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In February I was contacted by a member of Friends of Smyrna Library who had seen my work at the Mable House Christmas House craft show sponsored by the South Cobb Arts Alliance.  She said that they would love to have me exhibit my work in the Smyrna library display cases on the second floor and would I be interested in being their guest artist for May-June, 2012.  Always eager to share quilling with others, I naturally said, “Yes.” 

The Smyrna library is in a neighboring city and I had never been there, so after agreeing to the display, I drove over to take a look at the space.  I was expecting a single museum-type display case like you normally find at the front entrance and was a bit intimidated by the actual number of shelves I was expected to fill.

Since it was for a library, I wanted to make the display as educational as possible.  I created informational signs describing quilling, a brief history of the art, the tools needed (and samples of the actual tools - I have extras of everything), various types and widths of quilling papers, and a shape chart.  I also displayed current quilling books, along with my purchased copy of the Florian Papp brochure and an early quilling book that show samples of vintage quilling.

 To promote the North American Quilling Guild, I included photos of the Guild’s 10^th Anniversary floral tribute from 2010, copies of the popular QuillAmerica newsletter, and left a supply of NAQG brochures on the podium for those interested in learning more.

The display will be up until June 30^th.  My hope is that everyone who sees it enjoys learning more about this wonderful art and that some may even be inspired to give quilling a try. 

If you live in the area, please stop by and let me know what you think.  The Smyrna library is located at 100 Village Green Circle, Smyrna, GA 30080.

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I am so pleased to share with you that another design of mine, “Happy Father’s Day”, has been published — this time in CardMaker Magazine‘s May 2012 issue.  (The first Father’s Day card was published in May 2010.)

For this card, the magazine editor actually contacted me (yes, that was a squeal of delight you heard coming from Georgia last November).  LOL!!!  Tanya had seen one of my Christmas cards where I replaced a letter with a quilled design posted on Pinterest and asked me if I had any interest in creating a card using that technique for an up coming issue of the magazine.  Oh, my goodness, of course I was interested.

After the design was set and the card submitted, came the hard part … the wait.  You never really know what changes they might make or how the card will fit into the magazine layout until you see the final magazine.

Well, the wait is over and the issue is published.  Their photography is always top-notch and I am so pleased with the final results. 

I know I’ve said it before, but you really do need to check out CardMaker Magazine.  They always have at least one quilling card in every issue.  And for those in need of inspiration for design layout, colors, and sentiments – look no further.  This magazine has it all.  I love this magazine and I think that you will, too.

Thanks for letting me share.

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Having your quilled art custom framed can send a quality piece over the top, but it can also be quite expensive, especially if you are framing a piece for a gift or to sell. 

Regular off the shelf frames are a much less expensive option, but since they are made to hold a thin photo, most cannot accommodate the thickness of the quilling paper.  As a result, many crafters resort to framing their pieces without the glass.  This way the depth of the frame is no longer an issue, but the quilling loses the protection from dust and curious fingers that the glass provided.

There are some excellent tutorials available for those who wish to modify a frame so that it can be used with quilling, but for those of us less handy, there are off the shelf frames available that work great with quilling; you just need to know what to look for.

Shadowbox Frames

Commercial shadowbox frames are now readily available in most craft stores and come in a wide variety of sizes and finishes to compliment your artwork.  Some of these frames can be quite deep, however, and you will want to keep your finished piece in mind when making your selection.  If your quilling design is mostly flat without a lot of layers or pieces glued on an angle (such as flower petals), your quilling may sit too far back from the glass and appear to get lost in the frame.

Fixed Glass Frames

I have found several styles of frames where the manufacturer has affixed the glass to the front of the frame providing a clearance anywhere from 1/4-in to 3/8-in for your quilling, which is enough for your single layer quilling pieces.  An added benefit is that the frame itself is more decorative, unlike the standard rounded wood molding used in making most shadowbox frames.

Frames with Hidden Depth

If the frame you like isn’t a shadowbox or fixed glass frame, there are three other things you can look for to see if it will accommodate your quilling.

1.  If the frame comes with multiple mats that have been spaced a part, there may be enough room for your quilling.  When evaluating the frame to determine if it would be right for your particular piece of quill art, keep in mind that the mats can be altered or completely removed if needed.

2.  Some frames (especially larger ones meant to hang on the wall) come with a more elaborate mat that has a raised decorative edge that outlines the inside of the mat.  The frame has been designed to accommodate the depth of this edge.  If the depth of your quilling is less than the depth of this raised edge, your quilling will fit.

3.  I’ve saved the best tip for last since it was my biggest revelation.  Check the back of the frame.  If it has a slide latch at the bottom that fits into the frame, put it down and walk away – there is only enough room for a photo. 

If, however, the frame has a back door, open it up and take a peek.  The depth of the filler that the manufacturer has packed into the back of the frame (usually cardboard, but may be foam) is the depth inside the frame available for your quilling.  Sometimes it is very little and the frame can’t be used, but quite often there is enough space for a flat quilled piece, and every now and then, you’ll find a ton of space.  This is something that you just can’t tell by looking at the frame – you have to open it up and see.

With these tips in mind, it takes me just a few minutes to look through a store’s frame selection and see if they have anything I can use.

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My goodness this year is starting off with a bang.  I received a call from Jackie Hill, Vice President of the Paulding Fine Arts Association, asking if I would come to their January meeting and give a presentation on the Art of Quilling.  You can imagine my surprise since I am not a member of this fine organization, but of course I quickly said yes.

The Paulding Fine Arts Association, Inc. is a non-profit organization created in 1982 to provide the citizens of Paulding County, Georgia with opportunities to experience the arts on all levels through observation, education and participation.  They have a wonderful new Fine Arts Gallery located in the historic downtown area of Dallas, Georgia.
 

Since there was a large turnout, I was not able to do a hands-on mini class, but instead gave an informational talk on the history of quilling, the basic tools needed to get started, and additional resources readily available.  I received a special request to demonstrate how to make simple coils with just my fingers, and followed it up with a demonstration of the needle and slotted quilling tools. 

I brought a variety of quilling samples to show the group and was so pleased at the interest shown in this art form.  We had a lively question and answer session at the end of the presentation.  I even had one art teacher indicate that she was interested in teaching quilling to her young students. 

I had a wonderful time, met some really talented fellow artists, and learned more about a great art association.  I would like to thank the Paulding Fine Arts Association for their warm hospitality and the opportunity to share the art that I love with their members.

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The Indie Artisans is an amazing group of Etsy artisans who have banded together to promote the best handmade has to offer through carefully selected collections of works based on various themes.  I am so honored (and quite frankly tickled pink) to have been invited to join this Etsy team and participate in their latest collection.

The Indie Artisans Jury Committee deemed my Quilled Floral Heart Wreath Pattern worthy of inclusion in their new The Color of Love collection celebrating Valentine’s Day. 

When you think of love do you see red?  Or perhaps soft lavender is more your style.  You’ll find these colors and more represented in the items featured in this collection.  Come shop The Color of Love to find the perfect gift for your special Valentine.

All artwork is handmade in the USA by the talented professional artists who make up Indie Artisans and is offered for sale online through their respective Etsy shops. 

The collections change frequently so visit Indie Artisans often to see what’s new!

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In response to the many requests I’ve received for more “captured” ornaments, I am so very pleased to announce the newest addition to the collection:  a quilled wreath!

Just like the snowflake, this quilled wreath is assembled inside a glass ornament, safely preserved for years to come.  The wreath’s shape fills the ornament nicely and the red gems added to the tops of the berries add a nice touch of holiday sparkle as they catch the light.  Since the glass ornament is clear, the wreath is designed to be two-sided so it can be enjoyed from all angles.

For those of you who would like to create your own, I have written a full color digital pattern complete with photos to guide you every step of the way.  You’ll find this pattern, along with the Quilled Captured Snowflake, in my new Quilling Pattern Store.

The holidays will be here before you know it.  It’s never too early to create one of these stunning ornaments for your family and treasured friends.

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Even though it is scorching outside, I’m busy working on inventory for a big Christmas show I participate in each year.  With this in mind, I decided to quill some metallic cross ornaments to add to my offerings.  I remembered some metallic papers I purchased from Quilled Creations and thought they would be perfect (Metallics Sparkling Quilling Paper, Silver & Antique Gold).

These are really nice, heavy papers that hold their quilling shapes well, but, as I soon found out, they can be a bit tricky to work with.  Here are some general tips I discovered while quilling my ornaments:

1. It takes longer for the glue to set when creating your coils and assembling your pieces.  You have to be patient!  Hold the glued end of your coil down longer than you think is necessary — and then hold it just a little longer.  Use pins to hold your pieces as you glue your design together to speed up the assembly process and help ensure a secure bond.



2. On the plus side, because this paper is “slicker” than regular quilling paper, it is super easy to remove excess glue and have a really clean piece of quill art when you are done.
3. Because it is a heavier paper, you can really see the glued seam on your coils, even when gluing down a torn edge.  I have found that burnishing the seam with a clean toothpick does wonders in smoothing out the seam and making it much less noticable.

The biggest thing I learned is that while the papers themselves are metallic and look great from the side, the edges are quite dull.  As you can see, this cross quilled from Antique Gold look like is it made from a plain brown paper (Figure 1), but the sides of the cross are nice and glitzy (Figure 2).

To solve this problem, I used a gold metallic pen (I used one made by Krylon) and colored the edges (Figure 3).  What an amazing difference!  Now I have a stunning gold quilled cross ornament to sell at the show.

The same holds true for the silver metallic paper which has a dull gray appearance when quilled.  Just run a silver metallic pen over the edges to turn them a dazzling silver.

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I want to send a big THANK YOU to all of my newsletter readers who took the time to tell me the kinds of projects you would like to quill.  The information received was just wonderful.  I am going to tally up the results and will definitely keep your wish list in mind as I create my new quilling designs.

As promised, all feedback responses were put into a single folder and I used random.org to generate a random number used to select the winner of a free quilling pattern.

The number generated was 107 and the lucky winner is … (drum roll, please) … Eileen from Ward, Arkansas.  I have contacted Eileen and she has selected the Floral Heart Wreath pattern for her prize.

Congratulations, Eileen!  I hope you enjoy the pattern.

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This is a quick post, but I just had to share.  Our oldest daughter dropped by at lunch and showed me these paper plates she found at an after Christmas sale.  These are regular paper plates, but the design printed on them is a beautiful all over pattern of white quilled snowflakes.  Aren’t they just awesome!

The manufacturer is a company called Creating Converting.  I found their website and they appear to be a wholesale company not set up for retail sales.  I’m sure if you were interested, though, you could email the company to find out if there was a local retailer near you.

I am so excited to see the art of quilling make its way into mainstream design.  As quilling becomes more popular, I’m sure we’ll see it pop up in more and varied places.

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I am so excited to share the news!  As promised in my last post, the first pattern I’ve completed for 2011 is for the Quilled Captured Snowflake — a beautiful paper snowflake captured for all time inside a glass ornament — just like a ship in a bottle.

     When I created my Captured Snowflake ornament I knew it was special, but the response I have received has been truly amazing!  It seemed like everyone who saw this snowflake ornament either bought one or asked me how to make it.

     I was going to keep the secret all to myself, but you know me … I just love to share.  So, I sat down and created this pattern so that you, too, can quill your own Captured Snowflake ornament and WOW your family and friends.

     This downloadable PDF ePattern contains complete easy-to-follow instructions, lots of step-by-step full color photos, a sprinkle of hints and tips to keep you on track, and all pattern templates to ensure your success.

     The pattern is available for purchase in the Quilling Pattern Store section of the blog.  Enjoy!

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