How to Cut a 5-Petal Paper Flower Chain
Fold a square into a reusable 5-petal template, stack 3–4 sheets, and cut a connected chain. Paper, scissors, pencil.
What You'll Need
- Construction or printer paper (several same-size sheets)
- String or thread for hanging (optional)
- Craft scissors
- HB pencils (pack)
Paper is the build; string only if you want to hang it.
You make one paper template, then cut several sheets at once so the flowers stay joined at one petal. No printer. A 6×6 inch (15×15 cm) square makes the template. Letter or A4 sheets, stacked 3–4 high, give a chain about 2–3 feet once unfolded. Construction paper or printer paper. Plan 30–45 minutes.
Supervise kids with scissors. Cut on a stable table.
Fold the 5-petal template
Start with a 6×6 inch square (scrap is fine). Fold diagonally into a triangle; crease. Fold that triangle in half again. Hold the long folded edge at the bottom. Fold one bottom corner up toward the opposite side; fold the other bottom corner the same way so you get a narrow cone. Draw a curve from the top point down to the open bottom edge — that curve is half a petal. Cut on the curve. Unfold. That is the template. Keep it.
Stack and fold the chain paper
Stack 3–4 same-size sheets, edges lined up. Fold the stack in half lengthwise; crease. Fold in half again. You should have a thick packet with two folded edges.
Trace and cut the chain
Lay the template on the packet. Line one petal edge up with a folded side of the packet — that uncut fold is the hinge that keeps flowers connected. Do not put a petal on an open edge. Trace the outline. Cut on the pencil line through all layers. Leave the aligned folded edge uncut. Open slowly. Separate the layers. You have several matching flower chains.
If a join tears, you cut through the hinge. Next time leave a wider uncut strip on that fold — about 1/8 inch (3 mm).
Join and hang (optional)
To lengthen, overlap one end flower of two chains and tape or glue-stick the back. To hang, run string through the flower centers. Skip beads and glitter — they are not part of the cut.
