Quilling - the tools of the artist

In this note I am covering some of the most important tools used in Quilling. Without the tools any art is empty. The right kind of tools gives an artist the weapons to showcase his/ her talent. A bad tool can damage the art and thus the reputation of the artist. Quilling tools are Sharpe and therefore should be used carefully to avoid injuries specially by young artists. Some of the common tools used in Quilling are as below.

1. Slotted Tool:

The most important tool in Quilling is the slotted tool and is the most widely used slotting tool. It is a necessity for the beginner and the experienced quiller. It is used to curl the paper strips into the coils and makes the task much easier. It allows to make small centers in rolls and scrolls which produces more attractive quilling. Apart from modern slotted tool that is made of steel, a bird feather can also be used as slotting tool. In fact, Quilling derived its name from the bird quill whose feathers were used to make the paper coils used in the art. Using slotted coil, the quality of the coil is much better vis-à-vis the quality of the coil made from toothpick or by bare hands.

2. Needle Tool:

The needle tool is primarily used to apply glue on the paper coil and hard to reach areas in the quilling design. It’s the simple needle and has advantage of reach due to its Sharp edge to fix the various smaller parts in the design. It allows to make small centers in rolls and scrolls which produces more attractive quilling. It’s a supporting tool in art.

3. Tweezers:

Tweezers are a very important tool to maintain aesthetic values of the design. It helps prevent the warping and unraveling of the delicate coils. It also helps in maintaining the consistency in the size of the coil which is important when making something that required repetition of the same coils as flower petals. Tweezers also help in inserting paper into tight space, which is usually the case in an intricate and elaborate design.

4. Reverse action Tweezers:

Reverse action tweezers are useful for holding small parts, gluing, and many other applications that require a temporary clamp. These have self-closing angled tips that provide the right amount of tension to hold parts firmly and reduce hand fatigue of the artist. It opens on squeezing and closes on releasing the squeeze.

5. Circle sizer ruler:

Circle sizer ruler is a preparatory tool that helps in preparing papers strips before coiling them. It is used to measure the length of the paper strips to ensure they are of the same length before curling. Same length paper strip will ensure same sized coils on curling and thus will maintain the consistency in the design. The ruler has various sized holes that coordinate with all tools in the quilling kits. Just roll a strip of paper and place it in a hole size to make the perfect size coil.

6. Curling Coach:

Curling coach is a complementary tool used to enhance the speed of curling. It is complementary to slotting tool and is usually being used by younger kids and amateur artists. It is used in 3D miniatures that may require bigger coils. Finesse in the design is a compromise if using curling coach instead of slotting tool.

7. Crimper Tool:

Crimper tool is used to make zig-zag pattern to the sheet. This tool is used to make crimped quilling strips and thus helps to create different patterns.

8. Husking Board

Husking Board includes pins and an ideal layout to create perfect wheatears, geometric shapes, petals, leaves etc. The board includes hole arrangements in a straight and curved grid pattern. The pins, made of polished steel, can easily be slide in and out form the holes giving artist flexibility and ease to hold the design together. The board also includes a brass slotted pin to conveniently hold the end of the paper strip when starting a loop.

9. Quilling shape board:

The Quilling Shape Board provides predefined outlined shapes that can be used to create intricate quilled designs that includes hearts, ovals, teardrops and more. It also comes with a husking template. The Quilling Shape Board in attached to self-healing cork which allows your designs to be pinned into place.

10. Mini Mold:

It is a 3-Dimensional shaping tool that transforms flat tight coils into perfect domes. It comes with different specifications, the most common being 12 different size domes. It is an easy-to-use tool. Just place your coil on the dome on the tool and press to give the coil dome of required size.

11. Fine tip scissors:

Fine-Tip Scissors are a necessity in detailed paper crafting. The narrow tips are designed for precision cutting, trimming and fringing. For hand fringing artists usually use a metal paper clamp (bulldog clip) to hold one side of the paper strip that prevents cutting all the way through the paper. To cut the time in half, artists sometimes fold the strip in half and start fringing at the fold.

12. Fringing scissors:

It is a special type of scissors with 5-layers of blades to quickly fringe any strip of paper. It reduces the time and effort in cutting 5 times. On cutting the paper artists then can turn it into a beautiful, fringed flower by rolling it up. It creates fringes 1/8" wide and can also be used to cut 1/8" wide strips, the perfect width for quilling.