Quilled Ballerina

If you've ever seen ballerinas in real like, like for the Nutcracker, you know that they are the epitome of grace and balance. Well, so is this project. There's repetition, but some parts can get a bit tricky. However, if you stick with it until the end, you will have a beautiful project! Without further adieu, let's get started!

For this project you will need:

Pink, Gray, Skin Color, and Yellow Quilling Paper

Glue

Quilling Tool

Scissors

Pins (used to hold things in place, optional)

Circle Sizing Sheet

Sequins (optional)

Tweezers

To make the head, glue two strips of skin colored quilling paper together and form a tight coil. Glue down the end, and make sure that the head is flat. To make the neck, decide what length you want it and then fold down that size. Fold over that again and again until the neck is about 1/16 in thick. Cut of any excess, and then glue to the head. To form the hair. Take a few strips of yellow paper, about 3/4 inch long, nd glue then on top of each other, and then on top of the head for hair. Take a 1/4 of a strip of that same color, and form a loose coil. Then form it into the shape of a bun, and glue it to the top of the head.

To make the arms, use the same technique as the neck, but make it longer this time. Feel free to give your ballerina very long arms! ☺ Coat one side of the "stick" in glue, and shape to whatever form you like. Adding the glue will help secure the shape of the arms. Make sure you like how the arms look with the head and then glue the neck into the arm crevice.

To make the torso, quill one strip of the pink paper, letting the diameter be about 1.25 inches. Glue down the end, and then shape it into a triangle. Push down in the middle, and then wrap the torso in gray.

This part takes the longest time, but it's the easiest! Cut strips of gray paper in half, and make sure that you have 5 strips. Coil them into coils about 1/2-3/4 inches in diameter. Glue down the end, and then squish it into a teardrop shape. Repeat with the other 4 coils.

To make the flowers, cut pink strips into 1/4ths and make sure that you have 25 strips. Coil each of them into a tight coil, and then place them in the smallest slot of the circle sheet (about 1/4 inch in diameter). Make 25, and then glue down all the ends. Squish them into diamond shapes, and then group them into 5 groups of 5 petals. Glue them together into the shape of a flower, like shown in the picture, and then attach them to the bottom of the gray teardrops.

Put glue all around the gray teardrop and on the edges of the flowers. Take a gray strip of paper and wrap around the "teardrop flower" twice. Repeat with the other 4 teardrop flowers. Glue these together in the shape of the tutu, like shown in the pictures.

Glue everything together (except the legs) and then add sequins where you see fit. To make the legs, use the same technique as the arms and neck for the legs. Make two, and then make the tops and bottoms a bit bigger to make calves and thighs. To make shoes, quill two small gray coils and add gems.

That's it! :) Enjoy!