Beginner Quilling {Make DIY Quilling Centerpieces}

Today’s guest post is all about quilling, the art of taking strips of paper and rolling, shaping, and gluing them to create decorative designs.

The team at OFD Consulting created this amazing centerpiece tutorial, which is perfect for a wedding, brunch or shower, just customize the colors and designs to fit your theme. I love how these candle centerpieces came together, and I know you will too!

Supplies:

• Quilling Papers (We used four colors, but you’re welcome to experiment with more! We also tore the papers in half for size.)
• Quilling Kit
• Pillar Candle

Instructions:

1. After gathering all of your supplies, choose a strip for the base circle and measure it out to the circumference of the candle. Dab a drop of craft glue to seal the strip into a circle – keep in mind that a little bit of craft glue goes a long way! The quilling needle can be used to control the amount of glue used to prevent the strip from getting too wet.
2. Once the ring is dry, set aside with the candle.
3. Pick out another strip and add a dab of glue to one end and fold the tab over the other end. You’ll be left with a teardrop shape.
4. Next, pick another strip (we used white) slide into the slotted tool, winding it tightly around until it’s all coiled up.
5. Carefully push the coil off of the slotted tool and let expand in one of the quilling ruler templates (we used 0). Using the tweezers, pick the coil up by pinching the outermost layer with the next layer and glue the end of the strip and press down to the circle. This will create a completed coil.
6. Once dry, carefully pinch one side of the circle to create a teardrop shape.
7. Glue the quilled teardrop to the bottom of the larger teardrop and set aside to let dry.
8. Selecting another colored strip, use the slotted tool to quill one end of the strip just a few times – the goal is to keep it as a smaller spiral.
9. Inverse the strip and quill the other end (in an ‘S’ fashion), this time quilling about double of what you did on the other end to create a larger spiral.
10. Place this piece inside of the larger teardrop from Step 6. The smaller side should touch the top of the inner teardrop and the larger spiral should fill the tip. Once it’s placed right, glue the piece in at three points: one at the bottom of the smaller spiral to adhere to the quilled teardrop and one on each side of the larger spiral to adhere to the sides.
11. Choose another color and insert into slotted tool, creating another glued circle as in Step 5 – but DON’T pinch it. Leave it as a circle and let dry. (We used size 0 for this on the ruler.) Repeat this step so that you have (2) quilled circles.
12. Place these two quilled circles into the teardrop shape you’ve been creating so that there is one on each side of the middle strip. Add a dab of glue on each side of a circle to adhere to both the side and the center. Repeat for the other circle.
13. With the teardrop shape completed, glue the bottom of it to the strip that wraps around the candle and let dry.
14. Repeat steps 3-13 until your masterpiece is complete!

NOTE: In order to avoid fire risk, always quill outwards rather than upwards!

Photos by Stephanie Yonce Photography
Candles from 100 Candles