Basic Leaves & Stems

You can use a few simple techniques to make a variety of greenery for filler and other projects. You can use leaves in any size, shape, or color with these techniques to create nearly endless greenery possibilities. For this tutorial, I used five leaves per stem. You can use as many leaves as you’d like to create the stem you need for your particular project.

SUPPLIES

Green felt

18˝ of 18-gauge floral wire

20-gauge floral wire

Leaf templates

Needle-nose pliers

Wire cutters

Scissors

Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Variation 1

VARIATION 1

STEP 1: Attach the first leaf. Add a small dot of glue to the bottom of a leaf. Pinch it around the top of the wire.

STEP 2: Attach the second leaf. Add the second leaf slightly below the first one, facing the first leaf.

STEP 3: Attach the remaining leaves. Add the remaining leaves, working down the stem, alternating the direction each leaf faces.

Variation 2

VARIATION 2

STEP 1: Attach the first leaf. Add a small dot of glue to the bottom of a leaf and pinch it around the top of the wire.

STEP 2: Attach the second leaf. Add the second leaf slightly below the first one, facing it. While pressing the leaf against the stem, angle it back.

STEP 3: Attach the remaining leaves. Add the remaining leaves, working down the stem. Angle each leaf back after you press it against the stem.

Variation 3

VARIATION 3

STEP 1: Attach the first two leaves. Add a small dot of glue to the bottom of a leaf and pinch it in place around the top of the wire. Add the second leaf slightly below the first one. While pressing the leaf against the stem, angle it back, then twist it toward you.

STEP 2: Attach the remaining leaves. Add the remaining leaves, working down the stem. After you press each leaf against the stem, angle it back then twist it toward you. This might take some practice. Just remember to keep the leaves pinched around the wire as you angle and twist them.

Variation 4

This method for creating greenery or adding leaves to flower stems creates a realistic look because each leaf is on its own stem. It also gives you more flexibility when positioning the leaves. You can adjust and arrange them as much as you want to get the perfect look. For this technique, you’ll need 18-gauge floral wire for the stem and 20-gauge floral wire for the leaves.

VARIATION 4

STEP 1: Attach the first set of leaves. Add a small dot of glue to the bottom of a leaf and pinch it in place around the top of the 18-gauge wire. Cut a piece of 20-gauge wire an inch or two long and attach a leaf to each end.

STEP 2: Attach the leaf pair. Twist the piece of 20-gauge wire around the stem until the bottoms of both leaves touch the stem.

STEP 3: Attach the remaining leaves. Create more leaf pairs using the 20-gauge wire and attach them to the stem.