Native flower cards Capture the beauty of the Australian bush with our lovely quilted flower cards.

Capture the beauty of the Australian bush with our lovely quilled bottle brush and wattle flower cards. Made for us by quilling artist Phyllis Robertson, they are quite different from any quilling you may have seen before.

You'll need:

Materials:

Blank cards
Back permanent marker pen
Thread clippers, curved manicure scissors, small straight-bladed embroidery scissors
Needle quilling tool
Slotted quilling tool
Wooden satay stick
Aquadhere, PVA glue
Wooden or plastic toothpick (for applying the glue)
Sewing needles
Smooth quilling paper as listed above

Here's how

Bottlebrush

Step 1
Refer to the diagram and, using the black marker pen, colour along the extreme lengthwise edge of the crimson paper. Using the thread clippers, fringe very finely along the black edge leaving a border of about 2mm. You'll need 19 lengths about 5cm long. Cut nineteen 5cm lengths of 3mm sage green and attach one to each length of fringed crimson.

Step 2
Using the slotted tool, roll from the green end forming a short cone-shaped shaft. Continue rolling the fringed paper and glue the end. Coat the shaft with glue, making sure the crimson base ends are bonded. Set aside to dry.

Step 3
For bottlebrush centre stem, cut a 4.5cm length of 9mm sage green. Glue an additional piece to this width and roll it around a wooden satay stick. Glue to secure. Always remember to keep joins at the back. Glue the base of blossom green shaft into the top of this stem, then continue to glue a row of six blossoms down the centre of the stem, placing the shaft of the first one 5mm below the crimson baseline of the top blossom. Evenly space the remaining five blossoms, placing the last one at the base of the stem.

Begin the second and third rows above the first and continue between the spaces of the first row. When completed, these form a 'V' with the centre row between the 'V'.

Note. When gluing blossoms, turn the stem on the side so that the row being glued is on a flat surface. Leave in this position to set before attempting the next row. Open out fringing. Cut three small sage green leaves and glue into the top blossom.

Step 4
Fold 9mm dark olive paper lengthwise and cut five leaves, varying the lengths from 4cm to 4.5cm.

Note: Folding the paper this way will give you a centre crease in the leaves.

Wattle blossom

Step 5
Fringe 6mm lemon paper leaving a border of 2mm. Cut six pieces about 10cm long. Roll on needle tool and glue the base. Leave to dry. Open out the fringing. Cut 12 small leaves from sage green paper.

Quilling tools

Slotted quilling tool: a small metal rod 2-2.5cm long with a lengthwise slot, set in I a wooden handle. The slot holds the end of the paper strip and makes rolling easy.

Needle quilling tool: resembles a needle with an eye cut off at the top and set in a wooden handle. The open eye holds the paper end; you can make a tight roll with it.

Mounting Note: When gluing the leaves in place, attach them by the stem end, leaving the tip free. The stems are all glued onto the card on their edges.

Step 6
Glue the bottlebrush centre stem on the card. Cut an 8.5cm piece of oak brown and glue in place for the stem. Position dark olive leaves at the flower base. Cut sage green stem pieces (7, 6, 4.5 and 2.5cm) and glue in place. Add the wattle and leaves.

More quilling: Daisy lampshade
The art of quilling

From: Better Homes and Gardens TV October 1996