Quilling Paper Icicles

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It might seem like tempting fate to decorate with ice, especially if you dread winter weather.

But think of it like looking your fear in the eye. Maybe if we celebrate icicles, we can jinx winter into being gentle on us. It’s worth a try!

The icicles are nothing more than long 3D cones, but to make them a little more special and icy-looking, I rolled them with white vellum strips.

Vellum is a bit more translucent than your average paper. Not see-through, but just a little more sheer. The texture of the vellum really surprised me. I expected it to be really smooth, but it does have a bit of a texture to it, which really helped the long cones keep their shape.

These quilling paper icicles are rolled into long tubes.

The same tubes have been used for a few other projects recently, like the 3D mushrooms and antique Christmas ornaments. However, I did allow the paper to build up a bit here and there on the tool for a few turns so they were a little less uniform and smooth. They sort of have a melting look.

TIP: Don’t forget to brush a little glue on the outside of your cone before you pull it off the tool. The glue will help your icicle keep its shape.

Simple tight coils make the tops of the quilling paper icicles.

Make sure the coils and cones are made from the same number of strips and they should fit together.

After both sections of the icicles are dry, add a touch of glue around the rim and place them together.

That’s it! Quilling paper icicles!

Even before I started rolling these icicles, I knew I wanted to use them to create a door hanging to replace my Christmas wreath.

I had a vision of the icicles dangling from a line, so I needed to figure out a way to have them hanging.

First, I cut a strip of vellum in half and made tiny open coils and attached them to the top of the icicles. I was able to sting the white twine right through these loops and the icicles hung perfectly.

I made a few cones of different sizes.

Some were just one strip, some two, and a couple that were made from three strips.

Once I had about a dozen or so icicles made, it was time to figure out how to build my winter wreath.

For the frame, I chose an 8” embroidery hoop, and I also grabbed some silver metallic rope and a thin, white twine.

After a few tries at lining up the icicles and twine the way I pictured them in my head, I realized they were sliding up and down the string a lot. A few knots strategically placed solved that problem quickly. A dab of hot glue keeps the twine where you like it.

I used the silver rope to hide the embroidery hoop closure at the top.

For balance, I added more twine towards the bottom.

A few snowflakes rounded out the wreath. I also added a touch of glitter glue for some extra sparkle. If you’re looking for other options for adding glimmer to your quilling, this post has a few tips!

All in all, I pretty happy with my new winter icicles.

It is a bit hard to see on my white door, so I’ll need to find a new place to display it.

It pops a lot more against a teal wall in our living room.

If I were to make this quilling paper icicle wreath again, I might stain the embroidery hoop so it has a little more of a contrast to all the white.

I might also use darker glitter glue since it just isn’t sparkly enough for me!

But its all about the process, right? Sometimes you can’t figure out what works if you don’t make a mistake or two first.

Maybe you’ll take advantage of my mistakes or maybe you’ll use your icicles in a totally different way.

Whatever you do, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and keep us all up to date on your quilling!

On a housekeeping note, I’m planning on only creating new content twice a month, instead of every week for the beginning of 2019. I have some new plans that I’m excited to roll out, so I just won’t have enough time to do it all.

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Even though I won’t be creating tutorials as often as I have been, I’ve still got a lot of fun projects planned. Stay tuned and happy crafting!