Ronghua Tutorial: How to make Purple Balloon Flower Hairpin

This Purple Balloon Flower Hairpin feels like flowers caught just before it fully blooms. With its gently rounded petals and cool violet tones, it carries a sense of calm anticipation—light, delicate, and mysteriously romantic.

Preparation: What You’ll Need

If you’ve purchased our Ronghua Toolkit, you already have everything required!
If not, prepare the following tools:

1. Bristle brush (Medium to soft hardness)
2. Flat iron (the one you use to straighten your hair)
3. Tweezers
4. At least 2 pairs of Scissors
5. wooden sticks / pencils / chopsticks
6. Hair spray or diluted white glue (1:1.15–1:1.2 ratio)
7. Big clips (around 15cm)
8. Twisting boards and wooden blocks (for even tension)
9. Anti-slip powder (optional but helpful)

Full Tutorial Video

Step 1. Align and Arrange the Silk Threads

Start by untying your silk threads. Locate the knot at one end of each bundle and cut it open carefully. This project uses 7 colours of silk to create 4 silk rows. 

2nd, 3rd, 4th rows are half rows. The first row is a full row, and its silk threads are not cut in half again

Step 2. Group and Prepare the Threads

Each silk bundle consists of tiny strand-like structures — these are your individual strands. 

Align all strands neatly and tie them around a thin stick, keeping the ends even. Avoid uneven lengths — this ensures consistent texture later on.

Step 3. Make Silk Rows

Repeat the above process to create four silk rows in total. Remember to refer back to the data provided in the diagram for the following rows, as each will differ slightly. Below are the finished silk rows we made.

Step 4. Brush the Silk Rows

Fix one silk row onto your stand using big metal clips - if you don't have the wooden ronghua stand, that's totally fine! You can refer to our video about alternative solutions to the stand.

Hold the ends of the threads with one hand and brush gently but firmly from top to bottom. Don’t lift the brush midway. A light mist of water will prevent static. You can apply some pressure — silk threads are stronger than they look! Make sure to brush both the front and back sides until the row looks smooth and fluffy. 

Everyone uses a different brush and hand speed, so the time it takes to complete this step is also different. Taking my situation as a reference, it took me about 10 minutes to brush this silk row. When you feel the hair is soft and fluffy, you can stop and check. When there is no complete linear distinction between the threads, it's ready:) 

Step 5. Attach Copper Wires

When you feel that the silk is brushed enough, secure its tail with another big clip to your table or anything that can help stretch it taut. Take out one copper wire from the folded end of the row and straighten it. Twist the folded part into a spiral of about 3 cm. Clamp the silk threads between two copper wires and twist the opposite side tightly. Pull both wires taut and continue twisting until they merge into one. Remember, the twisting direction for the left and right end are opposite. 

The spacing should be as shown in step 1. 

If you have anti-slip powder, it will be much easier to dip your fingers in it and twist it. 

We highly recommend you watch the video tutorial for this step:)

Once done, remove the silk row from the stand and lay it flat.

Step 6. Cut the Silk Strips

Trim the row’s end neatly, then cut between each pair of copper wires to create even silk strips. When cutting, the scissors must be placed in the middle of two copper wires, otherwise the width of the silk strips will be inconsistent.

If threads stick to your scissors, clean them — it’s usually caused by static or residue. Cut quickly and cleanly for smooth edges. Don't touch the wire or it may get displaced.

Step 7. Center and Twist the Strips

Align the copper wire to the middle of each strip using a flat surface or wooden block.
Once centered, twist both hands in opposite directions to tighten.

Next, place the copper part between the twisting boards and continue twisting in the same direction. Stop when the wire feels firm — twisting too far may cause it to break. How do you know if it is tightened enough? If tightened properly, the copper wire should only faintly show. If the copper wire is very visible, it’s not tight enough.

Step 8.  Shape the Strips

Next, we begin shaping the pointed tips. Start by tapering the reddish-brown silk strip into a shape that is wider in the middle and pointed at both ends. Use a sharp, high-quality pair of scissors for this step. When tapering, keep the scissors steady and rotate the silk strip in place—its position should not shift. This step takes time and patience, and it’s also one of the most challenging parts of the process. The sharper the ends, the better the final result. 
Once the strip looks like the reference, it’s ready.

The petal shape is different from the leaf shape. For petals, the darker end should be wider, while the lighter end tapers narrower. Keep the scissors fixed and rotate the silk strip as you trim.

Both deep purple silk strips should be shaped in the same way. In addition, prepare four short purple silk strips for flower buds—these should be slightly plumper and not trimmed too thin. You’ll need four pieces of this shape in total.

Next, taper the flower centers. First, trim the silk strips thinner, then taper both ends into sharp points. The thinner the strip, the better the effect. You’ll need fifteen strips altogether. 

Once finished, gather all trimmed pieces.

Step 9. Make the Petals

Each petal is made from three silk strips. After combining them, the two side strips should sit slightly lower than the middle one. Secure the three strips together, then apply white glue to the inside of the strips. Use small amounts of glue applied multiple times rather than one heavy layer. A steel wire works well for picking up and applying glue. 

Once glued, temporarily secure the other end with silk thread, cut off the excess thread, and let the glue dry fully. All remaining petals are made the same way. Two large flowers require ten petals in total, and one small flower requires five.

After the glue is dried, bend the petals to give them a curve. Make the curve more pronounced on the darker side.

Additionally, make a bud: apply glue to the 4 plump silk strips on the inside, pinch them on the other side to bring them together. Secure with silk thread.

Step 10. Make the Leaves

Now move on to assembling the leaves. Make sure the tops of the silk strips are aligned—if the lengths differ, always prioritize aligning the top. Secure the strips with silk thread, then apply white glue to the center and stick the two strips together. Make six leaf strips in total. You’ll need six leaves in total. Add a 4 mm copper wire beneath the leaves to strengthen the stem.  Flatten them with iron and leave them a slight curve like a leaf after the glue is dried.

Then assemble the leaves into three sets: one set of three leaves, one set of two leaves, and one single leaf.

Step 11. Make the Flower Center

Next, assemble the flower centers. Group the lightest-colored silk strips into sets of five. At about the top third of each strip, fold it outward, then cut off all copper wire along the base.

The result should resemble a small star. 

Step 12. Make the Flowers

Now assemble the flowers. Each flower uses five petals, with the flower center in the middle. Attach them one by one, making sure all petal bases align neatly. Wrap all annealed copper wire with silk thread—using four strands at once helps speed things up. Use tweezers to refine the petal shapes, pressing a gentle curve into the base and curving the edges slightly outward. 

Adjust until the flower feels balanced, then cut off all excess copper wire and clean up any sharp ends. In total, you’ll need two large flowers and one small flower.

Step 13. Assemble the Piece

Once all components are ready, move on to final assembly. Start by attaching the small flower with two leaves, then add the bud slightly lower than the flower.

Insert two 10 cm steel wires to support the stem—without them, it will be too soft. Assemble the flowers and leaves in the sequence shown in the tutorial. If you’re making a brooch, two flowers are usually enough; three may feel too large. For a brooch, you can finish at this stage. For a hairpin, continue assembling. Smooth the silk threads as you work to prevent tangling. Trim the copper wire diagonally to create a gradual taper from thick to thin, and always use separate scissors for petals and wire.

Step 14. Attach the Piece to the Base

This piece can be attached vertically or horizontally to a hairpin. Horizontal placement is usually more comfortable to wear. You can also skip the base entirely and create a soft hairpin using a U-shaped pin. After wrapping thread to the bottom, wrap back upward, fold the copper wire inward, and cut off the excess.

For a clean finish, use a thinner copper wire or silk thread. Fold it in half, wrap over it, then thread the silk through the loop and pull the copper wire out. You can watch our video tutorial for this step:)

Adjust the final positions of the flowers and leaves, then attach the piece to your chosen base. Pull the thread tight. If needed, you can add a small amount of glue before tying for extra security.

Trim away any excess silk thread and do a final check. The balloon flower hairpin is now complete 🌸