22. To make sure the styro ball is entirely coated this time, hold the peony upside-down as you attach the petals. Check below each petal as you attach it to make sure it is positioned correctly and overlaps the one before it. To complete, tuck the last petal under the first.
23. Bend a hook in the peony wire and hang the item to completely dry from a mug tree or a flower drying stand.
The finished peony will have four rows of petals, as shown below. If you choose, you can keep adding rows of petals to create a larger flower. (The peony in the picture is 3 inches across.) You still have the option to add wired petals at this point. You have more flexibility and can move wired petals into position more easily. To learn how to make wired peony petals, view our gumpaste open peony tutorial.
(Roll your gumpaste a little bit thicker than usual to produce larger petals for additional rows. 10 more petals should be cut from each row using the largest size cutter. After that, roll your rolling pin over each petal once more to make them bigger both in length and width.