Today I have a big fat tutorial to share with you. It looks really really scary and detailed, but it’s not so bad. Trust me. I’ll hold your hand through the whole thing.
I’ve made a ton of these over the years and they never fail to elicit oohs and aahs. This is a perfect application for quilling. Snowflakes are best when they’re all scroll-y and complicated, and that’s when quilling is at its best too. You just need to remember that it’s only rolled up paper, and break it down to each little piece.
Cut a bunch of 1/4″ strips from a piece of 12 x 12 cardstock. I like using an icy blue color, but a true white looks great too. You can make your strips thicker if you want and it will work just great. They’ll look a little more substantial against the tree or on a package and they’ll be a little more sturdy. I happen to like the lacey look of the thinner strips and find them to be sturdy enough.
From those thin strips, here’s what you need to cut
1 – 6″ strip for the center round
8 – 3″ strips for the arms
4 – 6″ strips for the scrolls
4 – 3″ strips for the teardrop
4 – 2″ strips for the marquis
You’ll need some kind of a quilling tool, which you can find at Michael’s in the stamping aisle, or you can just make your own by cutting the top off of a needle with a pair of tin snips or wire cutters.
Insert the paper strip into the notch of the quilling tool, bring the tool to the very end of the paper, and begin rolling.
Let’s start with the 6″ center round. Once you master making the round, you can make any other shape. And it’s even easier than it sounds. Roll it all the way up, and then let it go so that it relaxes into a more loosely wound circle.
Spread a little glue on the tail end, and glue it down. Typically when you quill, you’d tear the very tip off before you glue down the other end. That feathery torn edge blends into the rest of the shape, where a cut end will form a definite ridge. Here, you won’t notice any ridge so it’s not worth the extra step.
The Round shape also provides a basis for the teardrop shape and the marquis.
For the teardrop shape, you’ll take one side of a round made from one of the 3″ strips and pinch it to create a point. Since we haven’t bothered to blend our ends in, I try to line up that ridge with the point at the top of the teardrop to disguise it.
The marquis is made the exact same way. Make a Round out of a 2″ strip, glue the end in place, and pinch both ends to create two points.
Next let’s make the scrolls. Fold a 6″ strip in half and roll each end up to that halfway point. As is this is a heart shape. Typically a scroll isn’t folded, but it helps to have a measuring point and we’ll be gluing that point down anyway, so it won’t show.
Sorry about the blurry pictures. I really needed a macro lens for this project.
The last piece is for the arms, made out of a 3″ strip. On one end of the strip, roll in about twice.
On the other end, roll in until the piece measures roughly 1″. Measurements are really loose here. The only thing that matters is that they’re all about the same height. Whether that height is a fraction of an inch taller or shorter doesn’t matter at all.
That’s it. You’ve made all your pieces. The rest is just putting it together. Start by taking 2 of the arms and glue them together back to back. With that step complete you should have:
1 Round
4 Teardrops
4 Marquis
4 Scrolls
4 Arm Pieces
Start with the Round piece. This will be the center. Next come the arm pieces. Bump the edges of those bottom loops up next to each other, and glue each piece down to the round.
Now take a scroll and glue it onto those little loops you bumped together.
Gently pull the scroll out until it touches the arms, and glue them together where they meet.
Take one of your teardrops and glue it down in the middle of the scroll. Then pull the scrolls over to meet the teardrop, and glue together. Don’t be afraid to unravel the scroll however much you need to. If the arm is bending or it doesn’t want to stick to the teardrop, you just need to give yourself a little more space.
Repeat these steps for all sides, and then glue the marquis in the little space between the loops at the top of the arms.
For the snowflakes on my tree, I sprayed the finished snowflake with a spray adhesive and doused it in glitter. I tried a liquid glue first, but it tended to make all the loops unwind. Then I threaded a loop of fishing line through one of the marquis to hang the ornament. I liked the idea of using fishing line so it would look like the snowflakes were falling instead of hanging.
These couldn’t be cheaper. You can nearly get 10 ornaments out of one sheet of paper, and they’re incredibly easy to make up in big batches. Last year I needed to make ornaments for 35 teenagers, and these were the ones I went for. A definite budget saver, and still super fancy.
In making this tutorial, I ended up making another ornament that needs a home. Leave me a comment for a chance to win it! Blogger sucks for communication, so make sure you have an active profile, a link to your website, or an email address listed in the comment so I can contact you if you win. I’ll draw a winner randomly at 10pm Pacific Time on Friday December 12th. That’s actually Bear’s birthday, so we’ll call this a celebration of him. Good luck!
The tutorial I used to learn can be found at http://www.reesedixon.com/2008/12/quilled-snowflake-ornament.html [...]
You are so ultimately talented… i look forward to your posts because you are so inspirational!I put a couple of tutorials up on my blog that would be fun to do with your little Atti…
I think I might actually try this!! I have spray adhesive and glitter left over from my Nativity play star extravaganza last year… with no clue what to with it, until now… Thanks for the tutorial!
Wow, that is amazing!! I'm buying a quiller (if that's it's official name), spray adhesive, and glitter the next time I go to Michael's. I love them!!
Very nicely done, bet they look stunning on the tree!Your directions for making this are wonderful and easy to followKeep on Quillin', Denise http://customquilling.blogspot.com
Oh how beautiful!!! I'll be linking.
I love the snowflake! Gorgeous AND I think I can make it! I'm going to try it when I get home tonight.
Ummm…. silly question, but what type of glue is best??
That's a terrific question!My favorite glue is Tombo Mono. It's acid free and smells terrific, with a quick drying time.But when I'm making 35 of these at a time, I'll use either Eileen's Tacky Glue (because I always have it in hand) or even Elmer's in a pinch.
Super cute! I love quilling. I haven't done it in years, but this is making me want to get out my stuff!Would love to win the ornament. Happy birthday to your bear. My dh turns the big 4-0 on Sunday…
Email cardinaux at yahoo dot com.RC
I love your snowflake and would love to own it!!
Thanks for the great tutorial. LindaSonia (baddabinda@yahoo.com)
WOW! I saw you over on OnePrettyThing and I almost didn't click over to your blog because these looked so intricate (translate: difficult). I'm glad I popped on over–I'm going to try my hand at some of these!!
Those are beautiful!Thanks for sharing the tutorial.Karen
This is fantastic ! Thanks for sharing
simply gorgeous. I absolutely love the glitter
So beautiful!!! I hope i am not too late for the draw!
Very pretty! I have a bunch of leftover quill paper in multiple colors. I think I'll try this in pink and red. Thanks for the tutorial!
Lovely! Thanks for the instructions – makes quilling seem totally doable!
Amazing tutorial! Thank you for posting this. I´m posting about this to my blog.
Wow! Beautiful! and you make it sound so easy.
Maybe I'll try one.
Wow!!! This is beautiful!!! I'll have to try this for sure!!!! Thanks so much for the tutorial!!!Valvampme3@yahoo.comhttp://www.valspaperobsession.com
I can see this becoming addictive
These are so beautiful – I look forward to trying this at home! amester26@gmail.com
HELLO,I'M A NEWCOMER AT YOUR BLOG AND FIND IT IMPRESSIVE!I'LL TRY MY HAND AT THESE AND WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE YOU TO DRAW MY NAME PICKING YOUR WINNER.WHOEVER IT WILL BE, WILL HAVE A BEAUTIFUL CHARM ADDED TO THEIR HOLIDAYS!THANK YOU FOR SHARING AND FOR THE WHOLE LOT AT YOUR BLOG.-KIRSTI
beautiful! I want to start NOW! oh, wait… there's the Christmas sewing and knitting that needs to finish… sigh…
it turned out gorgeously! you've got quite a skill. i'm a knitter and have tried to work with small/fine crafts and found my fingers just don't cooperate.
For starters, this is probably the best tutorial I have ever seen. I am going to have to try these as soon as Maine unfreezes enough for me to drive somewhere in my car.I would love to give the ornament a home. I think my profile is accurate, but just incase… rumpazel@gmail.com
Thank you!I never tried though I have admired quilling for quite some time.Hope fully I will try this one.PS I linked to this pattern in our new crafting portal http://domoshar.net, sending you an e-mail re this.
The finished ornament looks like it was made with magic – wow! I want to make these but I don't know if I will have the patience!
These are AMAZING! I just found you through Craft and am so impressed! Will definitely bookmark your blog and check often!
patty
This is so beautiful! Never in a million years would I have even thought about trying to do this but you made such an excellent tutorial that I think I'm going to try this. Thanks for the tip about cutting the end off a needle – I don't have access to a craft store.Kate in Costa Rica
that ornament is gorgeous! My mom sent me a link to this via email. I love it. Thank you so much for sharing. Oooh and happy birthday, Bear!
Wow!These look so complicated but your tutorial breaks them down into managable steps. Thanks for sharing.reanday at yahoo dot comRean Day
these are so pretty — i might even get brave and try one! because I need another project right before the holidays
thanks for the easy to follow tutorial!
Hey, it is my dh's birthday also. The kids and I are going to try these we have all the stuff for it, even the little tool.thanks,judi
These are super!! Wow!
That is the most awesome application of quilling I have ever seen! I would love to be added to the drawing.
OMG, I have quilling stuff and was about to throw the lot into a job lot yard sale! Thank you for making me see there is more to quilling.Neasa in Ireland
I don't know if I'm in time for your contest or not, but I still wanted to let you know how beautiful those look. I'm definitely trying to make some tomorrow…er, I guess that would be later today!Thanks so much for sharing!
Ohhh!! What a great tutorial!!! It's so amazing!! Thanks! I want to try it, but I'm sure it's not going to be as perfect as yours!!
Wow this is so beautiful I must try it – thank you so much for an easy to understand tutorial – you are so gifted. I would love to win your piece although I'm from the UK so don't know if thats possible.My email addy is :-hilmof@lineone.net just in case I'm lucky
:)
Thank-you for posting this. I tried it last night with a large needle as my quilling tool. It took a little fiddling but amazing results. I am in love!! Thank-you!!!!
Beautiful ,thankyou for showing us how : ) juliet
Beautiful! Thanks for showing us how to make them. Can't wait to give it a try.
Excellent tutorial. I made two of these, and they look great! If you're using a sawed-off tapestry needle as a quilling tool (as I did), stick the point of it into a wine cork to use as a handle—it makes the rolling much, much easier.
Stunning! I put a pic and a link to your beauty on my Blog….hope that is OK! Holly
I live in Austria and these types of ornaments are quite popular. They're usually made out of some type of thin strips of wood, but I think the paper ones look fantastic. I'm adding this to my to-do list for next Christmas!
these look beautiful! I think I'll be trying this.
Wow, these are so absoultely gorgously beautiful.
these ornaments are beautiful!
I am so glad I stumbled on these! And thank you so much for letting me add them to this year's Advent Calendar. Do stop by and take a look: <a href="http://www.secretcorridor.com.www.secretcorridor.com.<br />I hope you've received lots of new visitors as a result too!
wow…. super cool and super beautiful. I may try it…. but not sure if my three year old would apreciate it….
it is really beautiful!hope you don't my my blogging about it!
I've always wondered how quilling was done – and this appears to be rather uncomplicated to do when broken down! I will definitely have to give this a try. Thanks for posting this tutorial!
I just made my first one and am so excited to make more (and hopefully get better at quilling) thanks for the awesome tutorial!Luluhttp://luluabroad.blogspot.com/
These are so beautiful! I've always wanted to try this technique. Thank you for the inspiration!!
Hi,that is tooooooooooo gooooooood.What is cardstock paper? is it different from the paper which we use for computer printing? Where do i get it ?
This is absolutely amazing! I have never seen anything like that – it is beautiful. OHHHH, I really hope I win!
Oh I totally love these!!Thanks so much for sharing
Thanks for putting up such an excellent tutorial and for giving me permission to show that to my blog readers. Merry Christmas to you and your family
Wow, that is gorgeous. How long did it take you?
müthiş güzel ya …
Those are stunning!
I know I've missed the giveaway date, but man I just had to tell you these are gorgeous! I can't wait to start playing around with it. I am wondering about the kind of glue to use. Just regular elmer's? Let me know if you ever have a second. Camillebootstothemoon@gmail.com
OMG its soooo pretty i love im gonna try it soon ill post another message when im done <33333
AMAZING!! Just happened upon your blog and was blown away by this! Gorgeous!
WOW! that is fabulous! i am going to make a bunch of these for next xmas!<3Ehttp://tootsweethandbags.etsy.com
How Beautiful!
Fantastic! Me and my fiance are getting married in two months, this year we wanted a christmas tree and i wanted to make the ornaments but i didn't know how. I'll start making these now so they can be ready by then! PS: for your profile you said you wonder if you will be able to accomplish all you want in this world? you will. Keep doin' what you're doing! It's great!
love it! n the tutorial was super easy to follow.i've linked u in my blog.hope u dont mind.keep quilling =D
absolutely fantastic!Thank you for sharing it
thanks! what a great tutorial, i've been making ornaments too and want some sparkly glitter but don't know how. thanks to you, now i do, and my christmas tree this year will look prettier.
That is so pretty! You make it looks so easy to make. I almost think I can actually make it. =)
You said you love comments so here's mine: I LOVE LOVE LOVE these snowflakes. I change my tree theme each Christmas. I've been collecting snowflakes on eBay since the first of the year, so by Christmas 2009 I'll be all set – especially now because I'll be making some of the gorgeous quilled snowflakes from your tutorial!!!! THANKS. Now I'll take a look around the rest of your blog.p.s.I like what you said, "There's a whole lot I want to do in this world. I wonder if I ever will."
Loved the paper ornament. How clever and beautiful!
This looks like a fun opportunity to learn quilling. I have plenty of paper and glue! Thanks for putting this together.
That snowflake is beautiful! It would also look gorgeous on a window.
These are gorgeous. I'm definitely doing them this winter.
Your snowflake is magical! I quilled as a young girl, and even then, (30 odd years ago) it was somewhat of a lost art. I'm so happy to see it revived, and plan to pull out my old quilling supplies. Thank you for the detailed instructions. I'd like a tree full of your snowflakes this year. Susansoxendine@comcast.net
Hi! I'm about a year later than all your other comments, but I thought I'd leave on anyway… I love crafty stuff, but don't have much money, and usually to make things as beautiful looking as these it costs a fair bit, but these don't! I even had the stuff to make them in my cupboard! Your instructions were awesome! Not gonna lie.. came across this and made one right away!PS: Mine turned out great!
Thanks so much for your beautifully clear tutorial. You make it look so simple. Keep up the good work! May God bless you.
The ornament looks so beautiful, and the fact that it is also inexpensive really tickles my fancy! I will try to make it this Christmas for my tree. thanks!
Thank you for this. I made one last night, and then another , but double the lengths for a larger one. It must have taken you a week to make 35 of these. They are so nice.
I have been searching for an ornament to make this year and now I have found it! Thanks so much for the easy to follow directions. tthumb at dtccom dot net
this is lovely! too bad i didn't find it 'til nearly a year later… i'd have entered to win!
i'll just have to try and make one myself.
Beautiful! And so easy. My 12 yr old son just made one – he used a plastic canvas needle and lightly sprayed it with some canned fake snow stuff – it turned out cute. Tomorrow we're going to buy glitter & spray on adhesive – we want to make more – great gifts! Thank you for you
that looks wonderful! I've never seen quilling done in a 'useful' way before, but now I might have to have a go! Thanks for the tutorial! – Britta J at cutout+keep
These are simply gorgeous. I would love to make a bunch. SO nice of you to have laid it all out so clearly. thank you, thank you. I can tell this will be a family favorite, especially with my 12yo oragami fan!Love, Christi in Utah.
That is beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing. But fix up those nails, mama! Two minutes with some clippers & a nail file. =)
I can't believe that someone would have the nerve to leave a comment about the crafters finger nails! The message says "mama", not sure if this is a relative, but still rude either way. Just had to have my say in this.
Nope. Not a family member, most recent anonymous. Thanks for sticking up for me!Yeah, I don't really know how much nicer my nails could be unless I gave up crafting altogether.Maybe that person just has a weird aversion to people who wear their fingernails long.
yea, I was thinking your nails and hands looked pretty darn good for a crafter! BTW, I made 52 of these ornaments for my gifts this year. I made a few different ones, can I send you a picture? I dont know why I am Anonymous, i posted on here a few weeks ago. anyway, let me know! email tthumb@dtccom.net
I LOVE this tutorial, really well explained and photographed, and it REALLY makes me want to give it a try. Thank you for sharing!
Hi, have just started quilling and came across your tutorial. Thanks so much. Will def try it. You make it sound so easy, hopefully I will be able to manage. cheers.
Oh. My. Goodies! I looked this up because I remember reading it when I first found your blog, but WOW, I forgot how beautiful it was! I'm hoping to do this for the very first time. Thanks for the amazing tutorial!
Okay, I'm trying to make this. First, what kind of glue do you use? I bought one I thought would work but am having some glue issues.Second, I tried to snip the end of a tapestry needle to make a quilling tool (I'm thinking about this for an enrichment project, and buying tools doesn't make sense for that large a group; I also discovered that they no longer carry quilling tools at Michael's). Have you ever tried to cut a big tapestry needle? They are made from VERY hard steel, which easily defeated all my wire-cutting tools and even my hacksaw. So, first I tried wrapping the paper around the eye, and then wiggling it free to pull it out. That worked fairly well, but the spirals were not perfectly round. I've now moved on to using the eye just for the initial turn of the paper, then using the round barrel of the needle to wrap the rest. It works pretty well.Third, what do you use to cut your paper? I'm using a rotary paper trimmer, but even using a fairly high level of care it's hard to keep the width even (and in the pictures, your strips look to be a bit narrower than 1/4").
Reese/Tresa,JaneAnne turned me toward these. How difficult are they? Do you think 9-1- year olds could do it, or does it require greater dexterity?Kay
These are gorgeous, and even for someone fumble fingered like me, they look fairly easy (thanks for the precise detailed instructions). For those of us that don't have a Cricut or whatever, got any tips on how to get the strips an even width?Looking forward to perusing the rest of your site and checking out your other ideas!
Reese told me that a paper shredder works pretty well, as long as it only cuts in one direction (mine is a cross-cut one, so it wouldn't work). The strips don't have to be exactly even, so doing it by hand with a paper cutter works. That's what I did, and my snowflakes turned out okay. I would make the strips thinner next time–closer to 3/16" or even 1/8" than 1/4" (I think mine were on the high side of 1/4").
These are beautiful. I love the glittery version! I'm including these in my Friday Favorites this week!
This is THE project I want to try with my 8th grade art class! I'm not sure they can do it, but I think they will enjoy trying! Thanks so much for posting it!
It's absolutely amazing! It looks so gorgeously! Your tutorial is really helpful, in my free time I'll try to to this
Thank you 
These snowflakes are gorgeous. I just googled and that is how I found your site. Love your work.
imisstx at comcast dot net
Love these!My daughters and I are making some for gifts for friends!Love the ideas!=)ladyverlina AT yahoo DOT com
Just dropping by to let you know that I linked to this post in a round up today from the Home & Garden channel at Craft Gossip.
This will appear in the main Craft Gossip RSS feed, on the main home page and can be found directly here http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/9-snowflake-craft-projects/If you would like a "featured by" button, you can grab one here!http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/grab-a-craft-gossip-button/
I saw this tutorial and was instantly intrigued about quilling. I just made two of them last night just in time for an ornament exchange party I'm going to. Thank you, you made the tutorial so easy and understandable to newbs like me. Merry Christmas.
Hola soy Ester desde EspañaMe ha encantado quilled ornamentThankGracias
i jus love this .. at first look it seems complicated but this is truly easy and specially with your instruction as a paper craft lover i thank and adore ur work from the bottom of my heart …. hope for more tutorials like this
Hello! Thank you for this easy and lovely tutorial! You make it look SO easy. I write a weekly segment for the Sippy Cup Mom blog and used this post as a reference and linked back: http://www.sippycupmom.com/2011/11/make-it-pretty…
I am normally a really crafty person and this did not come very easily! You truly have a beautiful art in these delicate little snowflakes. I will be practicing and putting more snowflakes together in this next week. If I can get enough made I have what I think would be a gorgeous idea for another "Make It Pretty" post. Wish me luck! I will need it!
Tout simplement magnifique …… J' aime
That's just charming !
Thanks A LOT for this tutorial !
This tutorial make something that seemed way too complicated a walk in the park. Thank you for this and making me believe I could create these! I love it!
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I've never quilled anything in my life, had never even heard of it, but these instructions were so easy to fallow! I've made about 10 so far. Thanks!
Love this
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What a beautiful and elegant snowflake! Thank you so much for the tutorial…I just started into quilling and can't wait to try this!
Found this pattern on Home and Garden w/ just the written instructions. Have never quilled before, but ordered tool and strips and made it the first time! Encouraged me to get some card stock and made my 2nd one last night-much sturdier and very professional looking. So glad to come upon your step by step pictures w/ some great tips which will make it so much easier (esp. the scrolls) I've done a lot of tatting and love the delicate look of anything filigree.How do you go about coming up with new and different designs? Would love to do that and think I would have an eye for it. Thanks again.
I found this pattern on Home and Garden w/ just the instructions, had never quilled before,but ordered tool and paper and did it the first time! So got some white card stock yesterday and did another one last night-much more sturdy and professional looking. Loved finding your step by step w/ pictures-great tips.that are going to be so helpful.I've tatted a lot and love anything w/ a filigree look.How do you go about coming up w/ new and different designs? Would like to try my hand at that and think I would have a good eye for it. Again,thank you so much for the inspiration!
!
I found this pattern on Home and Garden w/ just the instructions, had never quilled before,but ordered tool and paper and did it the first time! So got some white card stock yesterday and did another one last night-much more sturdy and professional looking. Loved finding your step by step w/ pictures-great tips.that are going to be so helpful.I've tatted a lot and love anything w/ a filigree look.How do you go about coming up w/ new and different designs? Would like to try my hand at that and think I would have a good eye for it. Again,thank you so much for the inspiration!
Just letting you know I linked to this post in my Snowflake Unit Study. http://www.zujava.com/snowflake-study
Hi, I just wanted to say thank you for giving such an easy-to-follow tutorial. My baby was born 8 wks early last year and we "lived" in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit through the whole Christmas season. I will be making these to go along with baskets we are putting together for the families who will be there this year. Each snowflake is as unique as the story of a family in the NICU. Now…next time I will start earlier as I only have 2 weeks to make 25 in the midst of a 1st Birthday and Christmas! Anyway, this is just going to work perfect, I am doing 9 pink, 9 blue and 7 white, all with the same color glitter.
I really like your designs and would like to be able to print for later use. Is it possible to put a print on them? Thank you.
Louise