Learn Paper Quilling (The Art of Paper Filigree)

Unique Scrapbooking Embellishment Idea for Fun Scrapbook Pages

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:12:00 +0000

Unique Scrapbooking Embellishment Idea

This new site shares fun step-by-step video instructions for creating unique scrapbook page embellishments like you've never seen before. Sign-up on the website at Unique Scrapbooking Embellishments Video Lesson to start learning a new paper craft for scrappers!

Quilling

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:11:00 +0000

The art of paper filigree is not a quick, mass-produced artform nor is it a simple craft, it is much more. I'm sor glad that more people are starting to learn the art of quilling which has surprisingly been around for hundreds of years! While it is not difficult to learn how to make quilled patterns, it does require a good eye for detail, time, and patience in order to make nice eye-pleasing designs! I'm sure once you learn how to do quilling you'll find it relaxing and fun but you must give it time when you first get started.

Surprisingly, quilling is not difficult to learn how to do but it does take some time and patience since you are working with intricate designs and small pieces of paper. You just need a few proper tools and the time to work on your quilling. The great thing about the art of paper quilling is that almost anyone at any age can learn how to quill paper after just a little bit of practice. You can work on your quilling creations for a few minutes or for many hours. It depends on how quickly you want to work; although many professional quillers will suggest that quilling does take quite some time. I’m pretty sure that once you get started quilling, you won’t want to stop. However, if you are just wanting to learn quilling to add a few designs to your scrapbook or card making, you can do that in very little time and find it fairly easy to master quickly. Quilling at its basic, is rolling a strip of paper around a tool then shaping it. Quilled paper shapes are then formed into a larger design and glued together. Once you learn the basic coils and scrolls, you’ll be able to create artwork and patterns in very little time.

I was relieved to find out that it does not take long to make beautiful quilled creations once you get the basic shapes learned since that is the foundation you can really begin to have fun making larger projects. If you wanted to, you could definitely spend many hours on larger and more intricate designs if you’d like to create masterpieces and stand alone art, instead of just small quilled patterns for cards and scrapbook pages. Large quilled patterns are usually works of art that can be framed for show and that is only one small part of the way that paper filigree is used. Most of the designs you’ll probably make at home with your paper filigree will be patterns to embellish other crafts you are doing so rest assured that it does not need to take all day just to make a few quilled flowers; although anyone that looks at your artwork might think you spent a whole lot more time on it than you really did! The great thing about quilling is that it looks a lot more difficult and time consuming than it actually is to do so you can make something really impressive to show off!

I typically refer to this art as quilling but this paper craft has a few other names it is known by as well that you might see me talk about. Maybe you have heard it called one of these names such as: paper filigree, rolled paper décor,paper rolling, or filigrana. They are really all the same thing, its just that this art form goes by a variety of names depending largely on what country you live in and where you have learned this paper art. Whatever you chose to call it, try quilling once and you’ll surely be hooked on a fun paper craft that can provide many hours of enjoyment for yourself and even children. Quilling makes gorgeous artwork to add as an embellishment to another craft you currently create, especially homemade greeting card making and scrapbooking pages. Whatever name you call it, paper quilling is a lot of fun and easy to do with step by step instructions geared for beginners.

Quilling paper allows you to be creative with the basic coils and scrolls you’ll learn how to make as a beginner. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the variety of quilling patterns you can create with just a few different types of quilled basics. Just remember again that you do need to have a bit of patience (especially as a beginner quiller) since you are working with small tools and small pieces of paper, so take time and do not rush your patterns or else they will be uneven and unprofessional. Each small coil or scroll will be just one tiny portion of the overall design so you want every piece of your pattern to look nice before adding it to your final design. Remember to have fun and make your designs as detailed and intricate as you’d like. Take time for some trial and error as you learn and you’ll soon be amazed at how quickly you are able to make some really cool quilled designs.

Many advanced quilling patterns will require that you spend hours and days or even weeks and months to create a very involved and intricate design. There is really something for all ability levels with paper filigree; some of the quilled creations I've seen are even 3 dimensional which is really neat but of course takes quite a bit more time to be so detailed and intricate.

Quilling for Beginners

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 04:44:00 +0000

The art of paper quilling has been around for centuries and certainly regained a new appreciation as a great form of art lately. Quilling uses long strips of paper to create coils and shapes, with a quilling tool, which are then formed together to create beautiful patterns such as quilled flowers. This paper art is also known as paper filigree which comes from the way that the paper is rolled.

If you are looking to learn how to do quilling, it can be really simple. For beginners, you can use strips of paper cut on a paper cutter (if you cannot find quilling strips in your local craft store). Just be sure that you do not use a thick paper like cardstock since it is very difficult to coil nicely. Then you will need to roll the strips around a toothpick for example (if you do not yet have a quilling tool to make it easiest). You will find that although you can use some of these cheap alternatives for quilling, the best way to create professional looking and easy to make quilling designs is to invest a few dollars into quilling paper strips and a few proper quilling tools. The basic tools and supplies you need for quilling can be purchased for under $20 so it really is an inexpensive art or craft compared to most.

Practice making your coils into a variety of shapes like squares, teardrops, marquises, and triangles. There are many more basic shapes you can also make to create an amazing and intricate completed pattern, but these are some of the basics.

Remember that quiling is a 3D art form so you can create layers of quilled shapes and not just lay them flat in a single level on your card. Quilling is a beautiful form of art that will certainly amaze and inspire many when they see your beautiful creation. And don’t forget that quilling is also a great craft for children since they can coil paper and create designs as well.

If you need some ideas on what to create with your quilling paper, just look around your house at some of your favorite items and begin to form those shapes with your paper strips until you have a complete pattern. If you are a beginner this will take some time, so for now just continue to practice the basic quilled coils and shapes so you can make larger designs in the future.

Quilling is a beautiful way to express your creativity with paper and a few simple tools. Remember to use a variety of colors and shapes and have fun creating quilled designs. If you need some lesson and want some patterns to follow, check out www.LearnQuilling.com for free quilling instructions and a fun quilling pattern for beginners.

An Introduction to Quilling, Paper Filigree, Quiling

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:56:00 +0000

Quilling (often called paper filigree or quiling) is a paper art form where you learn to coil, curl, twist, or fringe long strips of paper into a large variety of shapes, creating intricate, beautiful patterns and pieces of artwork. Quilling takes some practice to get the hang of but is a much easier craft to do than it seems. You’ll certainly be complimented by many people when they see your quilled creations since this is a paper craft that looks very detailed and time consuming. However, you will find with simple to follow step-by-step instructions, the basics of quilling are easy to master. Then you can start to make your own patterns and designs with ease!

The history of quilling dates back hundreds of years but is recently gaining a renewed popularity since quilled paper art is a great way to embellish scrapbooks, invitations, announcements, and home-made cards. Besides that, the cost to get started with quilling is comparatively lower than almost any other craft you could do! Although this craft has been around for quite some time, it is not very popular in craft stores so you may have a hard time finding supplies unless you know where to look.

Often people wonder what types of designs they can create with quilling paper. The majority of work you will see is probably flowers since quilled flowers are a lot of fun to make and are very popular. Beyond flowers, you’ll find that you can quill almost any design you can think of! Everything from animals to letters to fire engines are great items you can learn to quill with paper! You will have a lot of fun experimenting and trying new ideas with quilling even if you don’t have a pattern to follow (although it definitely helps for beginners).

Quilling is a fun and easy craft to learn but as a beginner you’ll certainly need to have some patience as you learn the basics to quilling and start making cool quilling designs. The tools you’ll need are easy to find once you know where to look and they are inexpensive. You can spend as much time as you want quilling; it can take just a few minutes or a few days to created a quilled design, depending on how detailed and intricate you would like to make it. Quilling is a craft but also an art form so don’t be discouraged if your quilling does not look exactly like the pattern you used or the design you anticipated. Your work of art will be unique and beautiful if you take the time to learn the basics and understand the proper tools and supplies to use.

I will say that if you’re good at learning something new just by seeing a photo and being able to replicate it, then grab a quilling book from your local craft store (if you can even find it…they aren’t available in most stores but you can sometimes get them on the craft store’s website). However if you’d prefer to learn how to do quilling with step by step instructions, hundreds of color photos, and an instructional DVD that you can watch while you do your quilling craft at the same time, then you’ll want to get a beginner quilling course and learn how to make all the basic shapes and coils. Then you can learn how to put the shapes together to form larger patterns. After that, you’ll learn more advanced patterns and really make this a form of art that is unique to you and a beautiful way to decorate all sorts of crafts such as scrapbooking, card making, and other craft projects you’ve already created. Quilling does not have to be a stand alone art and instead it can really be something great that you can add to other projects you enjoy working on. Learning how to quill will give you an additional way to jazz up so many of your craft projects and can be learned by following step by step instructions.

Grab your free quilling lesson at: LEARNQUILLING.COM

Saw a Cool Question on Quilling on Yahoo Answers

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:11:00 +0000

Quilling: What Is It?

Thought you'd enjoy reading the above Yahoo Answers post, if you want a good description of quilling to understand it a bit better.

Happy Quilling!

Quilling for Scrapbooking

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:42:00 +0000

If you are a scrapbooker (or scrapper as I've seen us called) then its time to take a look at a fun paper craft embellishment that is pretty unique to scrapbooking...QUILlING! :) Now although quilling has been around for hundreds and possibly thousands of years, its just becoming more popular because of scrapbookers and card makers. Start using quilling in your scrapbook page layouts now and jump in ahead of the gang before more people start finding out about this cool way to embellish pages with unique paper designs.

Don't quite understand Quilling? I didn't either at first! So to make it really simple for quilling beginners, I put together a free video tutorial with step by step instructions of me creating a quilled flower design. I want to share it with you at www.LearnQuilling.com - Enjoy!!

Quilling for Scrapbooking

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:07:00 +0000

One of the greatest uses for quilling lately has become adding quilled paper designs to scrapbooks because it is a unique and beautiful paper craft that can add dimension and uniqueness to your books. You can make all kinds of designs with paper rolling; really anything you think of can be coiled into a paper design. You just need to use your imagination and you can make a quilled paper craft for each page of your scrapbook, even if it is simply a flower border around your photos.

Paper filigree is such a great addition to scrapbooking because you are already using a variety of paper and creating a unique craft for someone (or yourself!). So quilling is really just an extension of your paper craft work that can add a great dimension to each of your pages.

Don’t forget that you can also quill paper letters and numbers to add to your scrapbook which certainly come in handy for many pages. You don’t need to just make flowers or other items, you can write small phrases or add numbers to your scrapbooking pages.

Add quilled toy, car, and truck designs to your little boy’s scrapbook. How about balloons and gifts for a birthday or other special celebration book? Or even baby toys, teddy bears, and toy blocks for a baby scrapbook! The possibilities for using quilling in scrapbooking are really endless, especially when you consider all the really neat rolled paper crafts you can learn how to make with ease, but that look much more time consuming and detailed.

Learning how to quill paper is a fantastic addition to your scrapbooking pages because it will add a unique dimension and decoration to each of your scrapbooks inexpensively.

Who Would Be Interested in Quilling?

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 01:59:00 +0000

Have you heard of quilling before? That's right its quiLLing and not quiLTing....took me a few minutes to get that when I first read about it. But its a really neat paper craft that you coil around a tool (or quill, I guess is how it got named!) :) I think the coolest thing about paper quilling is that is it a great embellishment for scrapbooking and card making. So if you make your own scrapbooks or greeting cards, you definitely want to check out paper quilling and add some more dimension and pizzazz to your creations! Check out a free lesson at LearnQuilling.com to get started. Its a fun craft that even kids can do! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to do quilling yet how stunning the results are! Your friends and customers will never know how easy it really was for you to create such an intricate paper design with your quilling paper.

So scrapbookers and greeting card makers, take a look at quilling and have fun with paper! :)

Glue for Quilling Projects: Here's My Favorite!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:42:00 +0000

This just made me giggle...my husband asked why I didn't use super glue for my quilling to hold it together tightly and quickly. hehe I do love super glue and use it for a LOT of stuff around the house (I think that's why he asked!) but for Quilling its out of the question!

Actually my favorite glue to use when quilling is plain Elmer's craft glue or Elmer's glue pens. Its easy to use and dries quickly on the quilling paper (use sparingly of course!) and it doesn't dry out quickly in a small container while I'm working. I've tried some other craft glues and they get all globby while I'm working which doesn't work for me.

Enjoy quilling!! :)
Jenn

My VERY First Quilling Project Revealed!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:55:00 +0000

That's right, I'm going to show you my VERY FIRST Quilling project that I did from scratch the first day I picked up my Quilling tools. I've gotten much better since then, but its always fun to look back and see where I started from!

I've since learned to make more even coils and have made smaller designs. I think the smaller tighter designs actually look better than the larger ones I started out making.

Hope you enjoyed a peek at my FIRST Quilling project! :)
Jenn

WARNING: Quilling Books Truth Exposed Website

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 23:58:00 +0000

Okay, I really don't ever do this, but I wanted to issue a warning about a website that claims to be "Quilling Books Truth Exposed." (I'm not going to post their website link since that will only help them get more people to their website and to fall for their deceptive advertising.) After a bit of research, I've found out that this website that claims to be providing quilling book reviews is in fact a site owned and written by an author of a quilling ebook that sell for $37.00

I'm sure the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) will find out soon and remind the owner of this website that it is illegal (and punishable by large fines) to NOT disclose that you are in fact making money off of any reviews.

I'm currently in the process of compiling some TRUE testimonials from those Quillers who have a sneak peek at my "Secrets to Quilling Success" before it gets released so you can read actual and FTC compliant testimonials. For now, I'd suggest that you be extra careful when reading supposed "review" websites for any product, for that matter.

Please let me know if you have any questions!
Thanks,
Jenn

ps - I added my picture to this post so you can see that I'm a real, authentic person. I'm on the left. Hubby on the right. :)

New Youtube Quilling Video: Paper Quilling Pattern Design Ideas - Beautiful Paper Craft

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 03:58:00 +0000

VIDEO: What is the Most Popular Quilling Design and Other Items I Can Quill?

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:38:00 +0000

Want to start quilling and need some ideas on what you can make? Check out this video and then head over to your free lesson at LearnQuilling.com

What Are Quilling Kits?

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:36:00 +0000

You may see quilling kits on the market and wonder if that is the right option for you. In case you are not familiar with quilling kits, they typically include the tool, the paper you need to make a few specific designs and a few patterns within one category all in one place. I typically do not recommend that you use a quilling kit for a few reasons.

First, the paper is typically cheap and that makes the glue difficult to adhere to it properly. You are sure to go crazy trying to quill with cheap paper and it will probably frustrate you immensely and drive you away from quilling.

Second, unless you are an advanced quiller, it will be difficult for you to follow the patterns without first knowing the basic steps needed to create the shapes for the complete design.

Instead, if you are looking to start quilling and want to learn how to do the art of paper quilling, I’d love for you to check out my course that is made for beginner quillers. You’ll learn all the basic steps to creating amazing quilling work plus learn how to make all kinds of great patterns with ease. You’d have to buy dozens of quilling kits to get the same amount of patterns you’ll learn how to make with my course, “Secrets to Quilling Success”. Beyond that you are going to get all my special tips which will really help you out. Check it out at learnquilling.com

What Else Can I Make Besides Quilled Flowers?

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 01:34:00 +0000

Although quilled flowers are very popular, you will quickly find that there are so many more patterns that you can quill besides simply flowers. Just about anything you can think of, you can quill! From animals to lettering to cars and trucks, you can quill all kinds of patterns using the basic quilling shapes you have learned how to make. The possibilities are really endless since you have complete control over the way you create a design with the basic quilling shapes. Quilling is an art form so just like any other art, you can make ANYTHING you’d like and have your finished piece of artwork look unique. Check out paper quilling instructions and patterns at LearnQuilling.com

Quilling designs can be used to jazz up any scrapbook, even for boys, since you can quill all kinds of toys, cars, animals, and other items that little boys enjoy to adorn the pages of their scrapbook.

Is Paper Quilling a Craft that Children Can Do Too?

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 01:23:00 +0000

Yes, children will definitely love quilling as a fun paper craft to do with all kinds of colored paper strips! You can show kids how to roll the paper into different shapes and then give them a chance to create something unique on their own. You may want to give them paper that is a little bit wider so they can handle it more easily. Making coils and scrolls are simple enough for most children to do and then you can give them some guidance as they glue them together into a design or you can allow them to create whatever they desire! If your child is having trouble rolling the coils, then help them out with that and allow them to do the gluing.

Kids especially love to try to make their favorite animals and cartoon characters with quilling. Older children can look at photos or drawings of the items they would like to quill and can get design ideas that way. You could even draw a basic design on paper and have them fill in the design with different quilled shapes similar to a puzzle! Allow your child to have fun twirling the paper and gluing their coils and scrolls down however they like.

Quilling is a great craft for kids since it requires very few supplies and is inexpensive so you can allow them to use as much paper as you’d like! Children will enjoy giving their quilling works of art as gifts or using them to decorate pieces of paper or cards for others.

Since I'm writing this post in December I will say that the Christmas holiday is an especially great time to have your children helped with quilling paper since they are sure to have fun making santas, wreaths, trees, and other holiday decorations. They can even add beads, glitter, sequins, ribbon, or other embellishments like buttons to jazz up their paper quilling creation. Have your child draw a tree on a piece of paper and then use quilling designs to decorate the tree! Doesn't that sound like a fun paper craft idea that everyone can enjoy doing? You can even give this as a gift if you want to frame it or add their design to a holiday gift card.

Ready to start learning how to make quilled creations? Check out my course at http://www.LearnQuilling.com

How long does it take to create designs with paper quilling? It seems a very time consuming craft.

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 01:17:00 +0000

Although most popularly called quilling, this paper craft has a few other names it is known by as well. Maybe you have heard it called Paper filigree, rolled paper décor, paper rolling, or filigrana. Whatever you chose to call it, try quilling once and you’ll surely be hooked. Quilling makes gorgeous artwork to jazz up any craft. Whatever name you call it, paper quilling is a lot of fun and easy to do with my step by step instructions.

Surprising it does not take long to make beautiful quilled creations once you get the basic shapes learned. However you can certainly spend hours on larger and more intricate designs if you’d like. Large quilled patterns are usually works of art that stand alone and can be framed for show. Most of the designs you’ll probably make when you are quilling will be smaller items to embellish other crafts you are doing so rest assured that it does not need to take all day just to make a few quilled flowers; although your friends might think so! The great thing about quilling is that it looks a lot more difficult than it actually is to do!

Quilling paper is a lot of fun and a great way to be creative with the basic coils and scrolls you’ll learn how to make. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the works of art you can create with just a few different types of quilled pieces. Just remember that you need to have a bit of patience (especially as a beginner quiller) since you are working with small tools and small pieces of paper. Each small coil or scroll will be just one tiny portion of the overall design. Remember to have fun and make your designs as detailed and intricate as you’d like. Take time for some trial and error as you learn and you’ll soon be amazed at how quickly you are able to make some really cool quilled designs.

More advanced quillers may spend hours and days or even weeks to create a very involved design. Some are even 3 dimensional which is really neat but of course takes quite a bit more time to be so detailed and intricate.

If you are ready to learn the art of quilling so you can start adding some new paper designs to many of your craft projects, I’d love to teach you with your first free lesson at www.learnquilling.com

What Is Quilling?

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 01:16:00 +0000

Quilling (also called paper filigree) is a paper craft where you learn to coil, curl, twist, or fringe strips of paper into a variety of intricate shapes, creating patterns and pieces of artwork. Quilling takes some practice to get the hang of but is a much easier craft to do than it seems. You’ll certainly be complimented by many people when they see your quilled creations since this is a paper craft that looks very detailed and time consuming. However, you will find with simple to follow step-by-step instructions, the basics of quilling are easy to master. Then you can start to make your own patterns and designs with ease!

The history of quilling dates back hundreds of years but is recently gaining a renewed popularity since quilled paper art is a great way to embellish scrapbooks, invitations, announcements, and home-made cards. Besides that, the cost to get started with quilling is comparatively lower than almost any other craft you could do! Although this craft has been around for quite some time, it is not very popular in craft stores so you may have a hard time finding supplies unless you know where to look.

Often people wonder what types of designs they can created with quilling paper. The majority of work you will see is probably flowers since quilled flowers are a lot of fun to make and are very popular. Beyond flowers, you’ll find that you can quill almost any design you can think of! Everything from animals to letters to fire engines are great items you can learn to quill with paper! You will have a lot of fun experimenting and trying new ideas with quilling even if you don’t have a pattern to follow (although it definitely helps for beginners).

Want to start quilling right now? Grab your first lesson free at LearnQuilling.com

What is Quilling? (Also known as Paper Filigree Art)

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:53:00 +0000

How Did I Discover the Art of Paper Quilling?

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 03:10:00 +0000

In this blog post I'd like to answer the question posed to me recently...by my husband who wondered "how did I discover paper quilling?" One day suddenly there were boxes of quilling tools and quilling paper in various colors and designs showing up on our doorstep and I've been talking about quilling non-stop. So how did I discover the art of paper filigree? I have no idea! :) I was looking online for some new craft projects (I keep craft stores in business with the amount of supplies I purchase every month!) and I stumbled upon quilling. And I'm GLAD I did!

Paper filigree (quiling) is one of the coolest paper crafts I've ever seen! And believe it or not, its one of the easiest! I'd never tackle origami, but quilling is something that can be easy to learn how to do if you have the proper instructions. And paper quilling looks AMAZING; it seems that I put so much more work into than I actually did. And its a relaxing craft that I simply enjoy.

I hope you will discover a new craft that can really help jazz up and complement what you are currently doing. Check it out at www.LearnQuilling.com

Enjoy your paper filigree crafts!
Jenn

The History of Paper Quilling

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:35:00 +0000

Paper Quilling is an art form believed to have evolved over many centuries. Once known as 'paper filigree', the term 'quilling' was derived from the feather quill used to roll out narrow pieces of paper. Quilling is deeply rooted in world history, popularly believed to have come into being in China, after the discovery of papermaking. Members of spiritual communities were the first inventors and users of the quilling process. Gradually, this enjoyable art form spread to other countries and eventually became an important part of the common persons’ life.

Quillings’ main concept involves the use of a hatpin, rolling fingers, or quilling tools to roll paper into desired shapes. Multiple shapes are rolled individually and then connected to one another to construct a final shape or design. Finishing touches are then made to add to the beauty of the piece and to secure it in place. These finishing touches might include using acid free matte board or shadow box framing.

Now that you’re aware of the origin and some aspects of quilling, let’s explore some details of quilling history.

Research has established that a form of quilling metals was performed as early as the mid-4th and 5th centuries. Gold and silver wires were applied to pillars, vases and other objects and jewelry was also fashioned using this technique. By the 13th century this form of metal quilling had become well-known and was practiced world wide.

The conversion from metal to paper use probably occurred as materials became scarce, or were unavailable to the lay person wanting to create pieces. Metal quilling was commonly referred to as metal filigree, and as the technique incorporated the use of paper, was commonly referred to as paper filigree. Early use of paper filigree was primarily confined to religious groups promoting their beliefs and embellishing sacred messages. The shift to the common folk practicing this art brought the term ‘quilling’ into regular use. Paper quilling implemented many techniques similar to jewelry styles, utilizing strips of paper, free rolls and edging. In the 17th and 18th centuries, quilling art expanded to tea caddies, coat of arms designs and photo frames.

There are few facts, but many stories, attributed to the origins of quilling. Some say it was developed in ancient times, not long after making paper was discovered. Others claim paper quilling was born in the 13th century when nuns were unable to purchase metal filigree due to its’ high cost. Still others believe that quilling began in the Americas. And yet, further evidence points to quilling being used in the Mediterranean region. With so many conflicting claims, no one can say for certain where quilling originated, but clearly it carries a truly international history.

Books of the Victorian Age and quilled pieces of that time indicate that proper young women practiced quilling to decorate furniture or purses and to create jewelry. Similar to the artwork of handicrafts, it has found difficultly surviving in present day times and its’ popularity has decreased. However, it is regaining its’ lost glory as an ancient art, practiced for centuries, since the technique can be used throughout the world for nearly limitless purposes.

Learn paper quilling to jazz up your scrapbooks and card making creations!!

Grab a free lesson on paper quilling at www.LearnQuilling.com

Strip Length: A Quilling Article by Paula

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:09:00 +0000

I just stumbled across this article by Paula Bauer which answers the question, "How do you decide what length of strip or what width of strip to use when you create a design?"

Although my blog is geared more towards beginner and intermediate quillers, I thought this article would be helpful for advanced quillers who find my blog!

http://customquillingbydenise.com/FreePattern/PaulaStripLength.pdf

enjoy!
Jenn

Another Craft I Love: Learn How to Make Holiday Decorative Bows

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:33:00 +0000

Here’s a list of great ways to use the many decorative bows you can make with all kinds of seasonal ribbon available at craft stores. Remember, you can make the same decorative bows they sell in craft stores for $7 to $70 with just a few dollars of ribbon. There are a bunch of great ways to use the bows you have made. Here are eight of my favorites:

1 – Use a decorative bow around the base of a pillar candle. (Be sure that candle flame doesn’t get close to ribbon as it burns down!)

2 – Use a decorative bow to add some fun to a gift basket.

3 – Use a decorative bow to give a car or bike as a gift. You can make really large bows that will work well for this.

4 – Use a decorative bow to dress up a wreath or tree for Christmas or other holidays.

5 – Use a decorative bow on a wrapped present, gift tin, or gift bag.

6 – Use a decorative bow in a centerpiece display for your table. Use ribbon that will coordinate with the season, meal being served, or even your fine china.

7 – Use a decorative bow to decorate a table for a craft fair, flea market, or yard sale.

8 – Use a decorative bow to create a beautiful fireplace display. Add pieces of greenery or other items to complete your display.

As you can see, there are many fun ways you can use decorative bows once you learn how to make bows. Be creative! I’m sure you can think of even more ways to use your home-made decorative bows once you see all the wonderful ribbon available at the craft store. Also take a look at the pre-made bows they sell in the store to get a lot of ideas on decorative bows you can make and also ways that you can use them around your house and for the holidays. Save a lot of money by creating at home your own decorative bows!

www.LearnHowToMakeHolidayBows.com

Quilling Article ("Quilling Guidelines") That I Wanted To Share With You!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 05:26:00 +0000

Fundamental Quilling
Essentially, quilling is the act of rolling a strip of paper around a quilling tool to create a tight coil. Always work with strips of the correct length and width for your pattern re...

The ancient art of quilling has seen the rise and fall of its’ popularity over hundreds of years and throughout the world, proving its’ durability as an art form. In this blog post, we'll share the fascinating techniques under the concept of quilling.

Essentially, quilling is the act of rolling a strip of paper around a quilling tool to create a tight coil or scroll (coils and scrolls are the two main categories of basic quilled designs). Always work with strips of the correct length and width for your pattern requirements (you'll find this in your quilling instructions) and for the shape you wish to produce. If you use a slotted tool, but sure to insert your strip correctly and then hold the tool firmly while turning it to roll the paper strip into a coil. Use your other hand to guide the strip and keep the coil tight. Then slip the coil from the tool and glue the end to the coil to hold it, or leave it unattached for use as a loose, or tailed, scroll. ***These are VERY basic instructions that will not make sense to most beginner quillers so I suggest taking a look at "Secrets to Quilling Success" at LearnQuilling.com

Here are the basic quilling shapes you'll need to learn in order to make quilled patterns:

Coil
Roll your paper strip tightly using your needle tool and then let the coil release and expand slightly. Next glue the strip end to the roll. This is the most basic quilling shape that nearly all other shapes start off as, and is also known as a relaxed, filler or loose coil.

Teardrop
Roll and glue a loose coil, then, while holding it with the thumb and finger of one hand, use the thumb and finger of the other hand to pinch one side of the coil to a point, creating a teardrop shape—also known as a peacock eye.

Marquise
Roll and glue a loose coil, then holding the coil with both hands, pinch each side of the coil simultaneously to create double points. This distinctive shape is also known as a diamond.

Half Circle
Roll and glue a loose coil, then create a teardrop. Next, pinch a second point near the first point that made the teardrop shape. The distance between the two points determines the height of the shape.

Loose Scroll
Roll a loose coil, leaving a substantial portion, or whatever your pattern or desire calls for, unrolled. These shapes are also known as ‘tailed’ scrolls.

V-Scroll
Fold your strip in half lengthwise. Then roll a coil from each end of the strip. You may roll towards the inside of the fold to create a heart scroll, or towards the outside of the fold, to create a ‘V’ scroll.

T-Scrolls
Roll a ‘V’ scroll, then glue the unrolled ‘legs’ of the shape together to create a ‘T’ shape.

Fringed Loose Scroll
Roll a loose, or tailed, scroll, then carefully holding the shape with tweezers, cut the unrolled end, or ‘tail’ lengthwise with scissors. This creates a fringed ‘tail’.

Cutting Quill Strips Lengthwise
This technique, if carefully done, can reduce the bulk in your coils, and ultimately in your entire piece.

Looking for Paper Quilling Instructions to Jazz Up Your Homemade Cards or Scrapbooks?

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:07:00 +0000

I have to tell you, it is DIFFICULT to try to follow patterns or so called "instructions" that so many websites provide for you to learn the art of paper quilling. I even tried numerous craft stores (the ones that even had any quilling supplies) and didn't find a single book that made instructions for quiling that are easy enough to follow and learn.

If you are as frustrated as I am with paper quilling and just want to know how to do quilling with simple and DETAILED instructions with DVD and photos, you have come to the right place. Check out LearnQuilling.com for more info.

enjoy!
Jenn
LearnQuilling.com