Make a Quilled Bird Pendant

Thanks to inspiration from my Twitter friend, Sharon Bennett, I created a quilled bird pendant to wear this fall.



But more about the bird in a moment... first I'd like to introduce you to Sharon, an illustrator who creates template books for David and Charles, and designs projects for UK craft magazines. Not only does she draw and paint beautifully, Sharon has a most generous spirit: all of the original designs on her blog, Steady On! [edit: no longer available], may be grabbed and printed for personal use in card making or any other paper crafting pursuit.




If you like to quill, I think you'll find that many of Sharon's designs are perfect for rolled paper interpretation.



Perhaps you've noticed the popularity of bird graphics lately. They're fluttering about in so many places... on stationery, invitations, print ads, you name it. Well then... Sharon's blog entry on September 4 caught my eye. Dear, swirly little birds!



I had a feeling she wouldn't mind if I tried my hand at quilling one, but I emailed to ask. Happily, Sharon was excited about the project and loved how the bird turned out.



If you would like to make a necklace of your own, here are a few tips to get you started:

In order for the paper to be sturdy enough to retain the outline, begin by gluing several strips of gilded-edge quilling paper together, one on top of the next. When the paper stack is completely dry, (otherwise it will buckle) use your fingers and the handle of a quilling tool to shape the outline. Then just add rolled teardrop coils for the wing, headdress feathers, and tail feathers. There! Something new to wear tomorrow.



Bronze colored satin cording makes a quick and easy necklace. Finish it off with an adjustable sliding knot.

Brand new to quilling? Start with this basic quilling tutorial.

Update: I've added a complete quilled bird necklace tutorial.

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