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Top ‘o the morning to you!  I missed Mardi Gras and the Chinese New Year, but my Scots-Irish heritage wouldn‘t let me skip St. Paddy’s Day without a quilled project or two.

 

In the United States, St. Patrick’s Day has become a celebration of everything Irish — and what could be more Irish than shamrocks and a leprechaun’s pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?  I combined these traditional Irish symbols into a fun quilling design sure to bring the luck of the Emerald Isle to all those who quill it or are lucky enough to receive it.

 

I dressed the quilling up with green glitter on the shamrocks and filled the pot with flat-back crystals for the gold.  A piece of variegated ribbon stapled in place finishes the tag.

 

You’ll find the free quilling pattern for this lucky design, along with instructions for creating the tag and the card I put it on, in the next newsletter.  So, if you haven’t already subscribed to “The Art of Quilling News,” be sure to sign up today.  (You’ll find the enrollment form in the upper right-hand corner.)

 

I leave you with this traditional Irish blessing:

 

There is still time to embellish your Christmas crafts with quilling.  This sweet little angle works up quickly and would add a heavenly touch to your Christmas projects.

 

I really enjoy Halloween!  It is the only holiday where you can go all out decorating your home and creating costumes for the little ones (and yourself), or you can do absolutely nothing … and it’s all OK. 

 

I experimented with puffy markers in an earlier post and thought that they might work well with spiders.  Since Halloween is right around the corner (where did the year go?), I thought I would give it a try.  I used a dark gray quilling paper for the spider hoping that the black marker would show up a bit more than straight black on black, but the contrast isn’t there.  However, the texture the marker created is good.  It doesn’t show up very well in the photo, but it does look cool in person. 

 

In the spooky spirit of Halloween, I’d like to share my free spider pattern with you.

 

(1) 5″ loose coil (head)

(1) 16″ loose coil (body)

(1) 1-1/2″ strip (front legs)

(4) 3/4″ strips (middle legs)

(2) 1″ strips (back legs)

 

Using the photo as a guide, glue the 5″ loose coil head to the center of the 1-1/2″ strip, then glue them both to the 16″ loose coil body.  Make a small bend in one end of each of the remaining legs forming a tab and give each one a slight curve.  To attach the legs, add a dab of glue to the tab of each leg and glue it to the body, spacing them evenly on each side.  Use the (4) 3/4″ strips (two on each side) for the middle legs, and the 1″ strips (one on each side) for the back legs.   If you would like to add a flocked effect to the spider, paint it with the black puffy marker.  When dry, turn on the heat gun and watch the paint puff.

 

What do you do with a scary quilled spider?  Turn it into a Spooktacular Halloween card, of course.

 

*(1) 4″ x 5.5″ card, ivory

*Orange card stock

*Quilling paper:  lime green, purple

*Small tag (1.5″ x 2″), lime green (Paperbilities — I found mine at Walmart) 

*Ink pads:  Brown (Stampabilities - Walnut); Black (StazOn - Jet Black)

*Halloween greeting stamp of choice (I bought a small set with several greetings at JoAnn for $1) 

*Small piece of black netting

*Small piece of black floss

*Self-adhesive foam mount (Pop Dots)

*Dry adhesive (tape runner)

Cut a 4″ x 5.5″ piece of orange card stock and ink the edges with the brown ink; attach to front of card.  Stamp greeting in upper left corner of card.  Using photo as a guide, glue strips of green and purple quilling paper in a cris-cross pattern to front of card; trim edges.  Tie the net to the tag with a simple overhand knot.  Thread one end of the floss through the tag hole and glue to the back.  Glue the other end to the center of the tag about three-fourths down.  Glue the spider (head down) to the tag at the base of the floss string to make it look like the spider is hanging by the thread.  Attach the tag to the card with the foam adhesive mount.

 

Share your Halloween card with a family member or friend.  And, don’t forget to sign your work!

 

July 4th is right around the corner and I wanted to create a special quilling project to celebrate America’s birthday.  I was looking around the Internet for patriotic images when I happened upon an American flag made with safety pins and pony beads.  Now, this is not a new craft; children have been making safety pin jewelry for years.  But this time when I saw the photo something clicked and I began to wonder if I could substitute quilled beads for the plastic pony beads.   I pulled out a safety pin from my sewing basket and made a few tight coils as test beads.  I slipped them on the safety pin and realized that the idea would work.  After a trip to my local craft store for the safety pins, I was ready to make my own version of this childhood crafting classic. 

 

Quill (9) blue 3″ tight coils, (26) red 3″ tight coils, and (21) white 3″ tight coils.  If you think that your pin will be handled a lot, spray the quills with several coats of sealer to protect them.  Next, take a 1-1/4″ long coiless pin slip on three blue tight coils, then four more tight coils in this order: white, red, white, red. When it is fully loaded, shut the pin and crimp the clasp with your pliers so it cannot come open.  Repeat for two more pins.  Load the five remaining coiless pins with seven tight coils in this order: red, white, red, white, red, white, red.  Crimp the clasps to secure the beads. 

 

Using the photo as a guide, assemble your American Flag pin by placing the eight 1-1/4″ pins on the shaft of the 2″ pin, making sure they are in the right order.  With the front of the pin facing you, wrap one end of the wire around left-hand side of the shaft of the 2″ pin several times then run it through the pin loop to secure it.  Wrap the wire several times around the handle of your quilling tool to form little coils.  Secure the remaining end of the wire to the clasp end of the 2″ safety pin.  In honor of our brave troops, tie the yellow ribbon onto the wire loop and clip the ends.

 

Wear your American Flag pin on July 4th or any day you want to show your national pride!

 

I encourage you to take this idea and adapt it to your own country’s flag. 

 

*Coiless safety pins have the same basic shape as regular safety pins, but instead of having a circle loop of wire at the end, the wire simply bends. I used The Jewelry Shoppe brand coiless pins that I found at Hobby Lobby.  If you can’t find coiless pins, you can certainly use regular safety pins, but you will have to purchase them a bit longer because you will lose a bit of available space due to the coil.  Also, if you use regular safety pins to hold your tight coil beads, you will need to pull apart the double looped end of the two inch long safety pin wide enough to slide the other safety pin loops through to the other side of the pin. 

 

 

Quilling Tip:  A Google image search will bring up a multitude of wonderful pictures when you need creative inspiration.  Don’t limit your search to quilling, but look at all types of images from clip art to photographs.  You never know what you might find … or where it might lead you in your creative journey.

For me, summer means the beach.  I love to hear the sound of the ocean waves crashing upon the shore as I lounge contentedly under the shade of a big umbrella.  But, since I can’t go to the beach, I thought I would do the next best thing and craft something tropical instead.  Today’s quilling pattern is a fun one because it introduces a new quilling coil, technique, and tool. 

 

The trunk of the palm tree is made from a coil called a “rectangle” because it is, well, a rectangle.  To make this quill, roll a loose coil and pinch it into a marquise.  Next, move the marquise slightly between your thumbs and index fingers and pinch again, forming two more points near the original ones.  You should now have a rectangle quill that has two long sides and two short sides. 

 

We’ll also be playing with a new tool — a paper crimper.  I bought mine at the North American Quilling Guild Conference this past May.  The one I have is made by Paplin, but there are several good ones on the market.  It isn’t a “must have” quilling tool, but it is so much fun. To use the crimper, simply feed your paper strip through the gears and it comes out crimped.  If you don’t have a paper crimper you can still make the palm tree.  Just make the palm fronds with straight quilling paper instead. 

 

Finally, I want to show you a bit about wheatears.  This isn’t a coil or a scroll because you don’t curl the paper, you loop it instead.  To make a wheatear, create a small loop.  Now, while holding the original loop, make a larger loop around it.  Keep looping the paper until your wheatear is as long as desired, then glue the paper down at the starting point and either tear or cut off the excess paper.  Wheatears can be left rounded, or shaped like a coil.  For the palm frond, you’ll pinch the ends like a marquise and bend the ends in opposite directions to give the frond a little curve.

 

 

Using the photo as a guide, glue the rectangle coils on top of each other to form the palm tree trunk.  Give the top rectangle coil a little pinch to form the top of the trunk.  Glue the base of each wheatear to the tip of the palm tree trunk, mixing up the sizes.  Glue the tip of the gold pressed heart to the tip of the gold teardrop to create a fun little fish swimming in the surf.

 

The palm tree and fish make perfect additions to a beach-themed tag  — a great embellishment for a vacation scrapbook page.

 

(1) Tag, 4-1/2″ x 2-1/8″, blue (DMD Industries)

Card stock scraps, turquoise, white, beige, gold

Blending chalk, brown (optional)

Jute twine, 6″

 

Using the photo as a guide, tear a strip of tan card stock, chalk the edge a darker brown (optional), and glue it to the tag for the sand.  Tear a strip of white card stock and glue it over the bottom edge of the tan strip for the crashing waves.  Tear a strip of turquoise and glue it along the bottom of the tag for the deep water, leaving a strip of the original blue tag showing for the shallow water.  Tear a curved piece of gold card stock and glue it in the corner for the sun.  Trim off any card stock edges even with the tag.  Glue the palm tree and goldfish in place.  Tie the jute on with a simple overhand knot and fringe the edges.  Be sure to sign your work!

 

I hope you decide to join me at the beach and give this project a try.  If so, I’d love to hear from you.  Send me a comment and let me know how it turned out. 

 

Quilling Tip:  Don’t pinch the crimped paper too hard or you will flatten out the paper folds and lessen the effect.

I went into a local scrapbooking store yesterday and found a darling magnetic mini frame.  It came in several colors and I started pondering the possibilities.  When I saw the red one, however, one word came to mind — ladybug — and I knew that I just had to have it.  I had originally thought that I would quill the ladybug, glue it to the center frame area, and seal it with an acrylic sealer since the quillwork would be exposed.  Upon further investigation, however, I discovered that the back pulled off and there was enough space inside for the quilling if I used the thin 1/16″ quilling paper.   

 

The pattern, as written, is really better suited for an intermediate quiller since it does call for 1/16″ wide paper which can be a bit tricky to work with.  However, if you aren’t comfortable working with the thin papers, by all means, please use 1/8″ quilling strips. 

 

The ladybug quilling pattern introduces a new coil called a “half circle.”  To make a half circle, roll a loose coil and pinch it into a teardrop.  Next, instead of pinching the coil again directly opposite from the first point (which forms a marquise), pinch the paper a second time closer to the first point.  You can vary the height of the half circle by placing the two pinched points closer or further apart.

 

 

(2) 22″ half circle coil, red (wings) 

(1) 6″, half circle coil, black (head)

(1) 10″, teardrop coil, black (body)

(1) 1″, V-scroll, black (antennae)

(6) 1/2″-1″ tight coil, white (spots)

 

Using the photo as a guide, glue three white tight coils randomly inside the first red half circle coil forming spots on the wing.  Repeat for the second wing.  Glue the two red half circles together at the top only.  Glue the black teardrop between the two red half circles to form the body.  Glue the 6″ black half circle coil to the top of the ladybug body for her head.  Attach the black V-scroll to the top of the 6″ half circle for the antennae.

 

This little ladybug would be so cute on a card or decorating a scrapbook page.  I framed mine.

 

(1) Magnetic Mini Frame from Bazzill Basics Paper (holds a 1-3/4″ x 1-3/8″ photo), red, or similar frame

(2) 6″ pieces of 3/8″ ribbon, black with white stitching

(2) 3/8″ black buttons

(1) 1/2″ white button

Small piece of red floss

Scrap card stock:  white, green

Small leaf stamp (See-D’s or similar)

Black ink (StazOn or similar)

 

Cut the white card stock 1/4″ larger than the opening.  Stamp the leaf onto the green card stock and cut out.  Glue the ladybug to the leaf and attach both to the white card stock.  Glue the white card stock to the back of the frame with the leaf and ladybug showing inside the opening.  Tie the two pieces of ribbon together to form a decorative knot.  Referring to the photo, wrap the ribbon around the bottom of the frame, centering the knot, and secure the ends in the back.  Clip the ribbon ends at the knot on the diagonal.  Tie the red floss through the white button; clip ends.  Glue the buttons onto the upper left-hand corner of the frame.

 

Sit back and admire your quilling.  Don’t forget to sign your artwork!

It is very easy to change the size of a quilling pattern to fit your specific background — simply use a shorter or longer strip of quilling paper to make your quills.  (A “quill” is just a generic name for your scrolls and/or coils.)  With some practice, you will discover the size of the paper strip that will give you the size quill you need. 

 

For example, I found the cutest matchbook notepad template from Mirkwood Designs and thought that the floral pattern from ”Quilling a Twinchie — Beginner Pattern” would be perfect on it.  After printing out the matchbook template I discovered that the actual space available for the quillwork was only 1″ x 2″ which was too small for the twinchie pattern.   To make the quilling design fit the new project I needed to reduce it, so I cut the length of the quilling strips called for in the pattern in half (except for the tight coil used for the flower center — I kept that at 1″ since smaller than that is difficult to work with).

 

So instead of:

 

the quilling pattern used for the matchbook notepad is:

My earlier posts have explained the basic techniques and tools used in the art of quilling.  Now it’s time to quill!  For a perfect first project, we will make a twinchie.

 

What in the world is a “twinchie?”  Those of you familiar with cardmaking, scrapbooking, or stamping have probably heard of twinchies already, but if you haven’t, twinchies are wonderful pieces of art that are two inches by two inches, hence the name, twinchies.  This format for art grew from the original and still popular “inchies,” which, not surprisingly, is art that is one inch by one inch square.  This is a very satisfying form of art since it does not take long to create delightful results that are amazingly versatile.  It is a very common format chosen for group swaps since they are quick to produce and easy to mail which encourages more members to participate.

 

NOTE:  My quilling pattern instructions tell you the number, size, type, and color of the quills (coils or scrolls) needed to complete the design.  For example, (5) 3″ Marquise coil, blue, means that you will need a quantity of five marquise coils, each made from a 3″ strip of blue quilling paper.

 

Basic quilling tools (discussed earlier)

Quilling paper, 1/8″:  blue, white, green (multi-colored pack recommended for more variety)

Card stock, 2″ squares:  cream, blue

Blending chalk: mustard yellow

Dry tape runner (optional)

 

(5) 6″ marquise coil, blue

(1) 6″ teardrop coil, blue

(1) 1″ tight coil, white

(1) 7″ V-scroll, green

(1) 4″ V-scroll, green

 

Glue one point of each blue marquise to the white tight coil to form a flower.  Glue the folded end of the 4″ green V-scroll between two of the blue marquise coils to form tendrils.  Glue the blue teardrop to the top of the 3″ V-scroll to form a flower bud and glue the folded end between two marquise coils on the opposite side of the tendrils. 

 

Tear all four sides of the cream card stock and apply chalk to the torn edges.  Attach the cream card stock to the center of the blue square   Glue the finished quillwork to the 2″ square of card stock.

 

Congratulations!  You now have a beautiful twinchie. 

 

I made mine into a greeting card for a friend.  If you would like to, also, follow these easy steps.