The Snowflakes

Because you asked. Tell us. Did you make the snowflakes? How?

Yes. We did make these curly bits of paper.

Charlie wrapped some strips of paper round the quiller and handed them over to be shaped and joined. But the other four pairs of hands measured and cut and curled and glued with no help at all. The best kinds of projects don't need a mother hovering directions. I joined in and worked too while City on A Hill provided Christmas ambiance in mid-November.

These are our tools. And waxpaper to save the table. And toothpicks for the glue. If you don't have a quiller buy the kind with the little slit in the top. Much easier to use than the pointed awl kind. Prevent squabbling. Get enough. The quiller design board is a necessity as it forms identical curls. You may want two or three if there are lots of eager hands at your house. Precut quilling paper is inexpensive and is of even, narrow width. Better than I can do on my Fiskars paper cutter. We used two snowflake kits that came with white paper strips.

It is time taking, this snowflake creating. The children worked afternoons by cozy fireside, hands on their work, minds wandering the globe with James Cook as I read from the pages of Stowaway.

It's an inexpensive hobby. Three boards, six quillers, two kits. Seventy-five dollars. Most of the money going into the one time expense of tools. Quilling kits generally run between three and eight dollars. A manageable cost.