The other day someone asked me how to make sure that a big circle for earrings would stay in a perfect circle shape.  In addition to giving an answer, I thought I’d take the opportunity to share some photos on the blog in case others had the same question!

These big circles are perfect for earrings such as these crescents (see pattern for these crescents here or here)

Paper Quilling Jewelry Tip #9 - How to Make Sturdy Big Circles - Honey's Quilling

 

 

There are two steps to getting a perfect circle shape for your big circle earrings.  The first is to use a long piece of paper so that your border is thick.  I have outlined this in other posts here and here.  The second step is to pin it in place while you glue the rest of the pieces on, so it doesn’t warp out of shape.  Both of these steps are outlined here in the photos:

To make a big circle for a border for your earrings, wrap the paper strip around an object.  You  might have a quilling form that is the right size, or you can use any object you have.  Here I am using a lip balm container.

Paper Quilling Jewelry Tip #9 - How to Make Sturdy Big Circles - Honey's Quilling

 

Once you have glued the end of your strip down (it works best to glue with a torn end for a smoother look) you may need to flatten down your shape to make sure all the layers are even.  This will give a smoother look to the edge.  You can use a needle tool or your fingers to smooth down the edge.

Paper Quilling Jewelry Tip #9 - How to Make Sturdy Big Circles - Honey's Quilling

 

 

Here I made the same size circle with three different lengths of paper.  The one on the far right was made with a 24″ length of paper.  The middle with a 48″ strip, and the one on the left with a 72″ strip.  You can see very well that the one made with a 24″ strip is loose and floppy and out of shape.  It is very difficult to work with this floppy shape if you want your earrings to be perfectly circle.  The 48″ strip is fairly sturdy, but can also be bent out of shape if you are not too careful.  The 72″ strip is MUCH more sturdy.  Both will work fine for jewelry, especially if you follow the next step.

Paper Quilling Jewelry Tip #9 - How to Make Sturdy Big Circles - Honey's Quilling

 

 

To fully make sure your circle stays in shape while you are adding the rest of the pieces, pin it in place on your workboard (you can get a quilling workboard here at Custom Quilling, or here on Amazon).

Paper Quilling Jewelry Tip #9 - How to Make Sturdy Big Circles - Honey's Quilling

 

Keep the pins in place until the other pieces are all glued in place and it is fully dry.

 

If you have any tips of your own on how to make  a sturdy circle, feel free to share in the comments!  Or if you have a question about jewelry making that you’d like to see a post about, let me know!

Find more tips and tutorials about making quilled jewelry here.

 

Stick around and check out some of the other fun stuff on the blog!

Click here to view more free paper quilling tutorials!

Click here to view paper quilling tips and tricks!

Click here to view a list of places to buy quilling supplies around the world!

Click here to view some of my own quilling projects, with tips so you can make your own if you’d like!

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

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