Making a wafer paper calla lily is pretty simple, especially if you use steam to shape it. Wafer card, which is the heavier grade, is what gave me the best result, but you could also make calla lilies using a double thickness of AD grade wafer paper.
To make a wafer paper calla lily, cut out the shape and use steam to form it around premade stamens. The steam can be used to soften and manipulate the calla and shape the curve of the petal edges.
When the wafer paper dries it will hold the shape that it was formed into while the steam had softened it.
This is a really fast and simple way to shape the calla flower, and it doesn’t require any kind of veining or drying time.
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Tips to remember when making a wafer paper calla lily.
- Be careful when working with hot steam, it can burn you (ask me how I know this…)
- DD grade wafer paper will give you the best result for callas, but you can stick two pieces of AD grade together to make a petal that’s thick enough to be opaque.
- Make the stamens ahead of time if they need to dry. You might need to use some edible glue to attach the stamens to the flower petal.
- If you want to make colored callas, dusting them before steaming will set the color, but it might darken it, too. Use your discretion about when to dust if you want to add multiple shades to the petal.
Shop for materials to make wafer paper flowers on Amazon:
- Wafer paper, white or colored
- Silicone flower center molds
- Petal veiners
- Petal dust
- Floral wire
- Tylose glue
- Fluffy paintbrushes
- Flower former
- Craft scissors
- Liquid Food Coloring
- Food-grade glycerin to make wafer paper conditioner
- Corn starch
- Flower paper punches
- Steamer to shape wafer paper
1. Trace the calla lily template onto a piece of wafer paper card (DD grade), or two thicknesses of AD grade wafer paper to make sure the flower will be opaque enough.
You don’t need to make them any specific shape, but make the tip long enough so that you can curl it over nicely!
2. Get the stamens that you’ll be wrapping the petal around ready. These can be premade stamens like these millinery stamens, or you can make them using gumpaste or wafer paper.
3. Place the stamen on the petal to see where it will be when the petal is curled around it.
4. When you’ve started curling the petal, remove the stamen and keep curling it, or leave the stamen in if you want to get it in a precise spot. Keep steaming the end of the petal to curl it.
5. Replace the stamen and keep curling the base of the flower, adding more steam if needed to make the wafer paper flexible enough to bend.
6. Pinch the wafer paper around the stamen to secure it. If it’s loose, you might need to use a little edible glue like corn syrup or wafer paper glue to attach the stamen to the petal.
7. Using more steam, soften and bend the edges of the petal and the tip of the flower to form the shape of the calla lily. This can take a few minutes, and you should make sure not to get the flower too wet as you’re doing it.
8. The finished flower should be left to dry, which should only take a few minutes. They can be used right away on wedding cakes or birthday cakes.
