[For Seniors] Fun to Make! Paper Quilling Ideas
Are you familiar with those creations made from long, tape-like strips of paper rolled into coils and shaped into flowers and other forms?
It’s called paper quilling, and it’s a type of paper craft.
By changing how you roll the narrow strips of paper, you create parts that you can combine to make plants, animals, and more.
It looks fun, and you can make beautiful pieces!
So this time, we’re introducing paper quilling ideas for seniors.
You can easily make them with a bit of ingenuity—using materials from 100-yen shops and even substituting tools for rolling the paper, like using a toothpick instead of a dedicated tool.
The process includes some fine work that uses your fingertips.
Delicate tasks can be expected to provide brain-training benefits, but please have staff assist with any difficult steps.
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[For Seniors] Fun to Make! Paper Quilling Ideas (1–10)
a flower wreath
Let’s try arranging flowers made with paper quilling into a wreath! You don’t need any special tools, so it’s easy for seniors to try as well.
Make the wreath base by cutting thick paper (cardboard) into a donut shape.
For the petals, wrap thin strips of paper around a ruler.
Make four petals and glue them together.
Adding a rhinestone or pearl sticker in the center gives it a luxurious look! Create lots of petal pieces, lay them out on the wreath base, and you’re done.
It’s perfect for crafting at home or for day-service activity sessions, so be sure to give it a try.
Botanical style with vines and tendrils
Introducing paper quilling ideas designed mainly with vines and tendrils.
Paper quilling, which beautifully expresses curves, can recreate plants like vines and creepers more realistically! The layering and combination of colors, as well as how tightly you roll the paper, can produce a wide range of expressions.
Layering and rolling strips adds volume, so if you want to create a larger piece, be sure to try this method! Enjoy a craft that lets you feel excited about how the final design will turn out.
Flower basket made from scrap materials
A flower basket that uses paper quilling—perfect for spring crafting! It’s very economical because the base of the basket is made from a plastic bottle cap.
It also makes a great small gift! The basic method is to take narrow strips of paper and roll them tightly using a nail stick or bamboo skewer to shape them.
Creating several types—like ovals, teardrops, and fringed rolls—will make it look more vibrant! After stuffing the bottle cap with tissue, freely decorate it with flower parts to finish.
Make lots to brighten up your room or entryway.
[For Seniors] Fun to Make! Paper Quilling Ideas (11–20)
Shaker-style goldfish from the 100-yen shop
This craft uses paper quilling parts shaped into goldfish and flowers, arranged so they can move inside a case.
By inserting a sheet of paper in the center of the case and attaching pillars to both the front and back, you can enjoy two different worlds—one on each side—which is a fun feature.
It’s important to decide how to spread and combine the coiled paper: make the elements you want to stand out, like goldfish or flowers, larger, and create the surrounding decorations smaller.
By changing the colors of the paper and how you coil it, you can design your own beautiful world inside the case.
cake
Use a plastic bottle cap as the base and decorate it to create a cake-like appearance.
Since the paper decorations will stand out more, we recommend using caps with minimal designs.
The way you wrap the paper is key: by wrapping paper cut into curves or opening up rolled paper, you can create various cake decorations.
Think of decorating the cap with parts inspired by roses and ribbons.
In addition to paper decorations, incorporating beads and similar elements will make the cake look even more gorgeous.
necklace
This necklace features a soft, antique-like color palette that you wouldn’t believe was made from paper.
You roll thin strips of paper to create two sizes of rings, then combine them to form the necklace.
After rolling, fix the paper with glue and finish it with pale tones using acrylic paint.
Finally, assemble the pieces and thread a leather cord to complete it.
By experimenting with how you apply the acrylic paint and how you combine the parts, you can create your own unique design—and sharpen your creativity in the process.
Flowers decorated in a frame
This piece is about shaping tightly wound paper into petal forms and combining them to create a flower.
A key feature is the unique patterns that appear on the petals by using the wound paper.
After winding, the paper is spread to a set diameter and molded into a petal shape; two parts are combined, an outer frame is added, and a single petal is completed.
Simply assembling the petal parts will produce a beautiful flower, but pressing inward toward the center and adding a flower core makes it look even more realistic, which I highly recommend.