Quilled Valentine - Hearts in a Heart

Here's a quilled Valentine card idea that was the result of experimenting with the quilling technique called alternate side looping or husking. It's the looping of paper strips - rather than more typical rolling - and is often used to make leaves or flower petals. 

 

What if I made long loops of irregular lengths and shaped them as if curling ribbon? Voilà! The result was this white shape that kind of/sort of reminds me of a heart. By adding small heart scrolls and text that truly declare it a heart, there will be no misunderstanding. :)

Directions for alternate side looping/husking can be found in this recent quilled Valentine tutorial. You'll create loops of different sizes by hand, gluing each one at the heart base as you wrap the paper back and forth from side to side. (There's no need to use straight pins and a board - I find that method fiddly) 

 

Unlike the husked leaves seen at the link, don't surround the loops as the final step. Instead, hold the base and curl each loop with the edge of a scissors blade.

I printed the interior message on a square of patterned paper and quilled a small motif for each rounded corner made up of two flag scrolls and a heart scroll.

To make a heart scroll: Fold a 3 inch strip in half. Roll one end to the fold, allow the coil to relax, and slip it off the tool. Repeat with the opposite end.

To make a flag scroll: Fold a 3 inch strip in half. With the strip still folded, roll the ends together toward the fold.

I like the way the sheer ribbon with solid edges goes with the lines in the embossed card card blank sourced from DCWV. I think this card style has been discontinued unfortunately, but I've seen them at Michaels in boxed sets.

Hearts can be used for more than just Valentine's Day cards - engagements, weddings, and new babies come to mind. And so I made this version with pale pink and silver-edged quilling paper and topped it off with a bit of angora yarn. Hmm, the heart looks more like a shamrock though.

How would I mail a dimensional card like this one? Very carefully! It's probably safest to deliver it in person - perhaps as a gift topper. If it has to be mailed, put it inside a sturdy box with a layer of chubby bubble wrap on top so the loops won't be crushed.