Tag Archive 'quilling tool'

Jun 13 2009

Quilled Beach Tag

Published by under Quilling How-To,Quilling Pattern,Quilling Tips

For me, summer means the beach.  I love to hear the sound of the ocean waves crashing upon the shore as I lounge contentedly under the shade of a big umbrella.  But, since I can’t go to the beach, I thought I would do the next best thing and craft something tropical instead.  Today’s quilling pattern is a fun one because it introduces a new quilling coil, technique, and tool. 
 
rectangle-coil-quillingThe trunk of the palm tree is made from a coil called a “rectangle” because it is, well, a rectangle.  To make this quill, roll a loose coil and pinch it into a marquise.  Next, move the marquise slightly between your thumbs and index fingers and pinch again, forming two more points near the original ones.  You should now have a rectangle quill that has two long sides and two short sides. 
 
quilling paper crimperWe’ll also be playing with a new tool — a paper crimper.  I bought mine at the North American Quilling Guild Conference this past May.  The one I have is made by Paplin, but there are several good ones on the market.  It isn’t a “must have” quilling tool, but it is so much fun. To use the crimper, simply feed your paper strip through the gears and it comes out crimped.  If you don’t have a paper crimper you can still make the palm tree.  Just make the palm fronds with straight quilling paper instead. 
 
quilled-wheatear-and-palm-frondFinally, I want to show you a bit about wheatears.  This isn’t a coil or a scroll because you don’t curl the paper, you loop it instead.  To make a wheatear, create a small loop.  Now, while holding the original loop, make a larger loop around it.  Keep looping the paper until your wheatear is as long as desired, then glue the paper down at the starting point and either tear or cut off the excess paper.  Wheatears can be left rounded, or shaped like a coil.  For the palm frond, you’ll pinch the ends like a marquise and bend the ends in opposite directions to give the frond a little curve.
 
 
You will need
Basic quilling tools (discussed earlier)
Quilling paper, 1/8″:  green, brown, gold
 
quilled-palm-tree-tagFree Quilling Pattern – Palm Tree & Small Goldfish
(4) 4″ Rectangle coil, brown (tree trunk) 
(7) 3/4″ – 1-1/2″ long Wheatears, green (palm fronds)
(1) 3″ Teardrop coil, gold (fish body)
(1) 3″ Pressed heart coil, gold (fish fin)
 
Using the photo as a guide, glue the rectangle coils on top of each other to form the palm tree trunk.  Give the top rectangle coil a little pinch to form the top of the trunk.  Glue the base of each wheatear to the tip of the palm tree trunk, mixing up the sizes.  Glue the tip of the gold pressed heart to the tip of the gold teardrop to create a fun little fish swimming in the surf.
 
The palm tree and fish make perfect additions to a beach-themed tag  — a great embellishment for a vacation scrapbook page.
 
Additional Materials for Quilled Beach Tag
(1) Tag, 4-1/2″ x 2-1/8″, blue (DMD Industries)
Card stock scraps, turquoise, white, beige, gold
Blending chalk, brown (optional)
Jute twine, 6″
 
Using the photo as a guide, tear a strip of tan card stock, chalk the edge a darker brown (optional), and glue it to the tag for the sand.  Tear a strip of white card stock and glue it over the bottom edge of the tan strip for the crashing waves.  Tear a strip of turquoise and glue it along the bottom of the tag for the deep water, leaving a strip of the original blue tag showing for the shallow water.  Tear a curved piece of gold card stock and glue it in the corner for the sun.  Trim off any card stock edges even with the tag.  Glue the palm tree and goldfish in place.  Tie the jute on with a simple overhand knot and fringe the edges.  Be sure to sign your work!
 
I hope you decide to join me at the beach and give this project a try.  If so, I’d love to hear from you.  Send me a comment and let me know how it turned out. 
 
Quilling Tip:  Don’t pinch the crimped paper too hard or you will flatten out the paper folds and lessen the effect.

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May 15 2009

Five Basic Quilling Coils

Published by 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 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 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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