How to Make Paper Quilling Leaves – Step-by-Step Tutorial

Leaves are one of my favorite details to add to paper quilling flowers and floral arrangements, but finding the right leaf shape is not always easy. In this tutorial, I will show you how to make paper quilling leaves and combine them into a small decorative branch.

This quilling leaf is made from two light-green paper coils shaped into curved sections and outlined with a darker green paper strip. A simple paper stem and a little pigment ink shading add the finishing details. Once you learn the basic shape, you can make leaves in different sizes and use them in quilling flowers, cards, wall art, and other paper craft projects.

Materials

For one small quilling leaf branch, you will need:

• Light green quilling paper strips
• Dark green quilling paper strips
• PVA or tacky glue
• Scissors
• Tweezers
• Quilling needle or toothpick
• A quilling circle template
• Green pigment ink for shading
• A small dry sponge for applying the ink

I used 2 mm wide quilling strips for the leaves. You can experiment with different paper colors to create your own style.

Step 1: Make Two Tight Coils

Take one light-green paper strip and cut it in half. Roll each half into a tight quilling coil using a quilling tool or toothpick.

Do not glue the ends of the coils yet. We will loosen them in the next step.

Step 2: Create the Loose Coils

Place each tight coil into a circle on your quilling template and allow the paper to loosen until it reaches the desired diameter.

Once the coil has reached the correct size, carefully glue the loose end of the strip. Make both coils the same size so that the finished leaf will be symmetrical.

Step 3: Shape the Coils into Curved Leaf Sections

Take each loose coil and gently pinch and shape it into a curved crescent or half-moon shape.

I intentionally keep the center of the shape rounded rather than pinching it completely flat. This gives the finished leaf more volume and creates a softer, three-dimensional appearance.

You will need two matching curved pieces for one leaf.

Step 4: Assemble the Leaf

Glue the two curved pieces together along their inner edges to create the basic leaf shape.

Try to align the two pieces carefully so that the leaf remains symmetrical. Tweezers can be helpful for positioning the small paper shapes while the glue sets.

Step 5: Add a Dark Green Paper Border

Cut a dark green quilling strip into four equal pieces. Use one quarter of the strip to wrap around the outer edge of the leaf.

Apply a small amount of glue as you work around the perimeter. This darker border defines the shape of the leaf and creates a nice contrast between the two shades of green.

Step 6: Shape the Leaf and Add a Stem Opening

Gently press the top of the leaf to refine its shape.

At the bottom of the leaf, carefully make a small slit in the dark green border using scissors or a craft knife. This opening will allow you to insert the paper stem.

Make the slit only as large as necessary so that the stem fits securely without damaging the leaf.

Step 7: Make a Strong Paper Stem

Use two remaining quarters of the dark green paper strip to make the stem.

Glue the two strips together back to back. This creates a thicker and stronger paper stem that is easier to attach to the leaf and gives the finished branch more stability.

Step 8: Attach the Stem

Insert the end of the paper stem into the opening at the bottom of the leaf.

Apply a small amount of glue and hold the connection in place with tweezers for a few seconds while the glue sets.

The leaf is now ready for shading.

Step 9: Add Shading with Pigment Ink

Use green pigment ink to add subtle shading to the leaf.

For the most controlled result, apply the ink with a clean, dry sponge. Lightly brush the ink along the edges and selected areas of the leaf rather than covering the entire surface.

I recommend making and shading all the individual leaves before assembling the complete branch. This makes it much easier to work around the delicate paper shapes.

Step 10: Make a Three-Leaf Branch

For one small quilling branch, combine three finished leaves along the dark green paper stem.

Add two or more simple green paper spirals to create decorative tendrils. These small curls help connect the leaves and make the branch look more natural.

Step 11: Create Larger Quilling Branches

Once you have mastered the basic leaf, you can combine several small branches to create a larger piece of quilled foliage.

Try changing the position and direction of the leaves, adding more tendrils, or using different shades of green. These branches work especially well as filler elements in quilling flower arrangements, handmade cards, and paper floral wall art.

Finished Paper Quilling Leaves

And here is the finished branch. Each small branch contains three leaves and decorative paper curls, but you can easily adapt the design to create more complicated foliage.

I often find that leaves are one of the trickier parts of creating a quilling flower arrangement. Having a few reliable leaf shapes in your repertoire makes it much easier to build balanced floral compositions.

Once you know how to make this basic paper quilling leaf, experiment with different colors, sizes, and shapes. A combination of several types of quilled leaves can make a floral arrangement look much more natural and interesting.

Recommended Quilling Tutorials

If you enjoyed making these paper quilling leaves, you may also like these step-by-step tutorials for creating other quilling elements and flowers:

🌺How to Make a Paper Quilling Clematis Flower – Step-by-Step Tutorial — Learn how to create a dimensional quilling flower using shaded paper strips, eye- and moon-shaped coils, layered petals, and a seven-coil yellow center. This handmade paper flower is a beautiful addition to floral quilling compositions, greeting cards, and other paper crafts.

🌸Pink Husking Multilayered Flower – 3D Quilling Tutorial — A step-by-step tutorial for making a dimensional multilayered flower using the husking technique. The finished flower pairs beautifully with handmade quilling leaves and foliage.

🌼Yellow Crimped Paper Quilling Flower Tutorial – Step by Step — Learn how to create textured yellow quilling flowers using crimped paper strips. These dimensional flowers can be combined with the leaves from this tutorial to create complete floral arrangements.