By Show Me Step by StepPublished
Based on a video by Paper Zen - Cecelia Louie.
A quilled monogram letter turns a plain card into something people keep. You stand a narrow strip of paper on its edge, bend it around the outline of a letter, and glue it down so the letter rises off the page. Cecelia Louie of Paper Zen shows the whole outline on a lowercase k, with a clever trick for keeping every straight side straight.
Chunky, simple fonts are the easiest place to start. Straight sides and clean corners are far easier to bend than tight curves or thin serifs. A lowercase k like this one has lots of corners but no curves, so it is good practice. Print the letter at the size of your card front. A 4.25 x 5.5 inch card or a 6 inch square both work well. If you plan to frame the monogram, go bigger so the outline has room to breathe.
Lay the strip right on the template and follow the line. Crease each corner with your fingernail so it is crisp. If you lose track of which way the next bend goes, set the strip back down on the letter and look. A strip cut from a letter-size sheet may not reach all the way around. That is fine. Plan one or two joins and hide them at a corner where the seam disappears.
An old gift card or transit card with a clean edge makes a ruler that also holds the paper up. Tape it down along one straight side of the letter with removable tape. Push the strip against it while the glue grabs, and that side stays dead straight. Move the card for each long edge.
Pour a small puddle of tacky glue and dip only the bottom edge of the section you are placing. Lift the rest of the strip away so it does not drag through the glue and smear the card. Glue the anchor segments first. Once they hold, the floating parts are much easier to set. For the final corners, pick up a dot of glue on a needle tool and run it along the edge before you press the two ends together.
Leave the outline plain for a clean modern look, or fill it with tight coils, scrolls and tiny flowers. Make a birthday card with the person's initial, a framed nursery monogram, a wedding card or a gift tag. Grandchildren love seeing their own letter.
New to quilling? Start with paper quilling for beginners, then add a quilled daisy inside your letter. Turn it into a card with how to make a card or a handmade thank you card.
9 steps · about 8 minutes.Check off each step as you go and your progress saves automatically.
Print your letter and set it on your work surface, or transfer it onto the card you will glue to. Take a long quilling strip and lay it flat along the outline so you can see where it needs to go. Cecelia starts at the base of the k, where the first fold turns toward the right. Have a second strip nearby in case the first one runs short.
Tip
A guide box around the letter helps you center it on the card later.
Work your way around the letter, bending the strip at every corner. Pinch each fold firmly so the crease is crisp and the angle matches the template. If you are not sure which way the next bend goes, put the strip down on the outline and follow it with your eye. If the strip is too short, plan a join at a corner and carry on with a new piece.
Tip
Crease with a fingernail for sharper corners than fingertips alone give.
Before any glue goes on, stand the folded strip on its edge right over the template. Every side should line up with the printed outline. If one leg is too long or a corner is off, now is the time to adjust it. Small fixes are easy at this stage and almost impossible once the strip is glued down on the card.
Tip
Fold a little longer than you need. Trimming is easier than stretching.
Find a stiff plastic card with a clean edge, like an old gift card or transit card. Line its edge up with the bottom of the letter and hold it in place with removable tape. When you press the paper strip against that edge, the side of the letter will come out straight. Your eye will not catch any dips or bumps.
Tip
Removable tape lifts off the card without tearing the surface.
Start with the bottom parts of the k. Dip only the lower edge of those segments in a little tacky glue, keeping the rest of the strip lifted. Set them on the outline with tweezers and push them against the card edge until they grab. Gluing these anchor sections first gives the whole letter a base, and the free parts are easier to place after that.
Tip
Pour a small puddle of glue and dip into it. A bottle tip puts on too much.
Lift the plastic card and move it to the next straight side. Turn your work around if that makes the glue easier to reach. Lift the next segment out of the way, dip its edge, and set it down along the outline. Lifting each part before you dip it keeps glue from smearing on the sides of the strip or the card.
Tip
Corners are easy to move aside, so you can reach the segment behind them.
Bring the card back to guide the long diagonal of the k into its corner. As you press down with one hand, give the strip a gentle tug toward the corner with the other. That keeps it taut so it lies straight instead of bowing. Hold it for a few seconds until the glue sets enough to stay put.
Tip
A taut strip dries straight. A loose one dries wavy.
Move on to the top arm of the letter. Put glue only on the base of that part and set it on the outline with tweezers. Keep lifting and gluing one short section at a time. Some corners are too tight to fit the card into, so do your best by eye and glue both sides of that corner at the same time.
Tip
Nudge the strip against the outline with a fingertip to butt edges together.
Pick up a small dot of glue on a needle tool. Push the last loose end aside, run the glue up the edge, and bring the two corners together. Add a touch of glue under any spot still lifting off the card. Let the outlined letter dry flat. You can leave it plain or fill it with coils and scrolls later.
Tip
Wipe the needle tool often so dried glue does not build up on the tip.
Keep going
How to Emboss Paper With Heat and Embossing Powder
How to Make a Quilled Monogram Letter
E6000
E6000 Craft Adhesive, Clear (3.7 oz)
The industrial-strength craft glue that bonds glass, wood, ceramic, metal, fabric, and concrete. The one adhesive most craft projects reach for.
Gorilla
Gorilla Dual-Temp Full-Size Hot Glue Gun
Dual-temp so it handles delicate florals and heavy materials alike. A precise nozzle and built-in stand make it the everyday craft-table gun.
OLFA
OLFA 18" x 24" Self-Healing Cutting Mat
The pro-standard cutting surface. Gridlines for square cuts, self-healing so blades never leave grooves, and big enough for paper, fabric, and leather.
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