How to Make Quilled Autumn Maple Leaves – Quilling Step-by-Step Tutorial

The last month of autumn is already here, and the leaves are slowly falling from the trees. I always find this time of year a little bittersweet, so I decided to bring some autumn colour into my paper quilling and make these delicate maple leaves.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create a quilled maple leaf using a simple homemade template and basic quilling shapes. I used red paper for the leaf structure and added warm yellow and orange tones with ink to give it an autumn look.

What you need

• 3 mm quilling paper
• Red paper, approximately 130 gsm
• Glue
• Tweezers
• Scissors
• A maple leaf template
• Pins
• Cardboard
• Clear tape
• Ink and a small sponge for colouring

Step 1: Make the maple leaf template

To create a symmetrical leaf, prepare a simple maple leaf template.

I made mine by gluing three pieces of cardboard together and drawing a maple leaf outline on the top. If you don't want to draw your own template, you can print a maple leaf outline and use it instead.

Cover the entire template with clear tape. This is important because it prevents the paper from sticking to the cardboard while you are making the leaf.

Step 2: Prepare the leaf skeleton

Place the red paper strips along the outline of the maple leaf to create its main structure and veins.

Secure the strips with pins as you work. The pins help keep everything in position and make it easier to maintain the shape and symmetry of the leaf.

Step 3: Fill the leaf with quilling shapes

Cut or tear quilling strips into pieces approximately 6–12 cm long and make small quilling shapes from them.

I used simple shapes such as eyes, teardrops and triangles. Place these shapes between the leaf veins, gradually filling the entire surface.

Continue adding the shapes until the leaf has a full, balanced appearance.

Step 4: Finish the leaf shape

Glue the loose end of the main strip to the leaf.

Then add two small triangular quilling shapes near the bottom of the leaf. These pieces help complete the shape and give the leaf a cleaner finish.

Step 5: Add the outer edge

Once all the internal pieces are securely glued, cover the outside edge of the leaf with a narrow strip of paper.

This creates a neat border and helps hold the individual quilling elements together.

Step 6: Add autumn colours

Now it is time to give the leaf its autumn colours.

Using a small sponge and ink, start with yellow in the centre of the leaf. Gradually work towards the edges, adding darker shades to create a warm autumn gradient.

Let the ink dry completely before handling the leaf.

Your quilled maple leaf is ready

And that's it — your quilled autumn maple leaf is finished.

You can use these paper leaves to decorate handmade cards, scrapbook pages and other autumn projects. They can also be adapted into small accessories such as earrings or a pendant.

To make creating the quilled maple leaf easier, I’ve prepared a printable template that you can use as a guide for shaping and positioning the paper strips.

You may also like

If you enjoy making dimensional paper designs with quilling, you may also like these tutorials:

🍯 Quilling Honeycomb Tutorial – How to Make Paper Honeycomb – a step-by-step tutorial for creating a dimensional honeycomb pattern from paper strips.

🌻 3D Paper Quilling Sunflower Tutorial – a tutorial for making a dimensional sunflower from paper using quilling techniques