Quilled butterfly in a shadowbox
This quilled butterfly was inspired by the awesome creations of Claire Choi. It's a birthday present for my husband. I printed out a photo of a Papilio ulysses butterfly and used it to draw the pattern. The both wings were assembled at the same time on a cork board, covered with wax paper. As always, I used hand-cut paper strips.
Around the butterfly I added my favorite double fringed flowers. The design is framed into a 14x14 cm (5 1/2 x 5 1/2'') deep IKEA frame.
Comments
Esther, I wish you success, I'm sure you'll enjoy this great craft.
Lou
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thanks in advance
kavi:)
Wonderful work. Ever since I have discovered your blog I spend my lunch break browsing through it and I am more and more amazed each time. I am new to quilling, have done a couple of pieces here and there but nothing major. I would like to give it a try and create this butterfly which looks so real. While I understand how the wings are done, I still can't get around on how you created the body with the two colors in order to give it the spiral effect. I have tried making a tight circle using two different colored strips and then shape it into a cone. However, my cone had one color on the outside and the other color on the inside. :-)
Thank you in advance,
Sandra
Sorry for the late reply. In order to make the body, line up two quilling strips lengthwise and shift one against the other at approx. 1/3 of the width, widthwise. Keep the strips together. Insert their end into the slit of a quilling tool and start rolling as you normally do, but advance the strips with your fingers a little as you roll. Keep trying until you create a nice spiral in the shape of a cone, the closed end around the tip of your quilling tool. Secure the strips at the open end. Hope this helps, but if it doesn't, please let me know. Good luck!
Thank you for your swift reply. I totally forgot I contacted you in this matter, and tonight, after speding a few hours out of weeks on my butterfly body and finally succeeding making it I remembered. Please see below the my funny story.
I rolled together in a tight circle two strips, one black and one blue. Before starting rolling them I glued the ends together one on top of the other and I was very careful not to roll them too tight. When I was pushing my cone and easily arranging the coils with my fingers, one of the coils fell out of the cone. I got so upset, I just threw the piece on the table and went to the bedroom to get dressed and go to the corner shop. On the way out I stopped by my desk and I noticed that my circle became undone, but the paper was still curled and the two glued ends kinda kept everything together. So here I am fully dressed to go out in the cold, with my big puffy winter coat on working on my butterfly body. I rewinded the cone with my fingers and gently arranging the coils to show both colors. I was so hot and sweaty but I knew that was the moment, I couldn't give up. When I finally glued the wider end and started applying glue inside the cone I realized that my needle tool was not long enough, so I poured glued inside the cone. Now what I thought? Soon the glue will start leaking out through the bottom. I quickly took the toothpick jar, emptied it and I placed the cone inside the small hole though where one takes the toothpick out. By the time I came back the excess of glue was already out of the cone.
Then I was thinking how I could make the head as a fat paper bead because I did not have quilling sheets of the same color in order to make triangles. So I took one strip of blue paper and creased it as much as possible. I put glue on my the tip of my thumb and index finger and started rolling it to look as much as possible like a ball. The glue helped moisten the paper and keep it all together. When I was done, and while the ball of paper was still wet from the glue I rolled it a couple of times in between my palms. And voila, I got my head.
Thank you for everything,
Sandra
I have finished my butterfly inspired by you and posted a picture on quilledcreations.com.
I am enclosing the link for easy reference http://www.quilledcreations.com/quillinggallery/showphoto.php?photo=4356
If the link doesn't work and if you are a member and would like to view it my nickname is SandraCC.
Once again thank you for your help and support.
Sandra
The link mentioned above does not work anymore, as I wanted to do some editing to my posting and it was deleted in error. Here is the correct link.
http://www.quilledcreations.com/quillinggallery/showphoto.php?photo=4356
Thank you,
Sandra
I would love to feature your work and picture in one of my article and of course lead traffic to your blog. I am fascinated with paper quilling and I have carried a variety of paper quilled cards in my store and I think your blog is truly amazing:)
I enclosed a quick link to my article and I officially ask you permission to use your picture on my article. I would love to suggest to my public that they could always frame and display the cards or any work that they create. If you agree and think this is an awesome idea just make sure to leave a quick comment on my page :)
All my best,
Michelle Mafra
http://www.squidoo.com/quilling-cards