Cosmic Tri Point Paper Quilling Earrings - Free Tutorial

Today’s fun filled cosmic tri point paper quilling earrings are based on the tutorial I posted last month for double triangle earrings. Those were a nice simple design, but I thought it could use a little sprucing up to be a bit more fancy and fun! I did one version of these and posted it a couple weeks ago, and today is a second variation! I’m including the instructions for the basic shape as well as for the fill-in so that if you haven’t read the other post you can just learn everything here.

When I was thinking of how to design these, my mind went back to something I’ve been meaning to try. A couple months ago Erin from Little Circles did a Quill-Along. This is where she goes through a project step by step for a few weeks with fun and new techniques (you can be part of her group here to know about these). Part of this Quill-Along was a new technique called transition. Basically it is transitioning from one color to another in a series of rolls, using multiple colors within each roll. You can see a full description and tutorial for this technique here on her blog (it’s under the stained glass mosaic, part 2). I thought the project looked like lots of fun and wanted to make one, but haven’t had the time. So what do I do? Think about how to integrate it into a piece of jewelry of course!

So for these earrings I decided to transition from lighter to darker colors from the outside to inside. I chose three of Erin’s colors from her Culture Pop papers (did you know she has a stand alone shop now? Click here to visit!). This is not an affiliate link, I’m just sharing as I love Erin’s paper and I enjoy supporting fellow quillers!

So I chose my colors and gave the transition thing a try. Obviously I can’t do it justice only having three rolls in each section of this design (plus the middle piece), but it is a start and I thought it turned out looking pretty cool. Looks kind of space design to me, so I call it my cosmic earrings! You can, of course, make this design with just solid colors, not transitioning. I gave directions for that in the descriptions as well.

Supplies You Need (for one pair of earrings):

2 strips of paper 17″-24″ long (if you make a smaller or larger triangle you may need a shorter or longer strip of paper. If I’m using paper that comes in strips of 17″ I just use that. If I’m using strips of paper that come in 24″, I just use that. So the length is a bit flexible. I am using steel guitar from Culture Pop which is 17″ long.
2 strips of paper about 6″ long (I am using steel guitar color)
several strips of paper in various short lengths, as noted in tutorial. I used three colors (all Culture Pop paper) – steel guitar, icy pond, and let’s go fly a kite
glue (My favorite is PPA which you can find at Custom Quilling, or here on Amazon)
Border Buddy by Quilled Creations (you can find it at Custom Quilling and on Amazon)
cork workboard covered in plastic (here at Custom Quilling)
needle quilling tool (also at Custom Quilling)
fine tip tweezers (also at Custom Quilling)
sealant for making your earrings water resistant (click here to read more about different sealants or read below about the exact sealants I used on this pair)
earwires and jump rings (I use a 5mm diameter jump ring to attach to the earring design and then a 3-4mm jump ring to attach that to the earring hook).

Instructions:

The base shape is quite simple once you follow a few good tips for using the Border Buddy. If you haven’t already, check out my first post on tips for using the Border Buddy! You will be wrapping each of the strips around a certain layer on the Border Buddy. If you have numbered the layers on your Border Buddy, it will be easier to keep track of which layer you are on. My number 1 layer is the biggest layer. Make sure as you are wrapping, you apply glue all around the border as you go, to keep a nice sturdy triangle shape. Just be sure to wrap very carefully so the edges line up or you’ll end up with the edges looking uneven. I apply glue to two sides at a time to make it a bit quicker. *note* these photos are obviously of the square tip for the border buddy, you will be using the triangular one for these earrings.

Wrap each 24″ strip around level 1 of the triangular Border Buddy.
Wrap each 6″ strip around level 8 of the triangular Border Buddy.
Position your triangles so that the small triangle is inside the big one, but with the corners facing the sides of the big triangle and pin them in place as shown here:

Then put a dab of glue on each corner of the small triangle. Use pins to push the edges of the large triangle until they meet the corners of the small triangle and push the pins into the board to keep it in place.

Now here are the grey ones! Time to roll the pieces to fill in. The first piece, shaped into a triangle, is made of a 2 inch strip of Let’s Go Fly a Kite, and a 1 inch strip of icy pond. Place the 1 inch strip on top of the 2 inch strip, and use a needle tool to roll them up. You need to use a needle tool, as putting two strips into a slotted tool is too difficult (unless you have a tool with a wide slot). The lighter strip should be inside of the darker strip. The size is the same as if you were rolling a 3 inch strip, so if you prefer just to use one color, feel free! Glue the roll shut, letting it expand some but not all the way, and pinch it into a triangle. Glue into the corner. Repeat for all corners.

Now for the second level to fill the points. The second one is shaped like a rectangle, but a bit bigger on the bottom and more narrow at the top. I made this again with a 2″ strip of Let’s Go Fly a Kite and a 1″ strip of Steel Guitar. You can use just a 3″ strip if you prefer.

After you roll and glue the shape closed, pinch the two bottom edges so it looks like a semicircle. Then pinch the two top edges (one at a time if you prefer) so that those two top corners are a bit closer together than the bottom two corners.

I use a needle tool to put some glue inside of the base where the piece goes. Then I use a tweezers to put the piece in, and the needle tool or tweezers to push it into place where it goes. You want it to be snugly in place so there is just enough room for the third piece. Repeat for all points of the design.

Time for the third and last piece for each of the points. The space has gotten a little bigger, so I use more paper. I use a 2″ strip of Let’s Go Fly a Kite, and a 2″ strip of Steel Guitar on top of that. Let it expand a bit and then again pinch it into a rectangle. One edge can be a little wider than the other again, but it’s not totally essential, it should squish into place okay either way. It is important that it is the right size, however. If you put the piece in and it doesn’t take up all the space, you’ll have to take it out and make another. This time let it expand a little more. Same goes for if it turns out to be a bit too big for the space. You don’t want a crumpled piece stuffed in there. If it doesn’t look good, remove it and start over!

To put it in place, I again use a needle tool to apply glue, and tweezers to guide the piece into place. Then use the needle tool as needed for any adjustments. Repeat for all points of the design.

Finally it is time to fill in the center triangle! You could leave it blank if you prefer. I used a 4″ strip of Steel Guitar, a 2″ strip of Let’s Go Fly a Kite, and a 1″ strip of Icy Pond. Roll them together. You’ll then have to kind of estimate whether it is the right size to be made into a triangle. If you think the size is right, glue it closed.

Shape the roll into a triangle, and apply glue to the inside edge of the space. Use your fingers and/or tweezers to fit the triangle into place. If it turns out too big or too small, then redo it. If you prefer to use a single color for the center, use a strip that is 6 or 7 inches long.

Now your shape is done! Before taking the pins off, I like to use a small stiff paintbrush to put on a little bit of sealant. This ensures that the earring will stay in shape even after removing the pins. Try not to put a bunch of sealant right where the pins are, though, otherwise they are hard to get off. But if your needle does get stuck and rip the paper, follow these guidelines to fix it again!
After the first layer fully dries, take out the pins, flip it over, and paint another thin layer of sealant. After that dries, do one more thorough layer of sealant. After that dries, do a last layer of topcoat/glaze for extra protection. For the sealant you can use something like Ceramcoat All Purpose Sealer (my review and tips here), or DecoArt Americana Multi-Purpose Sealer (review coming soon). For this piece I used the Ceramcoat. Once it is completely dried, put on a layer of topcoat or glaze for even better protection. Some of my favorites are Diamond Glaze (my review here), Triple Thick Glaze, PPA matte and gloss, Crystal Lacquer, and others. Click HERE for all of my posts on particular sealants and topcoats and comparing them. For this particular pair I used Diamond Glaze thinned with a little water.

Finally attach the jump rings and earwires, and you are done! You can also attach the earwires and jump rings right before the last coat of glaze, and then hang them to dry. This can help to ensure a nice smooth coat.

These are nice medium sized earrings.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial for filled tri point design earrings, let me know what you think!

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*All products and supplies mentioned in this post I purchased and/or made on my own.

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