Blueberry Lane Quilling

Reposting Some Patterns

2008-09-25T00:01:00.002-02:30

With some of the changes in the back end of the site lately, I have noticed that a lot of the links and images in my blog were broken.

I have reposted as many as I could; but unfortunately there are some links that I cannot fix because I no longer have the files. One of the links that was broken was my apple blossom pattern from last year... I found that one in an old dusty file in the back of my hard drive =)

Apple%20Blossom.pdf

There will be more patterns to follow as I unearth the old ones and I will also post a few new as well...

The Symbolism of Flowers

2008-09-22T18:14:00.011-02:30

Flowers are by far one of the most quilled designs out there. It is amazing how quillers can create a flower garden that looks so realistic you can almost smell the summer breeze.

But have you ever wondered what certain flowers mean? Would it be symbolically correct to add yellow roses to that baby announcement you are quilling for a friend? Is there a better choice that would not only be beautiful, but also carry a subtle message or special wish for the recipient?

I have compiled a short list of some of the most commonly quilled flowers and their respective meanings to help you choose the best blossoms for your projects.

Amaranth:fidelity
Amaryllis:dramatic
Apple:perpetual happiness
Aster:contentment, daintiness
Azalea:abundance, passion
Baby's Breath:festivity, happiness
Begonia:deep thoughts

Carnation:
Pink - gratitude
Red - flashy
Striped - refusal
White - remembrance
Yellow - cheerful

Crocus:foresight
Chrysanthemum:wonderful friend
Daffodil:chivalry
Daisy:innocence
Forget-Me-Not:remember me forever
Gardenia:joy
Geranium:comfort
Holly:domestic happiness
Hyacinth:sincerity
Iris:inspiration
Ivy:fidelity
Jasmine:grace and elegance
Lilac:first love

Lily:
Calla - regal
Casablanca - celebration
Day - enthusiasm
Stargazer - ambition
White - purity

Lily-Of-The-Valley:purity and humility
Orchid:delicate beauty
Pansy:loving thoughts
Poppy:consolation
Queen Anne's Lace:fantasy

Rose:

Pink - friendship
Red - passionate love
Red & white - unity
White - purity
Yellow - friendship

Snapdragon:presumptuous
Sunflower:adoration
Sweet Pea:shyness
Sweet William:perfection
Violet:faithfulness

On Books...

2008-06-11T05:02:00.014-02:30

I have had many people mention that they can look at photos, clip art, or pictures and cannot quite seem to picture how the quilled shapes would fall into place for a project.

You have been there too, I would guess: sitting at your table with a whole pile of pretty colored paper, glue and pins ready to go and not a single idea to help it come together.

Fortunately, there are many books out there for those who need a little nudge in the inspiration department. I find that doing a small project from a book pattern or even just making a whole bunch of coils can work much the same as writing a word over and over if you happen to get writer's block.

Don't get me wrong; some of the most beautiful quilling patterns you will ever see are the ones that are published, and I have to admit there are some books that I really enjoy for the variety of patterns they offer.... some of the photos in the gallery are a dead giveaway of that. =)

So, my favorite quilling book of all time? The Craft of Paper Quilling by Malinda Johnson. It was the first book I ever bought, and I have made everything in it at least twice. It goes from basic steps right to miniatures, from gift tags to chess boards (which, by the way, doesn't take as long as you would imagine). The projects are easy to follow - and like I said before, are gorgeous when you're finished. Definitely worth the investment.

Next up, Quilling Techniques and Inspiration by Jane Jenkins. Again, lovely book. My favorite patterns in it are the 'Victorian Fan', and the 'Foxgloves'. Actually , the foxglove pattern was the entire reason I bought the book...what a great idea for using graduated paper; it hadn't occurred to me beforehand. Not only that, this book goes over many different quilling techniques that Ms. Johnson's book does not, henceforth making it a great addition to your collection.

The third one I am going to mention is Twirled Paper by Jaqueline Lee. This book is a great idea for beginners. The paper that comes with it is good quality and there is enough to do just about all the projects in the book. Not only that, it has a small bottle of glue, a slotted tool and wiggly eyes to help the quilled critters come to life. It is geared toward children, but it's a fabulous gift for someone who's never tried quilling.

One more thing... if you do make designs from pictures, there's a place you should check out: Dover Publishing. Sign up for their weekly emails; the majority of the clipart and pictures from the book previews are royalty free and great to use for patterns for your projects.

Quilling Combs

2007-09-06T14:22:00.027-02:30

Finally, our quilling comb has been added to our shop! Not sure what to do with it besides pin your hair up? Here is a little how to with some examples to get you experimenting...

First off, cascades. It's a little different than traditional quilling in the the strips are folded over one another instead of being coiled... kind of like a flat husking. The plus point is that it adds interest to your quillwork when used in designs. For example, a quilled angel decoration is so much more visually interesting when cascades are used for the wings; they become a wonderful contrast to the rounded shapes in the quilled dress.

So, how do we go about making cascades? It's easy...

Start at the bottom tooth of your comb. The simplest way to start off is to finger quill a very small loop, the same way you would start a coil, and glue it shut. Now, holding the comb sideways, hook this loop onto the bottom tooth and draw your strip up. Which tooth you loop your strip over depends on how tall you need your cascade. Bring it back down and loop under your starting point.

The next thing you need to decide is whether you need a half cascade or a whole one. A whole cascade is done just like a husking, in a side to side looping motion and is good for leaves, angel gowns, quilt block patterns, etc. Half cascades are good for angel and butterfly wings, baskets, and you guessed it...is made the same way as you would if you were doing only one side of a husking.

Some examples:

Now, what else are quilling combs good for? If you're making a project that requires impeccable symmetry, they're fantastic for creating matching wheatears. To do this, make a finger roll a little loop, the same way you did to start off a cascade and hook this onto the first tooth again.

Holding the comb with the points facing you, loop your paper over every second or third tooth and bring it back down to loop under. Space your loops closer for a short wheatear, and wider (for example, every sixth tooth) for longer ones. Long wheatears are good for sprays and stems in floral patterns, while short ones make a beautiful contrasting leaf.

Now that you have the knack of how a quilling comb can be a great addition to your tools, don't be afraid to experiment! If you have a very busy schedule, cascades and wheatears can really give your projects a sense of complicity, even if you spent less time than usual creating them; and the contrast of the shapes make your patterns even more aesthetically pleasing to look at.

The Paper Gilding Incident

2007-08-08T10:50:00.001-02:30

In keeping with the notion that quilling is not considered an art unless it is gilded with a precious or semi precious metal (see my previous post), this past weekend I decided to give gilding a try. It was an eye opening experience, not to mention a messy one... unfortunately, I tend to wear all my projects. There are so many ways to gild a piece of creativity; I was unsure how to go about it.

For those of you that are not sure what I mean by gilding, it is the process of applying metal leaf to a project. Metal leaf usually is available in gold, silver, and copper and is incredibly thin and delicate. You can also get imitation leaf in those same colors, plus a few more - including pewter - because there is no real metal in them.

I went to the local craft store to see what they had in stock. They did indeed have both real metal and imitation leaf... but what I was not ready for was the different ways to apply it. There was a wax that you applied with your fingers, a liquid solution, a self adhering leaf, and of course the traditional kind which required a plethora of chemical solutions. The wax, however, did not have any metal in it... so that was out of the question, as was the self adhering leaf, for the same reason.

The liquid and traditional leaf did have metal present in the composition; the kicker for me was that the liquid was tarnish resistant and seemed easier to apply to quilling than the sheets of leaf, so that's what I brought home. It was classic gold, although the solution was made with a derivative of copper.

The project I chose to experiment on was a wooden frame I had decorated with quillwork for my mother in law. It was something simple so if I messed up, I could redo it easily. First thing I did was seal it with an matte acrylic spray to protect the paper, as I had no idea what effect the solution would have on a porous material. I tried applying it with a brush first, but the solution dried so fast that I barely had time to get it on the coils - a sponge brush was not good, either. A linen rag worked well... the leaf was oily enough that you could rub it on.

A word of caution... use gloves! I found this out the hard way after the liquid soaked through my rag. And the only thing that removes it is xylene... or thinner for car paint. But the result is so nice that all the scrubbing was worth it. The metal powder in the solution was so fine that the coverage was amazing... there was no need for a second coat unless you wanted to. And the shimmer was beautiful; it immediately lit up the coils and scrolls so that you could notice every loop. If you put it on thickly on your pegs, they look like solid pieces and become a great contrast to the open quilling shapes.

I used a tan colored quilling paper, so it tended to blend in with the gold leaf and made it look as if the quillwork was totally gilded. In essence, I think the gold leaf enhanced the quilling itself and made the finished piece more visually pleasing to look at. I don't think I would purchase gold edged quilling paper again... leaf is so much brighter and customizable, even though it is a little more work.

I especially like that I can control the thickness of the application; the thicker gilded portions actually look like real metal filigree, and prompted me to wonder if my gilding resembled the work of the European nuns centuries ago.

Things that I learned about using liquid to gild quilling:

Messy, but fun

Use gloves

You should probably go outside to do it the first time, if you're a bit of a klutz like me

Seal your work with acrylic spray before you gild

Very traditional looking; seems nicer than ungilded quillwork for framed pieces

Fingers or a linen rag work best

Gild your quilling before you mount it on anything, the liquid is very watery

A fine paintbrush is good if you need to get into little spaces

This week I will try my hand at using the sheets of gold leaf to gild my quillwork, and I will post a comparison. I'm still trying to clean the liquid gold leaf off my nails :)

Apple Blossom Pattern

2007-07-31T21:49:00.000-02:30

If you haven't noticed by now, I love to make floral patterns.
This one is from the apple trees in my backyard. The blossoms are gone this time of the year, but are replaced with tiny green apples which will be ready to pick in about a month.

Apple%20Blossom.pdf

Who knows? Maybe an apple pattern will surface in a week or two ;)

In the meantime, if you have an idea for a pattern and you just can't seem to visualize it (or are looking for one that you are having trouble finding a pattern for), I'd be happy to make one up for you...drop me a message through the form submission on the 'Customer Service' page.

It's free, and I'll post it here on my blog for you to download, with a little note of who the idea came from, of course!

Niki

Quilling - Hobby or Art?

2007-07-25T19:38:00.002-02:30

Recently I was challenged with the question of whether quilling was an art or just a hobby craft.

To be honest, I had not really considered it until now; I assumed anything a person made through their own innate creativity was art. I had quite a bit of difficulty answering this question, and I'm not entirely sure I've done so even now; but I have managed to dig up enough information to shed a bit of light on the subject.

You can ask any serious quiller whether they believe their work is an art or a craft, and they will tell you that they wholeheartedly consider their work to be art - myself included.

Unfortunately, quilling is considered a hobby craft in the art world, like scrapbooking and wood burning. This is because it is most commonly associated with scrapbooking and paper crafting.

From an art critique's approach, although a quilling pattern may be original, the techniques and materials used nowadays are not. And in respect to that point of view, there is no real transformation of materials or unique signature of the person who created it. To put it bluntly, any two people can go out and purchase the same or similar materials, use the same pattern and produce nearly identical pieces. And that's why quilling falls through the cracks in the art gallery floor, so to speak.

I know this point of view is highly argumentative, and I want to reassure you that I do not share this opinion on quilling - I believe each piece is unique in its own way and that quilling is an art form, albeit a lost one.

I posed the question to the members of NAQG (North American Quilling Guild) and received some great responses and insight. I also contacted Mary Walker, a professional quiller in British Columbia, Canada, who had managed to convince her local art community to recognize quillwork as a true art form. She currently has many pieces on display in art galleries across Canada.

According to Ms. Walker, who has done extensive research in her quest to revive the artistic side of quilling, it did actually start out as a craft. The common shapes used in quilling, marquises, pegs, teardrops, etc. are Egyptian in origin. Thirteenth century quilling extended from this craft, as Italian nuns began to create them with paper on a quill.

Two centuries later, the nuns were melting silver or gold and covering the exposed surfaces of the paper, softening the edges. At this point in history, a name was chosen for this pasttime and 'quilling' became recognized as an art. This was because by artists' own definitions: when you add a precious or semi precious metal to anything, you have created a work of art.

So, unless you soften the edges of your quillwork with gold or silver, it falls into the craft category. But if melting your own gold and silver is not an option for you, there is also a special paper available at quilling supply shops which already has the edges softened, thus giving the finish you need.

Once you work is gilded, then and only then are you actually quilling in the traditional sense of the work - and creating art.

Random Pattern

2007-07-22T22:09:00.001-02:30

As I was playing around with my fringer today I came up with a new flower...they look just like the astilbes in my mother in law's patio garden. So I thought I'd share with everyone...

Astilbepattern.pdf

New Stuff

2007-07-14T22:40:00.000-02:30

Some news to share with you: Lake City Craft products will soon be added to the store! That means some new papers to choose from, and of course new kits. Don't forget the shipping is free...

Also in the next day or so I will also be adding a new free pattern or two and some new completed pieces for sale in the Showcase. My latest inspiration has come from my hometown, so most of the pieces have a distinct Newfoundland flavor to them, so to speak.

Oh, and there is a new piece of equipment you've just got to pick up in Accessories later this week - BLQ's own Quilling Comb. They're perfect for making quillwork with the combing method, looping wheatears, and marking your paper strips for zigzags.

I have never used one before this week... but I can't believe how easy and uniform your wheatears turn out! I would never make another leaf without it... the comb is just like having an extra hand :)

It used to drive me crazy getting glue all over my fingers from holding the bottom of the wheatear; but that won't happen anymore, now that I've discovered the wonders of a quilling comb.

Stay tuned for the patterns!

Ta daaa!

2007-07-02T21:49:00.001-02:30

Finally, after weeks of hard work by Ron at Thoughtform ...and a little help from me :), the site is live again! There's been lots of changes; the most noticeable being the overall layout. New colors, new easy to navigate buttons, new pages....

The 25 cent tour:

The quilling paper shop is organized into categories based on color, making it easier to find the color you're looking for, along with separate buttons for each size available.
Our custom quilling services are still available and we have a new order form for you!
There's a new section called the Showcase. This is where you'll find completed artwork for sale....most of the pieces in there are original and unique, but some - like the love bird and mini furniture -are from patterns created by other quillers.
We have a new weblog. It is replacing the old monthly newsletters, so you'll find specials posted here and an occasional free pattern, because we know how hard they are to find :)
To learn how to subscribe to our weblog's RSS feed, we have instructions on the bottom of our F.A.Q. page.

And of course there's the usual pages: FAQ, About Us, etc. So do a 'walk through', take in the new look and feel of the site.

Oh, check your artwork collection and go through your supplies to see what you need to buy....there's free shipping available!

Stuck on Glue: An Experiment in Adhesives

2007-03-01T21:58:00.000-03:30

With so many glues available on the market, sometimes it is hard to choose the right one. I had heard that Aileen's Tacky Glue is the best glue for just about any paper craft, so I decided to test the theory. After visiting the nearest craft store, I picked up some different kinds of Aileen's glues, as well as some others to compare with. I now had six types of glue to try out, which included:

Uhu Glue Stick
Scotch Quick Dry Tacky Glue
Elmer's White Glue
Aileen's Original Tacky Glue
Aileen's Quick Dry Tacky Glue
Aileen's Clear Gel Tacky Glue

I also used two different types of paper for my experiment; a heavier cardstock (cover weight) quill strip, and lighter (text weight) quill strip.

Uhu Glue Stick. Right away, I noticed that the glue stick is tacky, but not tacky enough. I found you almost need the liquidity of the other glues in order to get the right consistency to hold a quill without having to wait until the end of time for it to stick. It worked better on the lighter paper than the heavier one. The stick also proved to be the cleanest form of glue to use. It dries clear… no need to dip your tool into it and get it all over your hands. The bottom line: not enough tack, but if you have patience, a great alternative to wet glue if you're taking a long trip via car or bus.
Scotch Quick Dry Tacky Glue. This is a great glue to use for making your quills. It tacks quickly, dries even quicker, and does not string. It was okay for putting together projects as well, but I found that it didn't dry as clear as the bottle says it does. If you make a mistake with it while assembling your project, there is a possibility that you'll be able to see the residue on your creation. The bottom line: nice glue to work with, easy to use, but can dry opaque, thus ruining your artwork.
Elmer's White Glue. An old favorite, and always reliable if you don't have any specialty glue on hand. I found this glue almost too wet for the light paper, and too low a tack for the thicker paper; I had to pin it for nearly five minutes. However, it dries wonderfully clear, and because it is slower drying, it's easier to fix errors, or if you accidentally use too much glue. The bottom line: tried and true if you're in a pinch, but because of the slow drying time, it takes much longer to complete your project.
Aileen's Original Tacky Glue. A classic for quilling, I tested three types of Aileen’s glue to see if the different types were comparable. The ‘Original’ glue is like regular white glue except about five times more effective. Both papers stick well and quickly, drying time was minimal (about a minute or two) and dries clear and matte. Great for quills as well as assembling projects because of its very strong bond. The glue cleans up easy too. The bottom line: the glue does everything the bottle promises.
Aileen's Quick Dry Tacky Glue. Again, just as effective as the original glue, but dries twice as quick. After testing both types of paper, I realized you only need about 15-20 seconds for this glue to stick permanently. The pro to this is obvious: you can blaze through projects. The con is that because it sticks so quickly, you tend to get residue stuck on your fingers and transfer it to your work, so it can be pretty messy - but well worth the effort if you use it carefully and are aiming to cut your glue time in half. The bottom line: very effective glue, but it does tend to dry too quickly for quilling and can be messy.
Aileen's Clear Gel Tacky Glue. This glue is as good as the rest of the Aileen’s line; its claim to fame would definitely be that it dries nearly invisible! Fantastic for assembling projects because even if you smothered it with glue, once it dries you can't see it. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the exact same tackiness as the white glues, and I found it to be not as good for making quills quickly. Its stickiness resembles more the basic white glue than the other Aileen’s products. The bottom line: the best glue for assembling projects, bar none. Leaves something to be desired when it comes to making quills.

After testing out the different glues, I ranked the top three. Taking into account drying times, clearness of dried product, tackiness, cleanliness, and ease of use, I would have to give first place to Aileen's Original Tacky Glue. Its overall performance was the best out of all six glues, and it helped me create the most professional looking quills. Second place would be given to the Clear Gel Tacky Glue, because of the final appearance (or disappearance!) of the dry product. And in third place, is the Scotch Quick Dry Tacky Glue, because it does not get stringy, and the speed in which the glue tacks and dries.

My final word on the proper glue for quilling is more of a suggestion: to get the best of both worlds, pick up a bottle of Clear Gel Tacky Glue and one of the Original Tacky Glue. Put some of each into a contact lens case, and use it from there. You then have access to both glues and can use them interchangeably for what they're best suited for. Plus, a lens case is a lot easier to tote around than the whole bottle!