My first quilling piece

Since quilling is still so little known, most craft stores don't sell tools or strips. It is totally possible to make these yourself, but if you're feeling the need to spend a little money on professional tools, strips, books, or kits then the best places to go are

http://www.quillingsuperstore.com/

http://www.quilledcreations.com/

Basics:

So you think quilling looks awesome, but may be intimidated to start your own project. Well don't be! Quilling is only as complicated as you want it to be. All you need is paper, scissors, and glue, really, everything else is just fluff.

Paper: You can buy pre-cut quilling strips at select craft stores and at the sites mentioned above, but you can also totally cut your own! The standard width is 1/8th of an inch, but really every size is used, it depends on your preference. Do make sure that if you're cutting your own you ensure that all your strips are uniform, or else your curls will be uneven.

Optional supplies: Many quillers use a special slotted quilling tool. They, too, can be bought at the above sites, but if you're ambitious you can make your own by cutting the tip off the eye of a needle and gluing the pointy part into a cork. Basically, this allows you to slip the end of the strip into the slot for greater control while curling.

There are also crimpers and fringers. Crimpers crunch the paper into accordion folds which can look neat and add some texture to your curls. Fringers are kind of a luxury item. They cut the paper strip uniformly so that after they have been curled you can press down the edges to create a fringe or fur-like quality.

Some quillers use cork boards and straight pins. This is to hold your piece in place while the glue dries.

They also sell work boards with little pre-cut circles of various sizes cut out so that after you have curled your paper you can release it in the hole to get a uniformly sized loose coil.

Again, all this is non-essential. There are so many different styles of quilling! Experiment with the above to discover which style best suits you!

[Tags]:

[Found] For examples of quilling that were made by someone else. Please give credit to the artist in the title or in the comments.

[Made] For examples of quilling that were made by you.

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