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Back in the 1980s, it was all the rage to stiffen strips of large-print floral fabrics (usually mauve) into bows to dress up wicker baskets.  While that decorating look has come and gone, it’s still fun to stiffen fabric, especially if you are a crafter who likes to get her hands a little messy once in a while.   Stiffened fabric has a wonderful paper-like quality making it an interesting textured background for your quilling projects.  The key is to keep it flat as it dries.  The stiffened fabric can be easily trimmed to size using your paper cutter and simple folds are possible.

• fabric (I have found that thin cottons or cotton blends work best)
• fabric stiffener (I used Stiffy by Plaid Enterprises, but there are several on the market)
• foam brush
• throw-away plate or container to hold the fabric stiffener
• heavy plastic to protect your work surface (I used a transparency sheet and it worked like a charm.  If the plastic is too light weight, like plastic wrap, it will wrinkle under the fabric as you apply the stiffener)

Now that you have assembled your supplies, let’s get started.  1.  Cut a piece of fabric (smaller than the plastic) and place it right-side up on your work surface.  2.  Pour some of the stiffener into your container.   3.  Using the foam brush, apply the stiffener to the fabric starting in the center and working your way to the edges, being sure to keep the fabric flat.  You want to make sure that the fabric is totally saturated with the stiffener, but not gloppy.  4.  Pour the excess stiffener back into the bottle, discard the brush and container (or wash them for the next time).

That’s it.  Now just kick back while the stiffener dries.  Depending on how much stiffener you used and how large your piece of fabric is, it might take 30 minutes or longer.  This process can be hurried along with a hairdryer.

The fabric “paper” I made accents this colorful birthday card.   I used a dry adhesive to attach the stiffened fabric to the paper surface of the card.  The small amount of regular glue I used to attach the quilled coils directly onto the stiffened fabric caused no problems at all.  I repeated the circle theme with a silver paper clip bought in a set from the Dollar store.  Small silver half-pearls embellish the upper left-hand corner of the card.

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“March is a tomboy with tousled hair, a mischievous smile, mud on her shoes, and a laugh in her voice.”

-  Hal Borland

In honor of spring, I thought I would show you an egg ornament that I made.  It is a paper maché egg embellished with a quilled peach blossom.  This egg is the size of a hen’s egg, but you could use one larger if you like and adjust your quilling accordingly.  I used the narrow, 1/16″ wide quilling paper since I find it does better for me when I am gluing it to a curved surface. 

Tip:  If you are interested in the bell caps, I found them online at www.CostumeJewelrySupplies.com under the “findings” section.  They have a really nice selection of jewelry findings at very reasonable prices.  NOTE:  I have no connection with this company and derive no benefit from this recommendation, except for that little thrill you get when you tell a friend about something cool.   

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In my last post (Groovy Birthday Wishes) I talked about the very popular technique of filling in an outline with quilling to form a design.

1. Find a stencil that you like and lightly trace it onto the card stock you will be gluing the quilling shapes to.  Remember, this paper will show through the coiled pieces, so you’ll want to choose a nice neutral or coordinating color that will go with your design.
2. Trace the stencil onto the paper you want as the cover for your quilling and cut it out with a craft knife.  (Note: the piece is easier to frame if the bottom card stock and the top cover sheet are the same size.)
3. Roll your quilled shapes to fit slightly over the outline and glue to the card stock.  Once finished, glue the top paper over the guilling, lining up the cut out stencil with your quilling and covering up any rough rough edges of the quilled design.
4. Frame your masterpiece and wait for friends to Oooooh and Ahhhh over your latest artistic endeavor.

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I was browsing through the bargain bins of ribbon and found a funky retro paisley design in yellow, green, and orange that simply screamed mini skirt and go-go boots. 

I used the ribbon as my inspiration for a fun retro birthday card featuring a quilled go-go boot.  The boot was created using an “outline & fill-in” quilling technique.  You can use this technique to create any design you wish by following these simple steps:

1. Draw an outline of the desired design, or find inspiration on the web.  Resize the pattern as needed and print it out for your work board. 
2. Tear several strips of paper (I find 6″ to be a good length) and quill them into loose coils.  Starting at either the top or bottom of your design, pinch the coils into shapes that fit within the outline of your design.  Glue the quills together where they touch and pin into place. 
3. Continue filling in your pattern with pinched loose coils.  If you are creating an elaborate design, you may want to “draw” lines within the pattern using paper strips or “paint” with your quills by changing the color of the quilling paper used for the coils.
4. Glue a strip of paper along the outside of your quilled piece to finish off the edge and complete your design.

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My youngest daughter would tell you she is craft-challenged when it comes to the actual execution of a project, but she is as crafty as they come and has great ideas.  The other day we were discussing Halloween and she suggested that I quill a face for a pumpkin.  I’m thinking, “OK, I can quill some yellow triangles for eyes ….,” which didn’t seem too exciting so I put that idea away. 

 

When Jen asked me if I had made the pumpkin yet, I knew I needed to take another look at the possibilities.  And then it hit me — I could quill real features for the pumpkin, just like a Mr. Potato Head!

 

• Eyes:  Tight coils starting with black for the pupil, then blue for the iris, and finishing with white.  The eyelashes are fringed from a 3/8″ wide strip.
• Nose:  Teardrop
• Mouth:  Two half-circles on top with one large half circle on the bottom.  Glue them together and pinch the sides.
• Ears:  Two curved teardrops; larger on top, smaller on the bottom.

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