Paper Quilling : Butterfly and flowers

I have always wanted to try paper quilling and this is my first attempt at it. Paper quilling, also called paper filigree is the art of rolling paper strips and pinching/bending them at different places to create various shapes and use them to build patterns.

There are tools available for quilling but you can try the basic art without them too. I did not have the tools and wanted to try it before buying tools.

I used the following supplies to make the quilled butterfly :

1. Paper Strips of different colors ( I cut them myself using paper cutter, you can buy pre-cut quilling strips available in craft stores
2. Bamboo skewer to roll the paper strips
3. Glue

I cut thin paper strips and rolled them using the bamboo skewer.Once you roll the strip , take it off the skewer and leave it to open on its own.
The basic shapes that I have used are tear drop ( by pinching the rolled paper at one end) and petal (by pinching the rolled paper at both ends simultaneously). You can refer this link for other basic shapes used in quilling. Finally, I glued these shaped paper rolls together to create the butterfly.

By the time I had finished the butterfly I knew I will be doing paper quilling more often. So I got the quilling tool from the craft store. I also discovered my paper strips were little wider than the quilling strips available in market. As I got the tool I decided to add flowers to the project. The flower that I have added is called double fringed flower.

Instructions to make the double fringed flower:

Take a 4.5 cm by 10 cm paper strip. Fold it in the center length wise. Cut the strip at approx. 45 degrees along the folded edge as shown. To get uniform width at bottom I held a quilling trip at the open end while cutting the fringes.
Using the quilling tool roll a quilling strip of different color.Glue the other end to the fringed paper strip and roll the strip along. In the end glue the fringed paper strip. Your flower is ready. It definitely made it easy to roll the strip using the tool but you can try it out without one too.

I used shadow boxes to frame this quilled butterfly and flower project as you need some gap between the glass and back of the frame. I loved making this project and you will definitely see more of these paper quilling projects here in future. I hope you get inspired to try this beautiful art too. Happy quilling :).