QUILLING (IT’S NOT QUILTING): COLONIAL QUILLING CRAFT

QUILLING (IT’S NOT QUILTING): COLONIAL QUILLING CRAFT

 

Quilling

American Colonial Crafts – Quilling with paper

 

MATERIALS:

Strips of quilling paper 1/8 inches to ½ inches in width

Scissors

Clear glue

Pencil or Q-tip

Colored paper or card stock

Light-weight paper in various colors (optional)

Ruler (optional)

 

PROJECT:

  1. Purchase quilling paper which comes in a variety of colors. Or using a ruler, measure and mark anywhere 1/8” to ½” at intervals along the length of the lightweight paper. Draw a long line along the marks. Cut and repeat the steps until you have enough strips for a design.
  2. Roll the end of the paper on to the end of a pencil or Q-tip. When you reach the end, loosen a little of the coil so you can easily roll it off the pencil. Add a little glue and finish rolling the coil to keep it from loosening.
  3. Roll the coils tightly and/or loosely depending on your design. Look at the sample above.
  4. Arrange the coils on the colored paper or card stock creating a design: flowers, butterflies, dragonflies, abstract designs. Quilled paper designs make colorful cards and can be targeted to any theme: Christmas, Halloween, Hannukah, Fourth of July, birthdays, etc. Quilled paper designs can also be framed (without glass) and hung in any room or classroom.
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QUILLED (IT’S NOT QUILTING): OCTOPUS

QUILLED (IT’S NOT QUILTING): OCTOPUS

QUILLED OCTOPUS

MATERIALS:

(3) 24” strips of light blue quilling paper

(3) 24” strips of medium blue quilling paper

(3) 24” strips of dark blue quilling paper

(4) 3” strips of purple quilling paper

(2) 3” strips of light blue quilling paper

(2) 3” strips of medium blue quilling paper

(2) 3” strips of dark blue quilling paper

Piece of cardstock or board

Glue

Ruler

Begin a tight coil using the light blue paper. When finished, glue the tip. Then wrap the medium blue paper around the light blue paper tightly; glue the tip. Wrap the dark blue paper around the medium blue paper tightly and glue the tip.

For the eyes: tightly coil two of the purple strips separately and glue on to the face of the octopus.

For the tentacles: Bend one end of the strip of paper and make a wide curl with your finger. Curl the opposite end.  Glue the bent end to the octopus. Repeat for the other strips. Place four on either side of the head.

Push the coil out from the center to give the octopus a three-dimensional look.

Glue on card stock or colored cardboard.

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QUILLING (IT’S NOT QUILTING):CATERPILLAR

QUILLING (IT’S NOT QUILTING):CATERPILLAR
Caterpillar

Caterpillar

Caterpillar

(4) 24” quilling papers of different colors

(2) 12” quilling papers of two of the colors used for the body of the caterpillar or choose contrasting colors

Glue

Scissors

Ruler

Glue the tips of the four quilling papers at one end. Curl slightly.  Leaving 1 ½” begin to fold the rest of the papers like an accordion. Fold tightly as you go along.

Leaving another 1 12” use your finger to make the antennae of the caterpillar.  Curl the tips.

Take the two 12” strips different colors and glue the tips. Curl into a tight coil. Use the one color first and then add the other or wind them together. When finished winding, glue the tips and glue below the antennae. Glue the caterpillar to cardboard or cardstock.

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QUILLING (IT’S NOT QUILTING): Flower

QUILLING (IT’S NOT QUILTING): Flower

Flower

Flower

(3) 24” strips of orange quilling paper (for the center of the flower)

(1) 24” strips of brown quilling paper (for the center of the center of the flower)

(4) 12” strips of yellow quilling paper (for the petals)

(4) 12” strips of orange-yellow quilling paper (for the petals)

(4) 3 ½” strips of orange-yellow quilling paper

(3) 12” strip of brown quilling paper (for the petals)

Cardstock or cardboard

Glue

Ruler

scissors

 

Tightly coil three 24” strips of orange paper and glue the tip. This is the center of the flower.

Using the 12”strips of yellow paper, make a small loop and secure the tip with glue. Continue to make a loop slightly larger than the first, securing the tip again. Repeat this pattern until there is no more paper to make a loop. Be sure each loop is bigger than the last one and glue the tip each time you make a loop.

These will be the petals of the flower. Continue with the rest of the yellow strips until you have four completed yellow petals consisting of open loops.

Continue this pattern with the orange-yellow strips until you have four completed flower petals. In the end, there will be a total of eight petals.

Make petals with the 12” strips of brown paper making the loops smaller.

On cardstock or cardboard, trace the flower’s center lightly with pencil. Arrange the yellow and orange-yellow petals evenly around this circle and glue down. Glue the brown petals randomly around this circle.

Glue the center of the flower down.

Take one end of the 3 ½” strips of orange-yellow quilling paper and curl the tip. Do this for all of the strips of 3 ½” orange-yellow papers. Glue the other end randomly through-out the petals.

 

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QUILLING (IT’S NOT QUILTING): HEART

QUILLING (IT’S NOT QUILTING): HEART

Heart

Quilled Heart

 

Heart

(2) 24” pink strips of quilling paper

(2) 24” white strips of quilling paper

(2) 24” strips of red, orange, cream, dark pink quilling paper each

Additional strips of paper in different colors

Scissors

Ruler

Glue

 

Cut two strips of 24” pink quilling paper in half. Cut two strips of white quilling paper in half. Alternate the colors.

Make a big loop and glue the four tips together. Let dry. Fold the loop so that it comes to a point, forming two loops. You now have a heart shape. Glue this center so that the heart shape holds.

Take two 24” strips of coordinating or contrasting quilling paper and coil tightly, first one color and then the other. Glue the tips.

Make 3 – 5 closed coils of various sizes. Begin to alternate two strips of different colors and coil them tightly. Glue the tips. Then coil three strips of different colors tightly. Glue the tips. Make big and small coils by adding more quilling strips if necessary to alternate the size of the coils.

Push through the center of the larger coils by to form a pyramid shape. Keep the other coils flat to add variety to the heart.

Glue the heart to card stock or cardboard of contrasting or coordinating color.

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LEARN ABOUT QUILLING (IT’S NOT QUILTING)

LEARN ABOUT QUILLING (IT’S NOT QUILTING)

 

LEARN ABOUT QUILLING (IT’S NOT QUILTING)

 

Quilling (also known as paper-scrolling is a paper art whereby multicolor strips of paper are shaped, scrolled and pasted to produce various shapes. Assemble and grouped together, they form a work of art. Historically, quilling dates back to ancient Egypt.

Buy or paper strips can be made from paper that is flexible. Other considerations are weight and thickness.

3mm width is the standard and preferable width. Larger works may require 6mm width while 1.5mm is preferable for embellishments and smaller pieces.

Thick colored paper or watercolor paper is referable for the background. When using colored paper, coordinate the background color with the colors of the composition. The paper should be thick, smooth and stiff.  (pp. 23, Jenkins)

 

Tools:

Slotted tool – is used for scrolling the strips; insert paper strip into the slot and roll or use the handle for bigger coils.

Small bamboo knife – is used for smoothing and scrapping the paper strips.

Straight pins – help fix shapes of the design

Glue – is used for pasting strips, etc. on the background

Curved tip tweezers – are used to grip, place and fix small pieces or strips

Needle tool or toothpick or other applicator – is used to apply glue on paper strips

Scissors – are used for trimming and cutting

Paper edger/shears – are used for special effects

Utility knife – is used to cut

Tweezers – are used to hold paper while quilling or gluing

Ruler – is used to measure the paper

Dowels – are used to help make various coils (fingers work, too)

Markers, watercolors., paints, papers brushes – are used for do it yourself papers

Board/cardstock – for pinning of gluing the coils in place

Techniques

Smoothing  – Hold one end of the strip between your left thumb and index finger. Use your right hand to smooth the strip with the bamboo knife with your right thumb on top. This will create a curl. This can also be done by using only your right thumb and finger.

Scraping – Using the bamboo knife, scrap the strip very hard between your thumb and knife or scrape hard with your thumb and index finger.

Scraping and smoothing require using different strengths. Smoothing is the preparation before shaping, scraping and scraping is part of shaping.

Bending – Bend the strip with both hands to create a curve.

Scrolling – Use a slotted tool or small cylinder to scroll the strip to form a coil.

Pulling – Stack several strips and glue one end. Use one hand to loosely hold the middle of the stack and use the other hand to pull the strips into different lengths to create a shape.

Pasting – This technique is used for fixing the processed strips to form basic shapes and for mounting shapes onto the background. Proper placing and mounting the final composition is important for overall effect.

Pinching – after scrolling the strip, use your finger to pinch the coil. This creates numerous variations and shapes.

Pressing – Use thumb and index finger to press the strip or coil to form a shape.

Stacking – Stack several “elements” to crate layering and three-dimensional effects. Add additional layers as needed.

Adjusting – Adjust basic components, strips, shapes and compositions to create the best effect.

Scrolling – Use a slotted tool or small cylinder to scroll the strip to form a coil.

Pulling – Stack several strips and glue one end. Use one hand to loosely hold the middle of the stack and use the other hand to pull the strips into different lengths to create a shape.

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OUR IMAGINATIONS! RED SHIRT, BLUE SHIRT, YELLOW SHIRT

OUR IMAGINATIONS! RED SHIRT, BLUE SHIRT, YELLOW SHIRT

ReadIn My New Yellow Shirt by Eileen Spinelli

Aunt Betty gives her nephew a new yellow shirt for his birthday.

“That’s no fun,” his best friend, Sam, declares.

But the birthday boy loves it and imagines himself transformed into a variety of yellow shapes and forms:

A yellow dick

A yellow lion

A yellow cab

A yellow caterpillar

A yellow daffodil

A yellow tropical fish

A yellow tennis ball

A yellow trumpet

A yellow canary

A yellow butterfly

A golden treasure hidden in a dark, dark attic

A yellow banana

A yellow submarine

A yellow and black fire fly

And a “smile of moon.”

Project:

Do you play soccer? Do you collect fire flies? Do you belong to a secret boys’ or girls’ club? Decorate a T-Shirt with a favorite shape or symbol.

Materials:

T-Shirt

Fabric paint

Fabric brushes

Fabric markers

Water and container for water

Fabric glue

Iron-on transfers

Iron-on patches

Additional Reading:

Boase, Petra. T-Shirt Fun

Gould, Deborah. Aaron’s Shirt

Wells, Rosemary. Max’s Dragon Shirt

Wollman, Jessica. Andrew’s Bright Blue T-Shirt

 

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OUR IMAGINATIONS: HAVE A TOO COOL DAY!

OUR IMAGINATIONS: HAVE A TOO COOL DAY!
TOO COOL SUNGLASS

TOO COOL SUNGLASSES

Read Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses by Kimberly and James Dean.

“Pete the Cat did not feel happy. Pete had never, ever, ever, ever been grumpy before. Pete had the blue cat blues.”

Grumpy Toad usually was grumpy but on the day he met Pete the Cat, he was wearing cool, blue, magic sunglasses which made him look at everything in a new way.

When Pete the Cat tried them on, he saw the world in a whole new way, too.

Walking along with his new attitude, Pete the Cat ran into his friends, Squirrel, Turtle and Alligator and lent them his cool, blue, magic sunglasses. They saw the world in a whole new way just like Pete the Cat and Grumpy Toad!

Isn’t that cool?

Then Pete the Cat fell and cracked his cool, blue, magic sunglasses.

What would he do without them?

The Wise Old Owl told him the truth: Pete the Cat didn’t need his cool, blue, magic sunglasses to see the world in a new way. “Just remember to look for the good in every day,” the Wise Old Owl told him.

Pete the Cat looks all around him and exclaimed, “Too cool!”

Project:

Decorate a pair of sunglasses to brighten your day like Pete the Cat and his friends.

Materials:

Sunglasses*

Strong glue like gorilla glue

Sequins

Paint in squeeze tubes or bottles

Glitter

Make your sunglasses the coolest ever – you don’t have to paint your glasses blue like Pete the Cat’s! You can paint them any color or design.

*Remember: if you paint the lenses, you won’t be able to see through them!

 Additional Reading:
Lizzie Logan Wears Purple Sunglasses by Eileen Spinelli

 

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OUR IMAGINATIONS: A TALE OF TWO UMBRELLAS II:YELLOW POLKA DOT UMBRELLA

OUR IMAGINATIONS: A TALE OF TWO UMBRELLAS II:YELLOW POLKA DOT UMBRELLA

Read: The Yellow Umbrella by Caitlin Dundon

A little boy and his mother are hurrying to school and work. It is a rainy day and they are almost late. The little boy spots a yellow “umbrellow” in the gutter. “Umbrella,” his mother corrects him and hurries him along.

A gust of wind blows his mother’s black umbrella inside out and it breaks.

When they reach his school, the little boy sees all kinds of umbrellas: red ones, blue ones,  orange ones, umbrellas with polka dots and “shapes of all kinds.” There are “even ones with Mickey Mouses.” When his mother picks him up at the end of the school day, she has a surprise for him.

Project: Paint an old umbrella yellow (or any color you wish) and/or decorate it with dots or stripes or Mickey Mouses!

Materials:

An old umbrella

Glue

Beads

Markers

Sequins

Buttons

Silk flowers

Ribbons

Stencils

Paint in squeeze bottles

Stickers

Additional Reading:

The Umbrella by Jan Brett

The Umbrella Day by Nancy Evans

Umbrella by Taro Yashima

*Copyright Art work by Marion Constantinides 2015

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OUR IMAGINATIONS~A TALE OF TWO UMBRELLAS I: BLUE/GREEN/CHARTREUSE

OUR IMAGINATIONS~A TALE OF TWO UMBRELLAS I: BLUE/GREEN/CHARTREUSE

BLUE, GREEN, CHARTREUSE UMBRELLA

ReadThe Umbrella by Ingrid and Dieter Schubert

A family dog finds a red umbrella on a windy day in the yard. When the dog opens up the umbrella, the wind carries them over the clouds and around the world. They go to Africa where the dog confronts elephants, alligators, hippos, zebras and storks; the oceans and their inhabitants; the tropics; the North Pole and finally, back home.

Project: Decorate an old umbrella and if you want to challenge yourself, give the design a theme: animals, fairies, sports, etc.

Materials:

An old umbrella

Glue

Beads

Markers

Sequins

Buttons

Silk flowers

Ribbons

Stencils

Paint in squeeze bottles

Stickers 

Additional Reading:

The Umbrella by Jan Brett

The Umbrella Day by Nancy Evans

Umbrella by Taro Yashima

*Copyright Art work by Marion Constantinides 2015

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