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Quilling 101 – How to Start Paper Quilling – A Free Tutorial

Here is a tutorial a long time coming – I have been asked for a tutorial for basic quilling techniques and shapes.  I will break this into a couple posts, with some more advanced shapes in the second part.

So you want to start paper quilling?   First you need some supplies!  This post will teach you how you can use supplies you have around the house to start quilling.  This one will show you some of the basic tools and the differences between them.  But you need more than tools, so here is a post that outlines the basic supplies you need if you want to purchase them.  And lastly, there are many fun, but not necessary, tools for quilling.  This post outlines some of those.  Here is the whole list of tips and tricks to browse through.

So now you have your basic supplies!   To do the shapes here you will need paper strips, a tool (preferably a slotted quilling tool for ease of use), and some glue.  Optionally you can also use a workboard, a circle sizing guide, and pins.

To start quilling, you need a paper strip and a tool.  When I first started quilling at age 10 I used a toothpick until my parents bought me a slotted tool about a year later.  It works, but you get a might tighter and neater coil if you use a proper tool.  Insert your paper into the slot of your tool and then hold the paper with even tension while you turn the tool.  Some people turn it backwards, I turn mine forwards.  Turn it whichever way feels most comfortable to you.  I like to place my thumb and forefinger on either side of the paper strip as it is being wound onto the tool so that it keeps it nice and even, as you  can see in the middle photo.  When you get to the end of your paper strip, it is time to take it off the tool!  If you have wound it tightly, you may find it a little tricky to take off.  It will take some practice to wind with the right tension (and sometimes you want it wound tightly and sometimes not so much, depending on the look of the coil you want).  One way to ensure the coil comes off the tool without unraveling is to press your thumbnail on the barrel of the tool tip as you  are taking it off.  Also, you can let  the coil expand before you take it off the tool, but only if you want to make a loose coil shape.  If you want your coil to be tight, then don’t let it expand before taking it off.

 

Once your coil is off your tool you can just glue it so you have a tight roll.  OR you can let it expand.  Once it is expanded you can leave it open, that is called a scroll.  Or you can glue it shut, and you have a loose circle coil.

Now you can turn that loose circle coil into lots of different shapes!  Here are just a few to get you started.

Teardrop

 

Curved Teardrop:

 

Marquis or Eye:  

Leaf:

Triangle:

Square:

 

Rectangle:

 

Crescent: 

Semicircle: 

Tulip: 

Heart or Arrow:

Scroll Shapes:

Scroll shapes are made by twirling the paper, but not gluing the end.  You can just roll the whole paper up, or you can roll the paper from one end part way and then the other end part way, you can fold it and then roll both ends, you can roll each end in a different direction, there are so many possibilities!  Here is just a small sample of some scroll shapes you can make:

 

Quilled circles and scrolls can be made into innumerable different shapes!  Just a little pinch here and a little pinch there can transform it into any shape you need for your unique design.  There are some other methods to get cool shapes in quilling which I will be going over in future posts, so stay tuned!  In the meantime….

Click HERE to view many more tips and tricks for paper quilling, divided into subjects!

Click HERE to view free tutorials for paper quilling projects!

Click HERE to find where you can purchase paper quilling supplies – many sources listed from around the globe!

Honey:

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