How to Make a Balloon Flower Chanhua

4.2.2 Making a Balloon Flower
The Chanhua balloon flower is composed of five groups of petals, each group consisting of three differently shaped petals. The three-piece winding technique is used, and the petals of each group are sequentially wound and assembled to form a three-dimensional balloon flower.

A. Materials and Tools: White card paper, carbon pen, scissors, purple silk threads, No. 30 silk mesh flower wire, gypsum stamens

B. Making the Balloon Flower:

1

1. Use a carbon pen to draw the patterns of three petals on the white card paper. Cut them out with scissors and arrange them as shown in the picture, clearly indicating the winding direction and sequence.

2

2. Take a twisted silk thread, split it, and then combine the split threads. Hold a small amount of silk thread and a wire in your left hand, leaving about 10cm of wire on the right side. After starting the winding, add the card paper and begin winding.

3                                                          4

3. Bend the reserved wire into a loop to facilitate winding. Sequentially add the second piece of card paper and continue winding, ensuring the card paper pieces meet end-to-end without gaps. After winding, fix the two wires together.

4. Place the two wires on the back of the third piece of card paper, continue winding, and fix them.

5                                                             6

5. Pass the excess silk thread through the middle of the first and second petals and pull tight to make it more secure. Use the same method to make five groups of such petals.
6. Take several gypsum stamens and wrap a few turns of silk thread around the base of the stamens to fix them together.

7

7. Combine the five completed petal groups, add the gypsum stamens to the center, and fix the petal and stamen wires together. Bend the petal tips outward and adjust the shape as needed. A balloon flower is now complete.