Art and Crafts made out of Paper
Whether you’re making beautiful quilled designs for cards, shadowboxes or home decor, these simple steps will help make your paper projects look polished and professional.Get my FREE guide »
1. Use quilling paper
Paper quilling starts with rolling paper strips, and so naturally, the No. 1 item on the supplies list is 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. The length and size of the paper will determine how the paper quilled project eventually looks. A paper quilling pattern will tell you the size you need.
2. Choose the right tools
To paper quill, you need the right tools. A slotted tool is usually recommended to the paper quilling beginner because it is easier to roll paper with it. However, the slotted tool tends to crease the paper strips. Those who are more experienced in paper quilling may prefer the needle tool. Even though it is slightly more tricky to use, many crafters prefer the needle tool as it tends to result in a neater, crease-less paper roll.
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.
3. Learn basic shapes
The most basic shape of paper quilling is the rolled paper coil. By pinching and adjusting the tension of the paper coil, different quilled shapes are made. Some of the most basic paper quilling shapes are shown in the picture above.
4. Try a simple card
Once you have practiced and are happy with your paper quilled shapes, it’s time to make something with them! You don’t need a lot of shapes to make something fun with paper quilling. Even the simplest of the shapes can be used for a paper quilling 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.
5. Experiment with other creative applications
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!
Personally, I like to combine paper quilling with my other paper crafts, like die cutting and rubber stamping. 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.
6. Find the best resources
Paper quilling instructions and idea books can be found in many book stores. Some paper quilling books that were written for kids have great instructions that can be used for beginners of any ages. Even though they were intended for a young audience, children’s paper quilling books are not only easy to understand, they are usually filled with quick and easy projects that are great for any beginner.
In addition, Craftsy has a growing collection of paper quilling information. This class is a great starting point, and you can subscribe to the Craftsy Paper Crafts Blog to see the latest quilling tutorials and tips.
7. Practice, practice, practice!
Paper quilling takes a lot of patience and a lot of practice, but the results can be very rewarding. The more you practice, the better you will be at it.
FREE Guide: Paper Quilling Basics for Beginners
Whether you’re making beautiful quilled designs for cards, shadowboxes or home decor, these simple steps will help make your paper projects look polished and professional.
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