It’s no secret that several years ago most people had never
heard of the word ‘quilling.’ To me it
sounds like some strange ancient custom where you sew a bed cover using a
fountain pen. But no. Whilst my computer’s spell check remains bamboozled
by the word, most crafty people know that quilling is the arty craft of
fashioning all sorts of ornate designs from thin strips of rolled paper. Truly, quilling creates some of the most incredible
works of art created by the most patient people on earth. You can see some examples (such as the H) on
the Crafty Monograms Pinterest page; it’s gorgeous!
Now as you know, I like to be done and dusted with my craft in 15 minutes or less, so there’s no hope that I can complete a masterpiece in quilling, but rather than give up, I thought to myself; “what if instead of something tiny and ornate I did a Big Bertha version?” And so I did.
I cut several strips in coloured card, in different lengths, and then rolled and scrolled them, and stapled them together. There’s nothing fragile and petite about this craft project, and yet, surprisingly, when used as a present topper, this giant quill was pretty cute.
My preschooler daughters took off with Big Bertha and turned it into a fan, a crown, a magic wand, and then when it was squashed beyond recognition, agreed to help me make another... which they didn’t. Stapling and cutting aside, I’m sure that most preschoolers, and certainly ‘big kids’ could do this craft project with ease.
So let that be a lesson to you; never give up on an idea, or think it’s too hard for you - simply fake it til you make it!
