Tips for paper quilling

A completed quilled project may look complicated, but the basics of this paper craft are actually not hard to master. If you have ever wanted to give paper quilling a try, here are seven tips for getting started! This is achieved by rolling strips of paper and pinching or curving them into various forms.

To select Quilling paper:

You can buy packs of pre-cut quilling paper in most major art and crafts stores, but you can also cut your own strips of papers. Paper quilling starts with rolling paper strips, and so naturally, the No. 1 item on the supplies list is quilling paper. The length and size of the paper will determine how the paper quilled project eventually looks.

Basic Designs of Quilling:

The most basic shape of paper quilling is the rolled paper coil. By pinching and adjusting the tightness of the paper coil, different quilled shapes are made. Some of the most basic paper quilling shapes are shown in the picture.

Tool selection:

In order to paper quill, a needle-like tool is required. A slotted tool is usually recommended to the paper quilling beginner because it is easier to roll paper with it.

Glue is another essential item on the supplies list. It is also helpful to have a pair of tweezers to handle the quilled pieces and a circle template to measure the coils with.

For Example:

You don’t need a lot of shapes to make something fun with paper quilling. Even the simplest of the quilled shapes can be used for a project. For example, in the card pictured above, five simple loose coils were used for the monkey’s juggling balls to make a fun greeting card.

The creative application:

Paper quilling is frequently used for making greeting cards or in wall art, like decorative canvases or framed art. Some folks even make wearable art-like earrings out of their paper quilled shapes!

For example, in the picture above, I combined paper quilling with a vellum cutout of a jar that I had cut with my electronic die cutting machine.