Paper stars make great decorations or gifts. They are made using four 24" long strips of quilling paper. The width of paper is your decision, however, wider paper is easier to use for beginners. Now lets get started!
Step 1: Lay two strips folded in half in front of you with the ends of the left-hand strips pointing north and the ends of the right-hand strips pointing south. Take a third folded strip and place it across the two strips so that only the bottom layer of the west facing strip is under the top layer of the right-handed strip, but both ends that are pointing west are between the layers of the left-handed strip. Place the fourth strip below the third strip so that it is exactly opposite.
Step 2: Pull the ends of the strips away from each other to form a square knot in the center.
Step 3: Fold and crease the top west-pointing strip to the east over the center square so that it lies next to the east-pointing strips. Then fold and crease the top east-pointing strip to the west over the center square so that it lies next to the west-pointing strip.
Step 4: Lift up the bottom west-pointing strip to find the loop underneath. Then take the top north-pointing strip and weave it through that loop (over the fold of the upper east-pointing strip). Crease. Repeat by taking the top south-pointing strip and weaving it through the loop (over the fold of the lower west-pointing strip) that is underneath the upper east-pointing strip. Crease.
Step 5: At this point, the star should look like this.
Step 6: Flip the star over to look like the figure shown here.
Step 7: Unfold the long, right-hand north-pointing strip(see picture inset) toward you so it is on top of the right-hand south-pointing strip. Find the loop of the upper west strip that is under the upper east-pointing strip and weave this strip through it.
Step 8: Unfold the long, left-hand south-pointing strip (see picture inset) so it is pointing north. Then weave it through the loop of the lower east-pointing strip (under the lower west-pointing strip).
Step 9: Flip the star over so it looks like the figure above.
Step 10: Fold and crease the lower east-pointing strip down and under itself so that it lies next to the right of the existing south strips.
Step 11: Curve the strip that you just folded down (farthest right south strip) up to the right. Weave it through the loop that is marked in the figure and crease it to make it flat.
Step 12: Repeat step 10 and 11 by moving counterclockwise around the star. Begin by folding the right-hand north-pointing strip down under itself so that it is lying next to the east-pointing strip as shown in the picture inset.
Step 13: The star should now look like this figure.
Step 14: Flip the star over so that the shorter strips are now underneath. Fold the top, east-pointing strip down under itself (see picture inset). Then curve it up and around and weave it west through the bottom, right-hand loop. Crease.
Step 15: Repeat step 14 by moving counterclockwise around the star.
Step 16: The star will now look like this figure.
Step 17: (1) Lift the upper east-pointing strip. Fold the right-hand south-pointing strip up so that it is pointing north under the upper east-pointing strip. Crease. Lay the east strip back down. (2) Fold and crease the lower west-pointing strip east. (3) Fold and crease the left-hand north-pointing strip down towards the south. (4) Fold and crease the upper east-pointing strip to the west.
Step 18: The figure should now look like this figure.
Step 19: Fold the top north-pointing strip over itself to the east so that is lies next to the east-pointing strip.
Step 20: Curve the upper east-pointing strip up and west. Weave it through the loop under the upper west-pointing strip. The point should stick up like a pin-wheel. Rotate counterclockwise around the star and repeat steps 19 and 20 to make three more pin-wheels.
Step 21: The star should now look like this figure. Flip it over and repeat steps 17, 19 and 20.
Step 22: The star should now look like this figure. Trim the excess part of each strip that sticks out of each star point.
Step 23: Your star is done!