Quilling 101 _ MAKE.pdf

10/9/13 Quilling 101 | MAKE

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Quilling 101

By Ann Martin Posted October 2nd, 2013 Category Craft, Paper Crafts Comments 0

Quilling, the coiling and shaping of narrow paper strips to create a design, has

been around for years — hundreds, in fact. During the Renaissance, nuns

and monks would roll gold-gilded paper remnants trimmed during the

bookmaking process, and use them to decorate religious objects as an

alternative to costly gold filigree. Quilling later became a pastime of 18th and

19th century young ladies in England, who would decorate tea caddies and

pieces of furniture with paper filigree. The practice crossed the Atlantic with

colonists, who added quilling to candle sconces and trays as home

decorations.

In all of that time, the process has remained very much the same, but quilling

designs and specialty supplies have definitely caught up to the 21st century.

Today some aficionados focus on making incredibly detailed 3-D figures,

while others favor wall-sized museum installations. Perhaps quilling is best

known, though, as a way of bringing personality to handmade cards.

The short list of necessities includes strips of lightweight paper, glue, and a

tool with which to roll the paper — that’s it! Even better, there’s probably no

need to shop for supplies before you try quilling, as a bamboo skewer, round

toothpick, or even a cake tester from your kitchen drawer can serve as a

substitute tool. Cut your own practice strips from a sheet of ordinary computer

paper, using a paper cutter.

Many arts and crafts stores sell basic tools and packages of multicolor paper

strips. Beautiful papers and other quilling supplies are available from online

suppliers. Oh, and lastly, one requirement that’s not available for purchase,

but will also be needed, is a fair amount of patience. With a little practice,

however, I can almost predict you’ll find quilling to be creatively satisfying and

fun.

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The projects in this article feature the teardrop coil, but there are many other

intriguing shapes to try — marquises, arrowheads, holly leaves, and all sorts

of beautiful scrolls, just to name a few.

MATERIALS

Quilling paper: 1/8″, standard width

Quilling tool needle tool or slotted tool

Ruler

Scissors

Tweezers

Glue clear-drying, suitable for paper

Plastic lid to use as a glue palette

T-pin, paper piercing tool, or round toothpick

Glass-head straight pins

Non-stick work board, cork, or styrofoam something into which you can

stick pins

Damp cloth to keep fingers free of glue

DIRECTIONS

When purchasing a tool there are 2 basic types: a slotted tool and needle

tool. The slotted tool is easiest to use; its only disadvantage is that the slot

leaves a tiny crimp in the center of the coil. If this is bothersome, purchase an

ultra-fine slotted tool or try a needle tool. The needle tool is a bit more difficult

to master, but the reward will be a coil with a perfectly round center.



To roll a coil with a slotted tool: Slide the very end of a strip into the slot,

and turn the tool with one hand while evenly guiding the strip with the other.

To roll a coil with a needle tool: Dampen fingers and curve one end of a

strip across the needle. Roll the strip around the needle with the thumb and

index finger of whichever hand feels most comfortable, applying even, firm

pressure, while holding the handle of the tool with the other hand. Be sure to

roll the paper, not the tool.



Whether using a slotted tool or needle tool, when the strip is fully rolled, allow

the coil to relax, slide it off the tool, and glue the end. Use only a very small

amount of glue, applying it with the tip of a T-pin, paper piercing tool, or

toothpick. Hold the end in place for a few moments while the glue dries. This

is called a loose coil, and it’s the basic shape from which many other shapes

are made.

CANDY JAR PROJECT



MATERIALS

Glass jar

Grosgrain ribbon – red, 3/8″

Quilling paper, red, 1/8″

Cardstock, white

Adhesive foam dots

DIRECTIONS

Step 1: Make 4 teardrop. Roll a 12″ loose coil. Press the coil slightly between



your fingers, and, if necessary, use a pin to arrange the inner coils so they are

evenly spaced.

Pinch sharply at the tip to make a point. Glue the end and trim the excess

paper.

Step 2: Make 2 hearts. Place 2 teardrops side by side on the work board to

create a heart shape, positioning them in opposite directions so the inner coils

appear to meet. Apply glue at the join spot.



Hold the teardrops in place with pins while the glue dries.

Step 3: Fill a jar with your favorite treat and tie a ribbon around it.

Step 4: Cut 2 white, 1″ cardstock squares and glue a heart on each.

Tip: When gluing a quilled object on a background, spread a shallow puddle

of glue on a plastic container lid or a sheet of waxed paper. Hold the quilling

with tweezers and dip its underside gently in glue. Place directly on the

background.

Step 5: Attach 1 square to each ribbon tail with a glue dot.

VALENTINE CARD



MATERIALS

Cardstock, red The type I used has mica bits for a nice sparkle.

Watercolor digital paper PDF

Printer quilling paper, red, 1/8″

Twill tape, white, 1/2″

Paper clip, red

Jewelry pliers, 2 flat-nose

Jump rings, 2 silver

Clear message sticker

Glue stick

Paper cutter

Printer

DIRECTIONS

Step 1: Score and fold a 7½”x5½” piece of red cardstock to make a 3¾”x5½”

card.

Step 2: Print out the digital watercolor background and cut it to measure

3¼”x5″. Use a glue stick to adhere the rectangle to the center of the card.

Step 3: Outline the patterned paper with quilling strips. Overlap the strips

squarely at the corners or miter at a slant as shown, following my tutorial.

http://cp.c-ij.com/en/contents/3031/g00385/downloads/46-valentine0022_y01e.pdf

http://allthingspaper-annmartin.blogspot.com/2009/07/mitered-corners.html



Step 4: Make a heart (2 teardrops). Each teardrop requires a full-length strip,

24″. Position the teardrops so that the inner coils face in the same direction.

(This is opposite of the way the candy jar teardrops were positioned.) Facing

the coils in the same direction will give a nice look when shaping the curve.

Glue the teardrops side by side, pinning them in place on the work board until

dry.

Step 5: Grasp the tip of the heart and curve it gently.



Step 6: Roll a 2½” strip around the shaft of a paper piercing tool or round

toothpick to make a bead. Glue the torn end.

Tip: A torn end blends better than a blunt cut.

Step 7: Pinch the bead to form an oval ring coil.



Glue the bead between the heart curves.

Step 8: Use pliers to open 2 jump rings and attach them to the ring coil.

Step 9: Slip the jump ring onto the paper clip.

Step 10: Cut a ¾”-wide strip of cardstock to fit the width of the card between

the bordered edges, and glue it in place, covering the lettering on the printed

digital paper.

Step11: Cut twill tape to the same length as the cardstock strip. Slide the

paper clip/heart onto the twill tape. Center and glue the twill tape onto the

cardstock strip.



Step 12: Press on a clear sticker message. I used “Celebrate”; the inside

message could read “our love” or “with the one you love.” And of course,

Happy Valentine’s Day!

As a variation, add a chain and wear the quilled heart as a necklace pendant.

If desired, spray the heart with a satin finish acrylic varnish to give it water

resistance and extra durability.

Books: If you’d like to learn more about paper quilling, a few of my favorite

books for beginners are Paper Quilling for the First Time and 50 Nifty Quilled

Cards, both by Alli Bartkowski, and a book from the Klutz series, Twirled

Paper, by Jacqueline Lee.

Supplies: CustomQuilling.com and Whimsiquills.com are two of the largest

U.S. online suppliers of quilling paper and tools.

More Ideas: On my blog, all things paper, you’ll find many more quilling

patterns and tutorials in the right sidebar.

http://www.customquilling.com/

http://www.whimsiquills.com/

http://allthingspaper-annmartin.blogspot.com/

Documents

Quilling 101 _ MAKE.pdf