Ready quilling and able: DWD administrative assistant’s paper crafts bring smiles boost SECC

Ten years ago Cynthia Woltjer happened upon an image online that she found so strikingly beautiful she instantly had to know more.

“I thought it was the most fascinating thing,” Cynthia said of a colorful paper craft credited to a designer named Erin Casner.

Though it had caught her eye, the design itself was rather simple in concept, featuring only the word “imagine” centered within a kaleidoscope of bursting colors. But the piece was arranged so that it seemed as if every meticulously designed element had rocketed forth from the wellspring of creativity we call imagination, landing in perfect order on a plain white background. The art was modeled entirely out of paper, though at a quick glance it could be mistaken as a composition from any number of paints, beads, or other art supplies.

To say Cynthia was intrigued is a bit of an understatement.

“It took me a dozen or so questions on Google before I discovered [the art] was called quilling,” said Woltjer, an administrative assistant for the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD). “YouTube wasn’t as popular 10 years ago so I just Googled ‘quilling’ in images and saw amazing art! Then I found a beginner’s kit, ordered it and went to work.”

A decade later, Woltjer is a seasoned quiller with more than 100 designs to her credit that range in theme from college logos to Indiana’s first dog. Cynthia’s work is a perennial hit at DWD’s annual Indiana State Employees Community Campaign (SECC) silent auction, and for the last two years she’s donated her framed paper crafts to the Indiana Statehouse Tour Office and Education Center’s “ Hoosier Handmade” silent auction, also for SECC.

You gotta know when to fold ‘em

So what is quilling? Cynthia describes it as folding paper into various shapes and sizes, and gluing it all together to make a larger image. The type of adhesive can vary among projects, and there’s really no limit to the size or scope. Maybe Erin Casner was onto something; the artist’s imagination is really the only barrier to any project.

Woltjer suggests using paper of a thickness between card stock and notebook paper for most projects as you’ll want something that is malleable yet sufficiently moldable. Images can be flat or even three-dimensional (with holiday ornaments and the types of things you might see hanging from a rearview mirror accounting for the bulk of Cynthia’s work there), but one also has to keep in mind that gluing it all together is critical – and time consuming. Cynthia said potential quillers should prepare to spend some time with each project, though planning may account for a large portion of it.

“Most of the time, it takes longer to think about how I want it to look than actually doing it,” she said. “Typically, I would give myself a month, since it’s just a hobby and I can only work on them in the evenings or weekends.”

And that’s about it! From there, it’s up to the artist to bring to life just about anything they can imagine.

Paper cuts

One of Cynthia’s favorites, is a recreation of a vaguely Van Gogh-esque design she saw on a needlepoint pillow. Inspiration can come from almost anywhere, and the longtime administrative assistant is more than happy to put in the hours needed to craft just the right piece – for any occasion.

She’s also given out her works as holiday gifts for friends and family and is always ready for a new subject – or challenge. Cynthia has even combined quilling with painting and other forms of art. In one case, she put together a spoton painting/quilling portrait of Ariel and Prince Eric from Disney’s The Little Mermaid for a one-of-a-kind wedding gift. A Celtic knot she crafted based on a drawing by her cousin is one of her personal favorites as is her craft of Indiana with the signature torch and stars of the state flag. That distinctly Hoosier craft helped increase the tally of the Nov. 13 Hoosier Handmade silent auction. It was one of three pieces she created and donated to this year’s SECC.

Her quilling talents have allowed her to help out the annual SECC campaign in unique ways. After all, how many other handmade, paper portraits of the Indiana governor and first lady’s beloved schnauzer can there possibly be?

Cynthia receives a steady stream of requests with college and sports logos always at or near the top of the list. Indiana University’s logo typically leads the pack, but she’s also crafted works based on Butler and Purdue. Her work is just the thing to brighten up any student, alum, or fan’s dorm room, “man cave,” or “she shed,” of course, but the range of subjects displayed in Cynthia’s work goes far beyond the sports world – and even some of the state’s most recognizable people, places, and, um, dogs.

Just imagine

Many of Cynthia’s most inspired pieces stem from collaboration. Someone will come to her with a basic idea of the item they’d like Cynthia to make, then, after some discussion (and quite a bit of paper curling), the vision jumps from the mind’s eye and into reality. “They’ll come to me with an idea and I’ll work with them on creating that vision,” said Cynthia.

That’s often the most rewarding part of Woltjer’s favorite hobby: seeing how it all comes together. Sometimes it happens faster than one might expect. Once, she was able to turn around an item requested for a wedding in only six days. It was a paper craft heart that ended up being very well-received by the couple and their family. Cynthia’s greatest reward was how positively everyone reacted to it. That reaction seems to be a theme for Woltjer’s work, which has received likes from First Lady Janet Holcomb and the account of First Dog Henry, among other state employees and dignitaries, on Instagram. Cynthia’s account is currently a repository for photos of her works. Go to Instagram.com/cwquilling to check it out.

But she’s not keeping all this fun to herself. You can learn all about quilling now, thanks to websites such as YouTube and organizations like the North American Quilling Guild.

“These days there are hundreds of tutorials out there to learn how,” Woltjer said. Beginner’s kits can also be purchased from some major retailers online. “Both are less than $20 and include everything you would need: the paper strips, tools, patterns, and instructions for simple shapes,” said Cynthia. “That’s a wonderful place to start.”

With all those resources at hand, Cynthia is encouraging others to dive in. Just pace yourself – and don’t forget to enjoy it. “Just be patient to start,” said Cynthia. “Quilling is easy to learn.”

It appears there’s no limit to the creativity one can pour into quilling. All it takes is just the right spark to craft something as unique as the artist behind it.

Imagine that.

Story by Brent Brown, Indiana State Personnel Department