DIY Paper Fan Wheels

Today I made a party decoration I've been eyeing for a while. Paper Rosettes aka Paper Fan Wheels. I think these paper rosettes look incredible and are a cool, unique party decoration. Before I begin you have to know one thing about me, while I LOVE crafting I am definitely a novice crafter. I have no desire to stock a full craft room in my house or spend money on special scissors, cutting tools, glues, etc. For that reason you'll notice I often improvise with what I have around my house; water glasses, twist ties, etc.

My DIY paper rosettes

Here's how I made my paper Rosettes;

***UPDATE: On August 3, 2013 I posted a follow up blog about adapting the pinwheels for hanging aisle decorations. That post goes more in depth on choosing paper and patterns.

Items needed:

• 8 1/2" x 11"  Craft paper (in two colors)
• A ruler
• A pencil
• Transparent tape
• Small length of wire (I used a twist-tie)
• Scissors
• Circle template (I used a glass)

Before I start I need to state that I used card stock paper which is thicker than required. Because card stock is difficult to fold and heavy I made to make several changes to the original rosette tutorials I studied, found here and here.

Directions:

1. I used 3/4” folds. The first thing I did was to mark the paper at 3/4” intervals at the top and bottom of the sheet.

   

   Marking the fold locations spaced at 3/4"
2. Because the card stock was heavy, I scored the paper where I wanted the folds to be. To do this, I aligned a ruler with my marks on the paper. I run the nub mechanical pencil (without lead) along the ruler to score the paper. You'll notice that I alternated scoring every other 3/4” mark on the front and back sides of the paper. 

   Scoring the fold lines

   Score lines alternating on the front and back sides of the paper

   
   
3. Fold the paper fan-style along the scores.
   

   

   Fan fold the paper along the scores

   
   
4. Before continuing and making the rosettes, I re-opened the paper and folded it in half long ways to make a crease then reopened. This was so the paper fans would be easier to fold into rosettes.
   

   

   Unfold and crease the paper down the center

5. Refold the paper like a fan.
   

   

   Refold fan (step 5) and fold in half (step 6)

6. Bend the fan in half, along the crease you made in step 4. Bring the ends together on one side and secure with a small piece of tape.
   

   

   Secure ends of fan with tape

7. Repeat steps 1-6 with a second piece of paper of the same color. (At this point the original tutorials both ask you to create 3 paper fans. For some reason I found two to be enough to create the full rosette.)
   

   

   Two fans was enough for my rosette

8. Here is another step I added to account for the thickness of my paper. I placed the two fans I created back to back and I over lapped one fold of paper. To secure the two fans together I used a twist tie.
   

   Back of Rosette secured with twist tie

   Front of Rosette

   
   
9. Cut out a circle from a contrasting color of paper. I traced a water glass and cut the circle by hand. Alternatively you could use a large circle punch or a button from your crafting contest.
   

   

   Cutting out the center of the rosette

10. Secure the paper circle to the center of your rosette. I used a loop of tape but glue would also work.
    
    

    

    
    
    Summary:
    

    I really enjoyed this project and it turned out great. Any craft notice can make these! Just be willing to put in the time (marking and scoring the folds isn't quick) and be creative when you need to (I love the twist ties as a fastening method). Be sure to experiment with colors and sizes of wheels or add your own unique details like buttons and glitter. Good Luck!!