Those of you who have followed me for a while will know that I have a bit of an obsession with spirals. Well, here's my latest one, which I took to the Quilling Guild's 30th Anniversary Celebration of Quilling in Liverpool, UK, on 10 - 11 August 2013.
I used a combination of ring coils, cut ring coils, solid coils and various filigree shapes to create this piece, which was constructed under cling-film over a tracing of the spiral using pins on a mounting board.
The rainbow colours were carefully inserted in sequence, complemented by the inclusion of black and white sections.
To make the spiral outline, I used conjoined strips which I had pre-conditioned to make them curl. The main challenge was 'taming' the curl of the outline strips in order to follow the spiral accurately all the way round.
I'm proud of this piece, as it expresses the deep affinity with spirals and sea-shell patterns that I seem to have within me!
I hope you like it too!
Tuesday, 13 August 2013
Quilled rainbow spiral
Wednesday, 7 August 2013
Where are you now?
Here's the little 'quilled miniature' that I sent over to South Bend, Indiana, for this year's North American Quilling Guild (NAQGCON) competition.
To avoid the expense and hassle of having the piece returned to me here in the UK, I donated it to the NAQGCON raffle at the end of the event, so I have no idea who won it ... I wonder where my little quilled floral sculpture is now?
My piece did not win an award, but that's fine - the quilling that received all the votes in the category is beautiful, and a very worthy winner! But, to be honest, I am DEEPLY disappointed that it has taken three whole months until the publication of Quill America magazine to find out the results of the competitions. I can hardly believe that it has taken all this time to find out how I fared!
Never mind, though - things are going to be very different at the UK-based Quilling Guild's 30th Anniversary Celebration of Quilling in Liverpool this weekend! Technology permitting, we are planning to publish 'live' news and photos from this exciting international quilling festival on the Quilling Guild Facebook Group page throughout the course of the event, so that an eager audience of quillers across the world can share in the excitement of this very special celebration.
If you're on Facebook, simply sign in via this link to see it: https://www.facebook.com/groups/152384868122961/
Liverpool, here I come ... I can hardly wait!!
To avoid the expense and hassle of having the piece returned to me here in the UK, I donated it to the NAQGCON raffle at the end of the event, so I have no idea who won it ... I wonder where my little quilled floral sculpture is now?
My piece did not win an award, but that's fine - the quilling that received all the votes in the category is beautiful, and a very worthy winner! But, to be honest, I am DEEPLY disappointed that it has taken three whole months until the publication of Quill America magazine to find out the results of the competitions. I can hardly believe that it has taken all this time to find out how I fared!
Never mind, though - things are going to be very different at the UK-based Quilling Guild's 30th Anniversary Celebration of Quilling in Liverpool this weekend! Technology permitting, we are planning to publish 'live' news and photos from this exciting international quilling festival on the Quilling Guild Facebook Group page throughout the course of the event, so that an eager audience of quillers across the world can share in the excitement of this very special celebration.
If you're on Facebook, simply sign in via this link to see it: https://www.facebook.com/groups/152384868122961/
Liverpool, here I come ... I can hardly wait!!
Monday, 22 July 2013
Daisy chain!
The idea of creating a lattice of punched shapes over an aperture cut in the front of a card was shared at a craft workshop that I attended last week ... and I just had to have a go!
I cut a rectangular aperture in the front of this card, and then used a daisy-shaped punch to cut an array of flowers out of variously patterned papers. Some of the daisies are punched from the blue/white security patterns that you find printed on the inside of business envelopes; the rest are from colourful patterns that I have printed out using my extensive collection of digital images! I'm sure that any pre-printed patterned paper would work equally well.
By gluing one flower on to the the card at each corner of the aperture, and then attaching others across the open space using tiny dots of glue at the adjoining tips of their petals, I was able to create a colourful lattice effect of my own. As you can see, I also added a punched-out swirl and tiny dragonfly on the face of the card for good measure!
The centres of the flowers were made by quilling closed loose coils using inch-long (25mm) strips of 3mm wide yellow paper, which I glued on to each daisy. Somehow, the addition of these really brought the whole design to life!
I'm pleased with this card, even though there isn't much quilling in it. All the different colours seem to create a lovely summery effect, reflecting the wonderful weather we're enjoying here in the UK right now. Long may it last!!
Monday, 8 July 2013
Front page news!
Well, here it is ... the front cover of the Quilling Guild's magazine, Summer 2013 edition, with the spiral that I created for my Accreditation project featured on the front cover. Next to it (bottom right) is the Accreditation piece made by my colleague on the Quilling Guild committee, Janet Hunt, whose 3D flower vase creation is a truly breathtaking piece of work. And above them: a beautiful quilled rosette motif by Christine Donehue.
Janet and I will be receiving our Accreditation Certificates at the Quilling Guild's forthcoming 30th anniversary celebration of quilling in Liverpool next month, where our work will also be on display ... I'm so looking forward to the event!
If that weren't exciting enough, I have now been officially appointed Editor of Quillers Today magazine with effect from the Autumn 2013 edition. I can't wait to get started on creating this special issue which will report fully on all the wonderful displays, competition entries, workshops and shared ideas that will make the Liverpool event so special.
I'm also planning to post 'live' news updates from Liverpool on the Quilling Guild's Facebook Group page throughout the weekend, which I'm hoping will be an exciting new development for the online quilling world.
To find out more about the Quilling Guild, our magazine, our exclusive members' blog and the Liverpool festival, please visit the Guild's website at: www.quilling-guild.co.uk - and hold on to your hats! This is going to be an UNFORGETTABLE Summer of quilling!!
Janet and I will be receiving our Accreditation Certificates at the Quilling Guild's forthcoming 30th anniversary celebration of quilling in Liverpool next month, where our work will also be on display ... I'm so looking forward to the event!
If that weren't exciting enough, I have now been officially appointed Editor of Quillers Today magazine with effect from the Autumn 2013 edition. I can't wait to get started on creating this special issue which will report fully on all the wonderful displays, competition entries, workshops and shared ideas that will make the Liverpool event so special.
I'm also planning to post 'live' news updates from Liverpool on the Quilling Guild's Facebook Group page throughout the weekend, which I'm hoping will be an exciting new development for the online quilling world.
To find out more about the Quilling Guild, our magazine, our exclusive members' blog and the Liverpool festival, please visit the Guild's website at: www.quilling-guild.co.uk - and hold on to your hats! This is going to be an UNFORGETTABLE Summer of quilling!!
Sunday, 19 May 2013
Thank you
I’d like to say a really big “thank you” to everyone who so kindly congratulated me on my Quilling Guild Accreditation, both here and also on Facebook. For a while last week I was completely swamped by comments and messages, but I am finally catching up with myself again at last!
The quilled spiral that I featured in my last post was, of course, only part of the work submitted to the Guild for assessment ... I also had to complete a sampler of quilling shapes, as pictured above. Doing this really helped me to sharpen up my quilling technique as you have to focus on getting every single piece absolutely perfect - and I’m convinced that I’m now a better quiller as a result. So, my message to Quilling Guild members is: do consider applying for Accreditation - it really is a worthwhile process. When you succeed, you genuinely feel as though you are contributing to the continuing evolution of our historic Art.
You can read all about the Accreditation process on the Quilling Guild’s website here.
As a final postscript to this story, I was delighted to discover that my Accreditation piece (the spiral) had actually been featured last week on the BuzzFeed online newsletter alongside many other wonderful examples of modern quilling (including the work of Yulia Brodskaya!!). Have a look at the BuzzFeed link here to see their feature called ‘Quilling: the best craft you’ve never heard of’ ... and prepare to be amazed!
The quilled spiral that I featured in my last post was, of course, only part of the work submitted to the Guild for assessment ... I also had to complete a sampler of quilling shapes, as pictured above. Doing this really helped me to sharpen up my quilling technique as you have to focus on getting every single piece absolutely perfect - and I’m convinced that I’m now a better quiller as a result. So, my message to Quilling Guild members is: do consider applying for Accreditation - it really is a worthwhile process. When you succeed, you genuinely feel as though you are contributing to the continuing evolution of our historic Art.
You can read all about the Accreditation process on the Quilling Guild’s website here.
As a final postscript to this story, I was delighted to discover that my Accreditation piece (the spiral) had actually been featured last week on the BuzzFeed online newsletter alongside many other wonderful examples of modern quilling (including the work of Yulia Brodskaya!!). Have a look at the BuzzFeed link here to see their feature called ‘Quilling: the best craft you’ve never heard of’ ... and prepare to be amazed!
Monday, 13 May 2013
Success!
Yesterday I experienced one of the proudest moments of my life after succeeding in my application to become an Accredited Member of The Quilling Guild.
The Guild’s prestigious Accreditation Scheme is described in detail on the organisation’s website here, and involves the submission of a ‘sampler’ of all the officially recognised quilling shapes plus an original piece of work to demonstrate the applicant’s skill. Mine is pictured above.
The idea for this piece sprang from my fascination with the spiral patterns of sea shells, and was initially inspired by the design concept of a pattern which was originally created digitally by Irene Thompson in Photoshop (http://www.photoshoproadmap.com/Photoshop-blog/create-fractals-photoshop/).
I began work on the piece by re-designing and translating the elements of the spiral pattern into a combination of the required quilling shapes to meet the Accreditation criteria, ensuring that sufficient gluing anchor points were created to hold it all together!
I traced the basic outline of the spiral to delineate the outline of each ‘whorl’ of quilled shapes, and then made two photocopies of the tracing which I mounted beneath cling-film on to two separate blocks of mounting board (into which pins could easily be inserted). The first board was used to create each individual quilled shape to the exact required size. The second board was used to assemble the finished quilling.
When placing the anchor pins for each wheatear and alternate side looped piece, it was important to allow for the thickness of mutliple ‘windings’ of the quilling strip, so that the pieces did not exceed the overall dimensions of the whorl boundaries.
I started by quilling the largest section of the spiral, building up the pattern like individual spokes of a wheel. Making the pieces became progressively more difficult as the pattern became smaller, and it was necessary to modify/simplify some of the basic shapes as they reduced in size. When making the smallest pink flowers, it was necessary to abandon pins and create the huskings in my fingers, sizing them by eye.
The complete assembled piece was lifted gently off the cling-film covered board and attached to the blue backing paper by applying glue to the backs of the solid coils, yellow spacing shapes and the inner edge of the spiral. This selective gluing was sufficient to hold the spiral in place, minimising the risk of glue marks on the backing paper which the Guild Assessors always look out for!
To say that I am delighted with the achievement of my Quilling Guild Accreditation would be an understatement. Now, at last, I can relax and look forward to the presentation of my Accreditation Certificate at the Quilling Guild’s forthcoming 30th Anniversary Celebration of Quilling event which is going to be held in Liverpool, UK on 10th - 11th August 2013.
The Guild’s prestigious Accreditation Scheme is described in detail on the organisation’s website here, and involves the submission of a ‘sampler’ of all the officially recognised quilling shapes plus an original piece of work to demonstrate the applicant’s skill. Mine is pictured above.
The idea for this piece sprang from my fascination with the spiral patterns of sea shells, and was initially inspired by the design concept of a pattern which was originally created digitally by Irene Thompson in Photoshop (http://www.photoshoproadmap.com/Photoshop-blog/create-fractals-photoshop/).
I began work on the piece by re-designing and translating the elements of the spiral pattern into a combination of the required quilling shapes to meet the Accreditation criteria, ensuring that sufficient gluing anchor points were created to hold it all together!
I traced the basic outline of the spiral to delineate the outline of each ‘whorl’ of quilled shapes, and then made two photocopies of the tracing which I mounted beneath cling-film on to two separate blocks of mounting board (into which pins could easily be inserted). The first board was used to create each individual quilled shape to the exact required size. The second board was used to assemble the finished quilling.
When placing the anchor pins for each wheatear and alternate side looped piece, it was important to allow for the thickness of mutliple ‘windings’ of the quilling strip, so that the pieces did not exceed the overall dimensions of the whorl boundaries.
I started by quilling the largest section of the spiral, building up the pattern like individual spokes of a wheel. Making the pieces became progressively more difficult as the pattern became smaller, and it was necessary to modify/simplify some of the basic shapes as they reduced in size. When making the smallest pink flowers, it was necessary to abandon pins and create the huskings in my fingers, sizing them by eye.
The complete assembled piece was lifted gently off the cling-film covered board and attached to the blue backing paper by applying glue to the backs of the solid coils, yellow spacing shapes and the inner edge of the spiral. This selective gluing was sufficient to hold the spiral in place, minimising the risk of glue marks on the backing paper which the Guild Assessors always look out for!
To say that I am delighted with the achievement of my Quilling Guild Accreditation would be an understatement. Now, at last, I can relax and look forward to the presentation of my Accreditation Certificate at the Quilling Guild’s forthcoming 30th Anniversary Celebration of Quilling event which is going to be held in Liverpool, UK on 10th - 11th August 2013.
Monday, 4 March 2013
Times are changing ...
Things have been moving on rapidly in my life just lately, and my poor blog has been getting neglected as a result!
I haven't posted to Quilliance since January ... but that certainly doesn't mean I've been idle!
I'm still quilling avidly, creating things like the embossed frame cards that I featured in my last post; these little quilled 'sculptures' (see above) which I'm proud to say are now on sale in my local Gallery; plus competition entries for the upcoming Quilling Guild 30th Anniversary Celebration of Quilling which is going to be held in Liverpool, UK, on 10 - 11 August 2013. (You might like to check out the Guild's website at www.quilling-guild.co.uk for more details of this unmissable event.)
More than that, however, my involvement with the Guild is taking up increasing amounts of my time - and I'm loving every minute of it! The special Blog which I am now writing exclusively for Guild members has proved to be a great success ... and it now looks as though I'm going to be taking over as Editor of the Guild's highly-acclaimed members' newsletter, 'Quillers Today', with effect from Autumn 2013. So these really are exceptionally exciting times for me. I may not be posting to my own blog so often in future, but I'm still very much involved in online activity via Facebook, Quilling Cafe and other quilling sites. I hope to see you there!
Philippa
I haven't posted to Quilliance since January ... but that certainly doesn't mean I've been idle!
I'm still quilling avidly, creating things like the embossed frame cards that I featured in my last post; these little quilled 'sculptures' (see above) which I'm proud to say are now on sale in my local Gallery; plus competition entries for the upcoming Quilling Guild 30th Anniversary Celebration of Quilling which is going to be held in Liverpool, UK, on 10 - 11 August 2013. (You might like to check out the Guild's website at www.quilling-guild.co.uk for more details of this unmissable event.)
More than that, however, my involvement with the Guild is taking up increasing amounts of my time - and I'm loving every minute of it! The special Blog which I am now writing exclusively for Guild members has proved to be a great success ... and it now looks as though I'm going to be taking over as Editor of the Guild's highly-acclaimed members' newsletter, 'Quillers Today', with effect from Autumn 2013. So these really are exceptionally exciting times for me. I may not be posting to my own blog so often in future, but I'm still very much involved in online activity via Facebook, Quilling Cafe and other quilling sites. I hope to see you there!
Philippa
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