Why laminate your own

Double-sided crepe is our favorite paper. It has a velvet texture and it holds its shape better than anything else we work with. We sell a whole range of colors, milled for us in Germany by Werola alongside the rest of our crepe paper lineup. And I still make my own. Here is why.

We want a different color combination. What Werola mills for us is a beautiful selection, and sometimes we are looking for something a bit different.

The same color on both sides gives you a new paper. This is the one crafters do not expect. Fuse two sheets of the same extra-fine together and you have not changed the color at all. You have changed the body. It is your favorite color with more substance under your fingers, which is exactly what some petals want.

It holds up. I want to be honest with you here, because we sell the German paper. In our experience a well-laminated sheet performs just as well as the double-sided we import. The technique is not a compromise. It is a beautiful addition.

DIY Crepe Winecraft Gold Smokebush
DIY Crepe Lady of the Lake Rose
DIY Crepe Lilac Flowers

What you need

  • Two colors of extra-fine crepe paper, or two of the same color
  • Lightweight fusible web (we have tested them all)
  • A dry iron
  • A thin piece of cotton as an ironing cloth, optional

The weight of the web matters more than anything else on this list. It has to be very thin and very lightweight, because that is what lets the finished sheet keep the stretch and mobility of the crepe. A heavier web will bond beautifully and leave you with a paper you cannot shape. The link above is the weight we use in the studio.

How to laminate crepe paper

The short version, in case you are standing at the ironing board.

1. Match your grain. Lay your two sheets on top of each other with the grain lines running the same direction. The edges do not have to line up perfectly. You can trim them to length once they are stacked.

2. Trim the web smaller than the paper. Lay your fusible web on top and check every edge. You do not want any web hanging off the sides, because it will melt onto your iron and your ironing surface. Slightly smaller than the crepe is safer than exactly the same size.

3. Lay the second color over the top. Cover all of that web. Check the edges again.

4. Set your iron to 360 degrees. Anywhere from 350 to 400 will work, but do not go under 350. The whole goal is melting that web completely and fusing it between the two papers, and it takes real heat to do it. No steam, no water. Water will destroy your crepe paper.

5. Press for 30 seconds, keeping the iron moving. Work in halves. Thirty seconds on one side, thirty seconds on the other, and keep the iron traveling across the surface the entire time rather than resting in one place.

If ironing straight onto the crepe makes you nervous, lay a thin piece of cotton over the top as a buffer. You can put one under it on your mat as well.

6. Check it, and go back if you need to. Some sections will bond before others. That is normal. Give the shy spots another 30 seconds. Extra heat is not the enemy here.

7. Set it aside to cool. Then test the edge. It should not pull apart, even where the web did not quite reach, and the sheet should still have body and stretch when you work it.

Laminate Crepe Paper 1
Laminate Crepe Paper 2
Laminate Crepe Paper 3

Four things that go wrong

You went under 350 degrees. This is the most common one. The web needs high heat to melt fully, and a low iron gives you a sheet that separates later.

You used steam. Water and crepe paper do not mix. Dry heat only.

Your web hung off the edge. Now it is on your iron. Trim first, every time.

You used a heavy fusible web. It will bond, but you will lose the stretch that makes crepe worth working with. Lightweight is not a preference, it is the requirement.

Cutting laminated crepe on your Cricut

Here is the part that trips crafters up. Laminated crepe is not extra-fine crepe anymore. You have made double-sided crepe, so cut it like double-sided crepe.

PaperSettingPressure
Extra-fine crepeCrepe PaperDefault to More
Double-sided and laminated crepeCottonDefault to More
Heavy crepeDenim or CottonMore

Rotary blade, every time. The fine point blade drags and tears the fibers. Use the pink fabric mat, and note that crepe paper cuts on the Cricut Maker family only, because the rotary blade is a Maker tool.

Grain direction still matters here as much as it did at the iron. Lay the sheet the way the design calls for, or your petals will not cup.

These settings vary by machine, blade wear, and software updates, so test cut a small area before you commit a full mat.

See the full cutting chart › for every material we cut, or print the crepe paper cheat sheet from the Cricut Maker Foundation Series.

Preparing Crepe on Cricut Mat
Crepe for Cricut Design Space
Removing Crepe from Cricut Mat

Cutting by hand

No machine? You do not need one. Laminated crepe hand cuts beautifully at up to four layers at a time. Extra-fine takes four to six, heavy crepe two to three. A good pair of scissors and you are ready to make a flower.

Layering double-sided crepe to cut
Cutting double-sided crepe in layers
Cutting crepe on the diagonal

Double-sided is perfect for a Mod Podge finish

One of our favorite techniques is finishing double-sided crepe with Mod Podge. We use it on foliage and on some of the flowers. Double-sided crepe is the only paper of the three types we use that works with this finish. You can learn more about how to apply Mod Podge in our full Crepe Paper Foundation Series.

Crepe paper salal leaves
crepe paper amazing parrot tulip
crepe paper italian ruscus

Questions we get

What temperature should my iron be for laminating crepe paper? We set ours to 360 degrees. Anywhere from 350 to 400 works, but do not go below 350 or the fusible web will not melt completely. Dry heat only, no steam.

How long do I iron each section? Thirty seconds per half, with the iron moving the whole time. Go back over any section that did not bond and give it another 30 seconds.

What can I use instead of fusible web? Stitch witchery, or any lightweight fusible webbing from a fabric store. Skip the heavy-duty weights. They bond fine and leave you with a paper too stiff to shape.

Can I use spray adhesive? You can, and some crafters prefer it. It gives a softer hand and lets you color the paper afterward. It is also messier, a bit toxic and less permanent. We always use fusible web in the studio.

Does this work with heavy crepe? No. Heavy crepe is toothy and thick. If you were to completely stretch the heavy crepe, you might be able to get it to bond, but then you have lost all of the stretch. Extra-fine is what this technique is built for.

Can I iron crepe paper to get the wrinkles out? Yes, and it works beautifully on extra-fine and double-sided. If you want to iron heavy crepe, just the iron lightly to not flatten the thicker crepe folds.

Can I laminate two sheets of the same color? Yes, and it is one of my favorite things to do. You keep the color and gain body, which turns your extra-fine into something that will shape beautifully.

Can I cut laminated crepe on a cutting machine? Yes. Use the Cotton setting with the rotary blade, the same as our double-sided crepe, because that is effectively what you have made.

Can I hand cut laminated crepe? Yes, up to about four layers at a time. You do not need a machine for any of this.

Learn all of the tips and tricks for crepe paper flower making

Lamination is one technique. Our Crepe Paper Flower Foundation Series is all of them. Stretching, cupping, coloring, wiring, curling, arranging. Every studio method Meagan and I have refined over ten years, in short videos you can come back and review any time.

It is free for everyone. No membership needed.

Crepe paper flower foundation series by Lia Griffith

Start the Foundation Series ›