Tag Archive 'quilling instruction'

May 22 2009

Quilling a Twinchie — Beginner Pattern

Published by Charlotte under Quilled Card, Quilling How-To, Quilling Pattern

My earlier posts have explained the basic techniques and tools used in the art of quilling.  Now it’s time to quill!  For a perfect first project, we will make a twinchie.
 
quilled-flower-twinchieWhat in the world is a “twinchie?”  Those of you familiar with cardmaking, scrapbooking, or stamping have probably heard of twinchies already, but if you haven’t, twinchies are wonderful pieces of art that are two inches by two inches, hence the name, twinchies.  This format for art grew from the original and still popular “inchies,” which, not surprisingly, is art that is one inch by one inch square.  This is a very satisfying form of art since it does not take long to create delightful results that are amazingly versatile.  It is a very common format chosen for group swaps since they are quick to produce and easy to mail which encourages more members to participate.
 
NOTE:  My quilling pattern instructions tell you the number, size, type, and color of the quills (coils or scrolls) needed to complete the design.  For example, (5) 3″ Marquise coil, blue, means that you will need a quantity of five marquise coils, each made from a 3″ strip of blue quilling paper.
 
You Will Need
Basic quilling tools (discussed earlier)
Quilling paper, 1/8″:  blue, white, green (multi-colored pack recommended for more variety)
Card stock, 2″ squares:  cream, blue
Blending chalk: mustard yellow
Dry tape runner (optional)
 
Free Quilling Pattern — Quilled Flower with Bud
(5) 6″ marquise coil, blue
(1) 6″ teardrop coil, blue
(1) 1″ tight coil, white
(1) 7″ V-scroll, green
(1) 4″ V-scroll, green
 
Glue one point of each blue marquise to the white tight coil to form a flower.  Glue the folded end of the 4″ green V-scroll between two of the blue marquise coils to form tendrils.  Glue the blue teardrop to the top of the 3″ V-scroll to form a flower bud and glue the folded end between two marquise coils on the opposite side of the tendrils. 
 
Assemble Your Twinchie
Tear all four sides of the cream card stock and apply chalk to the torn edges.  Attach the cream card stock to the center of the blue square   Glue the finished quillwork to the 2″ square of card stock.
 
Congratulations!  You now have a beautiful twinchie. 
 
I made mine into a greeting card for a friend.  If you would like to, also, follow these easy steps.
 
quilled-flower-cardAdditional Materials for Card
(1) 4″ x 5.5″ blank greeting card, ivory
6″ of 7/8″ wide ribbon, mustard yellow
Greeting of your choice (rubber stamp/ink, rub-on, computer printed, etc.)
 
Apply your greeting to the lower right-hand side of the card.  (I always do this part first, before adding my embellishments.  That way if I make a mistake, it is much easier to start over).   Attach the ribbon vertically to the left side of the card; trim edges.  Attach the twinchie on top of the ribbon.  (See photo for placement).
 
Don’t forget to sign your work! 

 

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May 19 2009

5 Basic Quilling Scrolls

Published by Charlotte under Quilling How-To, Quilling Tips

Open scrolls help create the beautiful lace-like quality quillwork is known for. They are made by rolling one or both ends of a paper strip, but, unlike coils, the rolled ends are not glued down. I mentioned earlier that you should tear your strips since the frayed end is less noticeable when glued. This is the method followed by most quillers. For extra neatness, however, I like to cut both ends of the paper strip that I use for makeing scrolls since it gives a sharp definition to the ends.  This is strictly a matter of preference.  When making scrolls, you will want to condition the paper in the direction you want to roll.

basic-scrolls1Loose Scroll: Using your quilling tool of choice, loosely roll a strip into a coil. Remove the quilling tool and allow the roll to uncoil. Do not glue.

S-Scroll: Loosely roll one end of a paper strip half-way down. Flip the paper and loosely roll the other end in the opposite direction to form an “S” shape. Do not glue.

C-Scroll: Loosely roll one end of a paper strip half-way down. Flip the paper and loosely roll the other end toward the center until it meets the loose coil made from the other end and forms a “C” shape. Do not glue.

V-Scroll: Fold your strip of quilling paper in half. Loosely roll each end outward to form a “V” shape. Do not glue.

Heart Scroll: Fold your quilling strip in half. Loosely roll each end twoard the center to form a heart shape. Do not glue.

S-scrolls and C-scrolls make wonderful “filler” quills for larger projects. V-scrolls and loose scrolls are often used as beautiful tendrils to accent quilled blooms. Scrolls can also be combined to form some lovely designs for interesting special effects. We will explore just some of the many variations possible in future posts.

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May 15 2009

Five Basic Quilling Coils

Published by Charlotte under Quilling How-To

Coils are the building blocks of most quilling patterns.  They can be made in all shapes and sizes, but the one thing all coils have in common is that after the strip is rolled, the loose end of the paper is glued to itself. 
 
basic-coils6Tight Coil:  Using your quilling tool of choice, roll your strip of paper tightly, being sure to keep the paper aligned as you roll.  Place a small dab of glue at the end of the strip, glue to the roll, and hold until set.  Remove the tool.
Loose Coil:  Roll a strip into a tight coil.  Remove the tool and allow the roll to uncoil.  Glue the loose end of the paper to the coil.
Teardrop:  Make a loose coil.  Hold the coil between the index fingers and thumbs of both hands.  Using one hand, pinch your finger and thumb together catching the paper and forming a point.  Leave the other end rounded.
Marquise:  Make a loose coil.  Hold the coil between the index fingers and thumbs of both hands.  Instead of pinching the paper with one hand to form the teardrop, pinch the paper with both hands at the same time, leaving the center of the coil round.  
Pressed Heart:  Make a loose coil and pinch it into a teardrop.  With your fingernail or toothpick, indent the center of the round end to form a heart shape.
 
Next time, I’ll show you how to make the basic quilling scrolls. 

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May 12 2009

How To Quill - Beginning Instructions

Published by Charlotte under Quilling How-To, Quilling Tips

slotted-quilling-tool1The first thing you want to do is to tear a strip of paper to the desired length.  Tearing the paper creates a frayed end that is less noticeable when glued down than a cut end. Your pattern instructions will tell you how long your strip of quilling paper needs to be.  For practice, a 4″ strip is a good size.
 
Now that you have your strip of quilling paper, you will want to loosen the fibers to make it easier to create a smooth roll.  Look at your paper and find the “right” and the “wrong” side (explained earlier here).  Now, gently run the wrong side of the paper strip over your quilling tool or thumbnail.  The paper will start to bend with the smooth side out which is what you want.  When using your quilling tool of choice, be sure to roll the paper in the same direction it is now bending.
 
Instructions for using a slotted quilling tool should come with the package, but it is quite easy to use.  Simply insert one end of the paper into the tool (just enough to catch in the slot) and turn the handle.  I roll paper away from me, so I insert the strip with the smooth side facing me and the curl of the paper that we created by loosening the fibers is toward the floor.  If you are more comfortable rolling paper toward you, insert the paper with the wrong side up (the curl in the paper ends will be towards you) and roll towards you.  Either way, use your other hand to guide the paper, keeping the edges aligned as evenly as possible.  Use an even tension on the paper strip when rolling your coil.
 
Quilling with a needle tool, pin, or toothpick, is a bit trickier and may require more practice, but certainly can be done by a beginner.  Place the end of the paper between your thumb and index finger and pinch the paper edge around the shaft of your tool and start rolling the paper.  If you have difficulty in beginning the roll, try moistening your finger tips or the tip of the paper.  As with the slotted tool, if you roll away from yourself, start the paper with the smooth side towards you; if you roll towards yourself, start with the “wrong” side towards you.  The beginning of the coil should be tightly wound to ensure a small round center.  Loosen your tension slightly as you roll to the end of the strip.

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May 11 2009

Let’s Start Quilling - Tools of the Trade

Published by Charlotte under Quilling How-To, Quilling Tips

quilling-tools1
Are you a paper crafter who has never quilled before?   Are you curious and want to find out if you’d like it, but cringe at the thought of purchasing even more crafting supplies that might end up unused and forgotten in some drawer or plastic bin?
 

If this sounds like you, then fear not.  Basic quilling supplies are few and very inexpensive.  In fact, you probably have many of the supplies currently on hand.  If you find that you enjoy quilling and want to do more (and I truly hope you will), then you can go wild and build up your stash of quilling tools, papers, and embellishments.

 
Three Must-Haves for Quilling: Paper Strips, Glue, Curling Tool
  1. Quilling Paper Strips. As I mentioned in a previous post, the most common width of paper strip used in quilling is 1/8″. However, other widths are available. Narrower strips (1/16″ ) are used for fine, detailed quilling, while wider strips, 1/4″, 1/2″, and 3/8″, are used primarily for fringed flowers and 3D sculpting. My advice is to purchase one package of 1/8″ multi-colored strips. You will appreciate the variety of colors you have to choose from as you make your first designs.
  2. Glue. Any good quality white tacky craft glue that dries clear will work fine. Over time you will notice some slight differences and no doubt choose a favorite, but for now, use what you have on hand.
  3. Curling Tool. You will need to use something to curl your paper strips. A corsage pin, hat pin, round toothpick, needle quilling tool, or slotted tool can all be used. With the pins, toothpick, and needle tool, the paper strip is curled by rolling it around the center shaft. A slotted quilling tool grabs the end of the quilling paper and you wind the paper into a coil by turning the handle. There are pros and cons for each type. The needle tools make a smaller center to the coil, but starting and rolling the coil can be a bit tricky. The slotted quilling tool leaves a tell-tale bend in the paper at the center of the coil, but is by far the easiest tool for beginners to use. My advice is to buy a slotted tool with a long cushioned handle. Once you get the hang of quilling, you can branch out and try the needle tool or finger rolling. If you simply refuse to spend another dime on supplies, then try the toothpick. It is easier for paper to grab onto the wooden surface than the smooth shaft of the needle tool or pin.

A quality slotted tool manufactured by Lake City Craft Co. is available from Scrapbook Super Center where you will also find their brand of quilling paper (just enter “quilling” into the search menu). Custom Quilling  carries a larger variety of quilling tools and supplies from several major manufacturers.

(Note: Please avoid the strips that are sold in a tube. They are very difficult to work with and I don’t want you to become easily discouraged.)

Other Useful Quilling Tools and Supplies
  • Workboard. You can purchase one of the many nice ones available on the market today, or make your own from a sturdy piece of corrugated cardboard. A good size is 6″x8″, but any size will do as long as it is larger than your quilling pattern. Cover the front of the workboard with a piece of wax paper or clear plastic sheet cut to size and held in place with a few straight pins.
  • Straight Pins. Besides holding the workboard covering in place, pins are used to hold your coils and scrolls on the board as you work on your quilling pattern. This allows you to “dry fit” the pieces and make any adjustments before gluing.
  • Ruler. You will usually want to measure the length of your paper strips so you can form shapes that are uniform in size. Your quilling pattern instructions will tell you the length of the strip needed to form each coil or scroll.
  • Tweezers. Some of the individual shapes you create will be pretty tiny. You will find tweezers quite helpful in achieving perfect placement of your coils and scrolls into your quilling design.
  • Toothpicks.  Besides being an all around handy tool to have in your crafting arsenal, toothpicks are excellent for aplying glue to your quilled shapes.
That’s it — all of the quilling tools and supplies you need to get started. So gather them together and come on back.
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