal layer along the third drawn circle from the outside. Place eight large petals around the circle, aligning their creases with a long line and the flat tab edge with the pen line. Add a bit of glue to the back of each petal’s tab and press them in place. The top edge of the largest petals’ tabs should match the outer edge of the base circle.

Slightly fold each petal up where the petal shape meets the tab. Next, glue another eight petals onto the circle base in between each petal already glued to the circle. Their edges should line up with the edges of the petals already on the base. The tab sides will overlap a bit. Also slightly fold these petals up where the petal tab meets the base.

Continue placing the second and third layers of the petals in the same manner, moving each layer in so the bottom of the tab lines up with the next smaller ring. Use the medium-sized petals for the second layer and the smallest petals for the third. These layers only have eight petals each.

As you glue each layer, make sure to fold the petals up slightly at the tab before moving to the next layer.

Apply glue to the 8” dahlia’s back and place it on top of the larger flower’s center base. Rotate the small dahlia so the petals fit together in a pleasing manner. Your jumbo dahlia is complete!

STEP 6: SHOW IT OFF!

You can now display your dahlias! These work well to decorate your home. Place them on countertops and shelves with other decorative items, or on your table as a centerpiece. You can create wall murals using multiple flowers in different sizes and colors! You can even place the dahlias in shadow boxes.