Ronghua Tutorial: How to Make Snowy Holly Napkin Ring/Brooch

Delicate, festive, and dusted with a touch of winter magic — the Snowy Holly ronghua piece is a charming way to brighten your holiday table or outfit. Glossy red berries and shimmering green leaves come together in a design that feels both elegant and playful. Whether worn as a brooch or wrapped around a napkin, this little ornament adds a handcrafted glow to any setting.

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 6 colours of silk to create 3 silk rows.  Refer to the colour diagram below for thread combination details.

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 three 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. Take myself as 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. Flatten the Strips

Fold the silk strip in half, align the ends neatly, and twist the copper wire again to secure it. Use tweezers to pinch slightly at the bottom of the strip to tighten the base.

Once the mini hair iron is heated, flatten the silk strips that need flattening. It’s important to start ironing from the bottom of the strip and move upward. If you feel it’s not flat enough, you can repeat the process. The tape on the mini iron is just to protect it from being scratched by the copper wires — it’s absolutely fine to use an iron without tape. The red silk strips do not need to be flattened.

Then we need to soak the flattened strips.

Prepare your setting solution:

1. Use either hair spray, or
2. Diluted white glue (1:1.15 or 1:1.2 ratio)

Soak the flattened strips in hair-gel solution, ensuring the liquid fully penetrates the fibers. Wipe off the excess gel.

Step 9. Taper the Strips

Now we need to taper the silk strips. Trim each strip so it is wider in the middle and narrower at both ends. Both types of red silk strips should be trimmed into the same shape.

Fold them in half and twist the ends to secure them. 

Step 10. Make the Leaves

We will start making the leaves by making the outline first.

Cut a piece of copper wire, slightly longer than you think you’ll need. Fold it in half and twist it. The twisted length should be longer than the width of your large twisting or rolling board. You can use a bit of tissue to help pinch and hold the left end of the copper wire while you tighten it with a wooden board.

Draw a leaf pattern on paper. The size of the pattern should not be larger than your green silk strip. Shape the copper wire along this pattern. It’s best to make large, medium, and small leaves; if that feels too troublesome, you can also make them all one size. Remember to use the fingers of your other hand to hold and stabilise the wire while shaping. Once you’re done, lift it up and adjust the shape a bit more.

Now we will make leaves with the flattened strips. Apply jewelry glue along the edge of the copper wire frame. Place the wire onto the green silk strip and press firmly so the silk adheres well. Then take a straight piece of copper wire, apply glue to it, and place it down the centre of the leaf — this will act as the leaf’s main vein and support. Wait around 15 minutes, then use the iron again to press the leaf. This not only strengthens the glue bond, but also gives the silk strip a slight curve.

Once everything is dry and secure, trim away all silk outside the copper wire so only the clean leaf shape remains.

Step 11. Assemble the Piece

Now we can assemble the holly. Wrap the main copper stem with silk thread. You can group several strands of thread together so wrapping goes faster and smoother. Begin attaching the red silk strips — these are your berries.

Mix the two shades of red, arranging them in the order shown in the video or in a natural-looking gradient. Use the smaller leaves at the top and larger leaves as you move downward, so the composition feels balanced.

Use scissors to trim the bottom copper wire at an angle. Continue wrapping the thread downward to the end, then wrap back upward. Fold the end of the copper wire and keep wrapping to secure the folded section.

To finish without trace, take another piece of copper wire, fold it in half, and place it alongside the existing wires. Continue wrapping, making sure the thread completely covers the folded copper wire. When you’re ready to finish, pass the working thread through the loop of that folded wire and pull it out — this hides the thread end inside the wrapping. Finally, cut off the extra thread.

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

Adjust the position of the leaves so the composition feels natural. Use tweezers to adjust the red berries as well. Avoid letting the silk strips press too tightly against each other, otherwise their shapes can be easily distorted. Use your finger to dab a little mica powder onto the leaves to add a soft, frosted highlight. And with that, one silk holly piece is complete.

Step 12. Attach the Piece to the Ring

For the wire used here, two copper wires are twisted into one for extra strength. Wrap the flower and the napkin ring together using this twisted wire. Be sure to pull the wire tight as you go and keep the turns close together with no gaps. It’s best to use a slightly longer piece of wire so the binding is more secure. Once you’re done, cut off any extra wire and press the ends down firmly. Trim away any remaining sharp bits.

If you’re not comfortable fixing with copper wire, you can use thread instead.

Tip: if you’d like to make this into a brooch rather than a napkin ring, the attachment method is essentially the same.

Go ahead and give it a try!