Tag Archive 'quilling tools & supplies'

Jan 30 2010

Enhance Your Quilling with Blending Chalks

Published by Charlotte under Quilling How-To, Quilling Inspiration, Quilling Technique

Fig 1

Fig 1

Blending chalks are an excellent choice when you want to add a bit of color to your quilling.  Made by several manufacturers, they come in a wide array of colors from soft pastels to bright jewel tones.  Some even have a bit of shimmer mixed in (Fig. 1).

Chalks are easy to use and, unlike inks, are quite forgiving.  Small sponge applicators (similar to those used for eye shadow) usually come with the chalks.  Replacements can be a bit pricey in the craft stores, so you might want to look into the make-up applicators available at discount or beauty supply stores.  You can also use cotton swabs, cotton balls, and tissues to apply the chalk.
 
Fig 2

Fig 2

You can apply chalks directly to your finished quills.  This allows you to add color without splicing strips together.  For the leaf (Fig. 2), I applied a darker green to the lower portion of the shaped marquise and yellow to the top with just a touch of red on the tip.  In the photo, a plain leaf is on the left for comparison.

 
Quilled flowers can be enhanced with chalks as well.  Dark colors of chalk look striking on flowers made with light colored papers while light chalk colors can really make darker flowers pop. 
Fig 3

Fig 3

Yellow was added to the center of this star flower (on the right) giving it a warm glow.  A plain star flower is on the left for comparison (Fig. 3).
 
My favorite use of chalks is to highlight the background papers used with my quilling.  I love the look of torn paper edges and think they add a nice texture to a finished piece.  Sepia and brown colors will give your background papers a worn, aged look. 
Fig 4

Fig 4

Adding a color that blends or contrasts with your quilling is a great way to add interest and draw your eye into the quilling, just like when you add a mat to a piece of framed art  (Fig. 4).

 
Don’t limit yourself to just chalking the edges of the quilling background.  When I created this Valentine’s Day card for my husband, I brought the red chalk in from the edges and made it a part of overall design. 
Fig 5

Fig 5

The chalk highlights the subtle texture of the background paper without taking anything away from the true focus of the card — the quilled floral heart wreath (Fig 5).

 
Give blending chalks a try — I think you’ll find that they can give your quilling an added depth and beauty.
 

Tip:  Blending chalks are actually quite inexpensive and last a very long time.  They are softer, however, than the sidewalk or blackboard chalks you might have played with as a child and they crumble easily.  Also, I found out the hard way that the individual pieces of chalk are not glued inside their trays and will fall out if dropped, making a mess on your carpet if you are not careful.

5 responses so far

Jun 18 2009

Announcing the release of “Quilling with Confidence” E-book

Published by Charlotte under Quilling News, Quilling Pattern, Quilling Tips

I have exciting news!!  My new e-book, “Quilling with Confidence”, has just been released, and is being offered free to visitors on my blog. 
 
I’ve long wanted to share the techniques of quilling, and have put together a digital book filled with great information that I wish I had known when I first started quilling. 
 
quillingcover3d6Along with a bit about the background history of this fascinating art form, I’ll introduce you to the tools and supplies you’ll need to get started.  Then its time to learn the basics of quilling –coils and scrolls — and how to assemble your completed piece of quillwork.   I’ve even included three new projects to try, from beginner to more advanced.  These are complete projects and include more than just the pattern for the quilling itself.  You’ll find a photo of the completed piece, a materials list, and a line drawing of the quilling you can print off and use with your quilling work board.  This e-book is chock full of helpful hints and tips, and even has a section that addresses common quilling problems.  

 

This is a downloadable copy, and I want to send you one. Just sign up for my newsletter so you can keep up to date with more patterns and additional ideas and tips, and I’ll get you your copy right away!

 

Your information will not be shared, and the e-book is free to everyone, so I hope you’ll take a moment to subscribe and get your copy now!

 

Let’s start quilling today!!

4 responses so far

Jun 02 2009

Make Your Own Quilling Workboard & Design Guide

Published by Charlotte under Quilling How-To, Quilling Tips

If you are going to make more than just one or two small pieces of quilling, you owe it to yourself to purchase one of the quilling workboards and design guides that are currently available.  These are quality boards made of dense self-healing cork or durable foam that are sturdy and made to last for years.  The design grid guides and circle templates help you create precise, uniform quills, which is very important when working with symmetrical patterns such as snowflakes.  
 
A variety of quality designer boards, grids, and templates are available from the Scrapbook Super Center (just enter “quilling” into the search menu) and Custom Quilling.
 
However, if you are working with a group (Scout troop, church group, craft club, etc.), it is not always practical to purchase each member their own quilling workboard.   You can make one instead.
 
quilling-workboard1A simple, temporary board can be made from any sturdy sheet of cork board, plastic foam, corrugated cardboard, or other similar material.  A nice size is 6″ x 8″, but use what you have.  For my quilling classes, I have taken inexpensive 12″ x 12″ cork squares, cut them into four 6″ x 6″ squares, and edged them with masking tape.  These work very well, and if one happens to get away from me, it can easily be replaced.  Go green with a quilling workboard made from corrugated cardboard cut from a box that was headed for the trash.  When it has too many holes to be useful, just place it in the recycling bin. 
 
Wax paper makes a serviceable cover sheet for your workboard; it is handy and certainly cheap enough.  However, a word of caution is in order – if too much glue is used and the quillwork is accidentally glued to the wax paper, when you remove the quillwork the wax will come up with the quilled design.  I prefer to use clear plastic sheets cut from scrap (think old plastic sheet protectors or office transparencies) or recycled plastic packaging (not the hard stuff toys are packaged in, but the thin plastic scrapbook embellishments are wrapped in, heavy-duty food baggies, etc.).  You can either pin the workboard cover in place, or wrap it around and tape it to the back.   Slip your quilling pattern underneath the cover sheet (plastic or wax paper), pin in place, and create your quilled masterpiece.
 
quilling-workboard21For symmetrical work, a design grid can be created from a piece of graph paper cut to fit your quilling workboard.  Using a ruler and black pen or fine-tip marker, draw in your vertical and horizontal lines to divide your sheet roughly into fourths.  Continue to draw in intersecting lines as needed for your pattern.  Circles can be added to the grid with the aid of a compass or circle template. 
 
If you find that you need to make many coils of the same size, you can create your own template by tracing small round objects of various dimensions (coins, bottle caps, washers, brads, etc.) onto scrap paper or card stock.  Place this guide (shown in the top photo) under your workboard cover sheet and allow your quills to uncoil to the size of the desired circle.

 

Quilling Tip:  Use glue sparingly, especially when creating your design over wax paper so the wax on the wax paper does not become glued to the bottom of your quillwork.

 

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