Quilling: Illuminated Capital "L"

I was recently asked to make a quilled letter for a birthday present. Something not very complex and not too large so that could fit on a desktop. The present was meant for a person whose first name started with "L". This is how my first illuminated quilled letter was created.

I admire the quilled letters made by quilling artists like Sabeena Karnik and Sarah Yakawonis, but I had never done it myself. As always before starting to quill I did my little research, seeing a lot of illuminated and quilled letters on the Internet. After that I drew a sketch. The recipient was a lady and her favorite color was blue, that was the reason I used shades of blue and floral motifs for this project. I cut out a letter "L" from blue cardstock, glued it on а background and decorated with quilling according to my sketch. Asters, Bellflowers, Lily of the Valley, and other flowers embellish the letter. A blue butterfly adds a finishing touch to the project.

Size of the picture is 13 x 18 cm (5 1/8 x 7 1/8 inch), it is framed in a white shadow box with glass to last long.