Quilling Art, By Sena Runa. Review.

Quilling Art

By Sena Runa

GMC Publications, 2017

Paperback, £14.99 UK/ $19.95 US

ISBN 9781784943677

Star rating: ****

Quilling designer Sena Runa has a refreshingly contemporary and irreverent approach to quilling. Her designs have a beguiling fluidity and elegance. She has a successful online business – and in her new book, she generously shares her designs and making-up techniques. 

Sena’s preferred method is to create an outer shape which is then filled with quilled coils and shaped strips. A drawn template is your guide. Sena has a wonderful way with quilling strips – for example, the yin-yang effect inside the diamond compartments of her Snowflake design. She has an excellent eye for colour, and chooses pretty and playful motifs. She is also not afraid to combine quilling with whimsical drawn elements – the Mermaid, for example.  

The upfront section takes you through the paces of basic quilling techniques – shapes and best practice. 

Projects include Sun, Cloud, Heart, Lion, Duck Fish, Butterfly, Apple,Rose, Tulip, Birthday Balloons, Sailboat, Coffee Cup, and the previously mentioned Mermaid. Clear photographic step-by-steps are provided for each project. Back-of-book, full-size templates are provided.

The suggestion to display the designs as ribbon-hung ornaments is a very appealing idea – one which would make a superb stocking filler (if you got cracking with your quilling). The learning curve is not steep – but the papery curves are infinite! Well done, Sena Runa.

Note: I was provided with a review copy of this title.

Easy Papercut Ornaments

Here's an easy papercutting project designed for double-sided paper. It is fun to make - the template is constructed from a single strip of paper. There's a wow moment when the final design appears.

The flip side of the ornament looks like this: 

.... so use it as a decorative giftwrap embellishment.

Here is your free papercut ornament file:
PapercutOrnament.pdf 
PapercutOrnament.svg 

PapercutOrnament.studio3 

I print the flip side of my paper with the colour of my choice. I make the folds against a small metal ruler. When folding, make sure the cut-outs are on top.
Add a craft thread hanging loop.

So, a quick project featuring two of my favourite papercraft-y things - papercutting and double-sided paper.
 

Nested Doll Pockets

Here's a fun paper take on Russian matryoshka dolls. Print and cut the three dolls - they all fit on to one A4 sheet of photocopier card! :)
They make cute party favours or envelope enclosures - but they are not for under 3s. (Of course, you can enlarge them on the photocopier.)

Here are your free nested dolls:
Nested Dolls.pdf 
NestedDolls.studio3 

Making up is a cinch. The how-tos are printed on the page.

Happy papercrafting. :)