Flowering Tree

I hadn’t quilled trees in a long time before this project and had missed them very much.  That’s why there are a zillion photos with this post.  Enthusiasm.

This order was for the same family who ordered the “Family Fun” piece.  That piece was for the mother and this piece if for her oldest daughter.  The request was for a tree and a butterfly (to represent the daughter).  The tree, it was suggested, could be inspired from Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree.  And it was… kind of.  All the same, I was very pleased with how it turned out.  It has a very simple look to it, and I really like the color added by the blossoms.  There is quite a bit more open space (I can’t remember what the “artistic” term for that is) than usual, which was intentional.

The trunk is basically a bunch of marquee rolls all squished together.  I line the sides of the trunk with a single strip of paper just to smooth out the appearance.  The leaves are also marquee rolls, I think they were mostly 4″ strips, 1/8″ wide.  I used 3 shades of green for the leaves and 2 shades of brown for the trunk.  The blossoms were mostly 1″ tight coils.  Honestly, this is a piece a beginner could make… the shapes are very basic and the creative options (i.e., the shape of the tree, how to place leaves, blossoms, bluebirds, etc.) are endless.  This was a very fun piece to quill and I look forward to doing more trees in the future.

The photos show the piece from just about every angle.  I blurred out some of the birthday for the sake of privacy.

NAQG

I recently renewed my membership in the North American Quilling Guild and have been pleased with my membership over the last year or so.  They send out regular publications, which feature full-color photos of quilled work from around the country.  I am always inspired to continue to improve my own skills, and to share and teach quilling when ever the opportunity arises.  Members have special access to patterns, forums, etc. online… it’s a really fun community and I look forward to being a member for years to come.  If you’re a quiller or a supporter of quilling, check out the website:  http://naqg.org/

Here’s a photo of of their most recent publication along with some of the gold seals (which are an additional purchase) I now place on my pieces to identify myself as a member.  I get a kick out of adding a little something to make it all look more official/professional.  : )

Family Fun

This request was for a 8.5″x11″ piece featuring a “Mommy” butterfly leading her 7 children… 2 daughters, represented by butterflies; 5 sons, represented by dragonflies.

I originally arranged the “children” to follow in a line directly behind Mom, but thought I’d try more of a sweeping upward arrangement, which I really liked.  It allowed more movement in the piece and for more of a purpose for the flowers since it seems as though they are emerging from fluttering among the flowers.

The recipient’s name and birthdate were requested to be featured on the piece as well, I’ve blurred the birthdate for the sake of privacy.

Over the next month or so, I’ll be working on a piece for each of the two daughters as well.  3 pieces for one family—what fun!

Irish Hymn

This quilled piece is for a man who is currently battling a terminal illness and has experienced profound suffering.  He is proudly Irish, so the words to the Irish hymn Be Thou My Vision were requested on his behalf (which is a favorite of mine as well).

The burned edges of the paper symbolize the trial he has been experiencing, and to show hope and truth (as spoken in the song) are untouched by the flames. The green underneath is a nod to the Irish and is placed under the burned paper to represent the constant, life-imparting love of the Father (God). The dove represents peace through the Holy Spirit.  The dove also carries a small branch to represent God’s promises. The Celtic-type cross (also meant to look Irish-ish) represents the redemptive and eternal work of Christ. The plants on the top and bottom symbolize a changed, but ongoing life, despite the flames. The symbols are white to represent God’s holiness and purity… characteristics of God which, in my experience, seem to take on new meaning in the midst of the most difficult and pain-filled moments.

It has been awhile since I did a piece in which each element had special meaning. Knowing some of this man’s story, I was humbled by the opportunity to make this for him.

Inspiration

I have spent waaaaay too much time checking out the blogs of my fellow quillers today, but it was a lot of fun and very inspirational… there is not enough time to share all the cool quilling I’ve seen, but I had to share some of them:

Quilling With Fun… Suzana’s work is amazing. One piece in particular blew me away today!  http://quillingwithfun.blogspot.com/

Cards by Cheryl… she has mastered elegant simplicity in quilling.  http://cardsbycheryl.blogspot.com/  Her nativity scenes are my favorite.

Check out the quilled dragon from If Looks Could Quill… and some beautiful Christmas quilling:  iflookscouldquill.blogspot.com

I’ve been following Inna’s work for awhile… it is always lovely and inspirational: http://increations.blogspot.com/  Her cherry blossom piece really had my attention today!

Shipwrecked

Last year, I posted about the first and only (as far as I could remember) ship I quilled for my husband during his first deployment to Iraq.  Click here to read that post.  Lo and behold, I came across this little gem, which, as it turns out, is the REAL original ship I quilled for my husband.  I had completely forgotten about it, and here I was so pleased when I came across the other ship to think that was my first attempt at a ship.  Too funny!  This one is much more accurate, and much more what  I would expect.  My husband helped me remember (upon seeing the 1st ship) that I quilled him the 2nd ship because my skills had improved since the first one and I wanted to be sure he had a much nicer quilled ship to display.  Here it is… a bit smashed and worn from rattling around in a shoebox full of stuff for the last 4 years, but I present to you the real first ship:

 

Quilling for a Baby Girl

It was a privilege to quill this piece for an adorable baby girl.  I attempted to coordinate the piece with the colors and theme of her nursery, but also wanted it to be something she could enjoy for years after she outgrows her nursery.

I primarily used colors from Lake City Craft’s Parchment collection, which are quite soft/pastel and were perfect for the look I was going for.  The bolder colors were added via the bluebirds and dragonfly to make them pop a little.  As usual, it was the formation of the letter that gave me the most trouble—I know it’s not a perfect “L,” but it was the best of all my attempts, so it stuck.

Surprisingly, I think the stemmed hearts hanging in front of the L are my favorite parts of this piece.  They were added after I thought it was completed… I went away to eat some dinner; when I came back and looked at the piece one last time before framing it, I realized I wanted a little more movement without adding more color.  The hearts did the trick!  I also appreciate that a heart symbolizes love and this happens to be a very much-loved little girl so I knew I couldn’t go wrong there. 🙂  I then added several other hearts to the piece, which appear to be leaves for the flowers.

The first photo is just to show how tiny the roses are… I had never done little roses before and they were quite fun and looked lovely, if I may say so.

Overquill

Overquill… overkill… get it?  Tehehe!

I enjoy posting about the pieces that I think turned out well, but I suppose I should keep things real around here by posting the pieces that I’m not so crazy about as well. Here are two.

They were ordered as going-away gifts for military spouses by their FRG (Family Readiness Group) and I was given creative freedom.  The only request was for their unit logo to be featured.  The logo was not easy to recreate with quilling and took several attempts to get right, but I really like how they turned out.  I wish I had left the logo on its own, but nooooooo, I just had to have my precious filigree, bluebirds, and asymmetry. Those elements usually serve me very well; however, in these pieces, the quilling might have gotten in the way of itself a bit.  Oh well… it’s done and, on the bright side, I got very positive feedback from the recipients.  If nothing else, they enjoyed the novelty of this 3-D-type art, which they had never seen before.

A Hymn and a Homecoming

My friend requested this piece for her wedding anniversary because the hymn, “The Church’s One Foundation,” was sung at their wedding 8 years ago.

The request was for blues and browns, and I really liked that combination.  I used primarily 1/8″-width paper strips, some 1/16″-width, and 5/8″-width for the fringed flowers.  I think my favorite thing about this piece is not the quilling, but the blue lettering on beige paper—a surprisingly classic look, almost vintage-y.

There couldn’t have been a better day to blog about this quilled anniversary gift than on Valentine’s Day.  Especially because my friend and her husband are such a sweet couple AND he just got home yesterday after a year in Afghanistan!  What a happy day for their whole family (and their friends too)!  🙂

Here are some photos of the process and the finished product:

Herb Sampler Kit

When I started quilling in early 2007, I had no idea of the creative freedom available to quillers and pretty much stuck to patterns and kits for the first couple months… which is how I ended up completing this delightful herb sampler kit.  I ended up paying a fortune to have it professionally framed (something I do myself now, though with maybe slightly less “professional” results), and gave it as a gift to my mother.  I grabbed a couple photos of it while I was home over Christmas—please excuse the reflections on the glass.

It’s been almost 4 years since I worked on this piece (it also happens to be the last kit I ever ordered/completed!), but I remember that it was easy enough for a novice like me to put together, and the results were truly lovely.  I may have to order another one soon for my own kitchen!  🙂