Ronghua Tutorial: How to Make Daybreak Bloom Brooch

Soft as morning light and calm as the sky before sunrise — Daybreak Bloom captures the quiet beauty of early hours. Its grey-blue silk petals and airy texture bring a sense of stillness, like watching the world wake up in slow motion.

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 4 colours of silk to create four silk rows. The first row is for making leaves, and it uses less strands of silk thread per group.

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 according to the diagram above and tie them around a thin stick, keeping the ends even. Avoid uneven lengths — this ensures consistent petal 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 and start to stick to each other, it's ready:) 

This is what the brushed silk thread feels like:

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 annealed 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 twsiting direction for the left and right end are opposite. 

The space between the copper wires should be 1cm. 

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. Use tweezers to brush through the silk strips. This helps make the silk strips fluffier.

Step 8. Make the Leaves

Step 9. Make the Petals

The silk strips for the small flowers should be trimmed into pointed shapes. Start tapering from the center of each strip — hold the scissors close to the silk and slightly tilt them as you trim, rotating the strip gently while cutting. Shape each strip so it’s wider in the middle and narrower at both ends.

Make sure all the silk strips are trimmed evenly to the same size. You’ll need five pieces for each color. Once trimmed, use tweezers to brush through the silk and remove any loose fibers for a clean, soft finish.

Fold each silk strip in half, align the base, and twist the copper wire tightly to secure it. Prepare five petals for each of the three colors you’re using.

Step 10. Make the Flowers

Count out seven pieces for the flower core and fold them together neatly. Secure the bundle with silk thread, tying it firmly at the base.

Next, begin assembling the petals one by one around the core. Each flower will require five petals. After attaching all petals, wrap the silk thread downward around the stem for about 2 cm and tie a knot to finish.

Gently adjust the petal shapes and bend the silk slightly upward to create a soft, natural curve. This forms a small, fluffy flower. Repeat the same process to make three small flowers in different colors.

Step 11. Assemble the Flowers

Once the flowers are done, move on to the leaves. Arrange the leaves together and insert a piece of copper wire as the stem — the wire’s stiffness will help you control the shape.

Wrap the wire with silk thread, and after a short distance, add the second leaf. Continue wrapping until three leaves are attached to form one branch. You’ll need two branches in total — one with three leaves and one with two.

Prepare two large beads and one small bead. Thread a piece of copper wire through each bead, then twist the wire tightly to secure it.

Wrap the wire with silk thread until it’s completely covered and smooth. Repeat this step for all the beads.

Attach the leaves and beaded wires together to form the base structure. Then, take the small flowers you’ve made and attach them to the leaves.

Gradually assemble all the components — flowers, leaves, and beads — adjusting their positions so they sit naturally and aren’t too close together. Once you’re satisfied with the layout, wrap the silk thread around the stems to the desired position and tie it off securely. 

Step 12. Attach the Flowers to the Base

You can choose any base that you want for the accessory, such as a brooch or a hairpin. Use thread to bind the accessory base with the flowers. Make sure to pull the silk thread tight when tying everything in place.

Finish by tucking the thread into the copper wire. We use a special technique to tie the thread without any trace. To do this, you will need to take a small piece of copper wire or thread and fold it in half. Cover the copper wire / thread when continue wrapping. When finishing, pass the remaining thread through the small loop of the copper wire. Then quickly pull the copper wire out from the tail. The thread ends are left inside the wrapped silk threads. You can safely cut off the exposed silk thread, and trim off any excess.  

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

Step 13. Final Adjustments

Cut off any excess threads and gently adjust the shape or orientation of flowers. And that's it! Your Daybreak Bloom Flower Brooch is complete!