Easy Valentine’s Day Craft: DIY Quilled Heart

Step 1:

Print out the template provided and cut it in half so that you have two of the same image. Lay one over red card and use tape to hold it down. Use a pair of scissors to cut around the heart shape (ignore the bow for now).

Step 2:

Take the second template and tape it onto white card. Using the ball tool (you can use a ballpoint pen if that’s easier) draw over the bow so that you emboss the white card below.

Step 3:

Keeping it taped in place, cut around the outside outline of the bow.

Step 4:

Stick this down onto the red heart in the same area as the original template. You now have a wonderful base to begin quilling which will give you a gorgeous depth of colour.

Step 5:

Using the precision nib on the PVA glue, draw along the edge of your white bow shape (work in little lengths). Take a quilling strip and begin to place the edge down along the line of glue so that your strip stands upright. You will find it easier to work from the middle outwards. Continue until all of the edge and the embossed lines have been ‘outlined’ with paper.

Step 6:

Now repeat the above step, just glue the very outside edge of the heart all the way around and this time outline with a red strip above and below the bow.

Step 7:

The final step is to create shapes to fill in the red area. Place a red strip into the slotted tool and begin to roll the paper into a tight coil. Carefully remove it from the tool and loosen between your fingers to form a looser coil. Glue down the edge and pinch into diamond shapes.

The fun here is playing with the design, there are no rules. Cut off small strips of red quilling paper and instead of rolling it just gently run it through your fingers so it curves and stick it down. Or glue down un-pinched loose coils. Fill the red of the heart and then leave the white blank to create a more dramatic and less cluttered look. [See our guide on how to quill different quilling shapes here.]