Technique Spotlight: Dahlia Fold

With all the beautiful new Double Sided papers in our 2008-2009 Idea Book and Catalogue, now is the perfect time to try a tea bag folding technique...the Dahlia Fold. This makes a beautiful flower medallion. I've taken some photos to show how this is done, just click on them to make them larger. The paper used here is from the Le Jardin pack.

You'll need 8 circles to make the full Dahlia. I've used the 1 3/8" Circle Punch. Decide which side of your paper is to be the main pattern and keep this side at the back for the first three creases/folds.

Take your circle, and fold in half - but only crease the BOTTOM half of the circle, as shown by the dotted line.

Fold your circle in half again, creasing the full length of the second dotted line.

This part is a little tricky, but you'll soon get used to it. Make a fold from the two points where your creases meet the outer edge of the circle. The solid line on the left of the circle is where you should fold, the right side has been folded already.

Turn your circle over, and fold both sides towards the middle like you're making a paper dart. Repeat the above steps until you have 8 dart shaped pieces.

Cut a smaller circle, here I've used the 1" Punch, you could also use the 1 1/4" Punch. Fold in half, then in half again to make some guide lines.

Line the 8 pieces of your Dahlia on this circle, adhering with SNAIL or 2 Way Glue Pen.

To see a card featuring a finished Dahlia, please see this post: http://thinkingstamps.blogspot.com/2008/04/darling-dahlia.html