Peonies are made of white, pink, or red tissue-paper, cut in squares of about eight inches each and pinked on the two opposite edges. Twelve squares are needed for one flower. With your fingers gather the squares up in the centre (Fig. 342); then fold over the pieces, as in Fig. 343; when all are ready string them on a wire and shape the bunch to resemble a peony; twist the wire up tight and fasten the petals together, leaving a length of wire for a stem.
Fig. 344.—Cherry Blossom.
Fig. 345.—Green Leaf of Cherry Tree.
Make the cherry-blossoms (Fig. 344) in clusters of five or seven each, and attach green leaves (Fig. 345) cut in different sizes. Fig. 346 shows the method of giving the leaf a pretty, crimped appearance. By holding the point of the leaf firmly under the head of the pin with your left hand, and with the right hand pushing the leaf up toward the head of the pin, you can crimp the leaves very rapidly, and they look much more natural than when left plain.
All the materials necessary for the manufacture of flowers for fair decorations will be paper, wire, and paste. The buds of different flowers can be imitated by pinching together the petals of open blossoms. Figs. 347, 348, 349 are the petals of the magnolia; the inside petals are five and one-half inches long, the others in proportion. Cut three of each size. No. 347 forms the innermost petals, No. 348 the next, and No. 349 the outermost; these last should be double; make the outside of pink tissue-paper and the inside white, all the other petals are white; cut three, from Fig. 350, of green paper to form the calyx.
Fig. 346.—Method of Crimping Leaf.
Other ornamental flowers may be manufactured from these hints. Patterns can be cut from any natural flowers, and they may be made without the aid of further directions. When natural blossoms can be obtained, they are far preferable, though the paper plants make splendid substitutes and at a little distance cannot be distinguished from the natural ones.