Quilling Supplies: The Answer for all your woes.......What to buy? Where to buy?

Part 1 :

What to Buy?

Whenever someone starts quilling, their 1^st question is ‘How to quill?’ and the next biggest questions which struck their minds are ‘what supplies to buy’ & ‘where to find quilling supplies?’ If these questions are haunting you then keep on reading. This blog will answer some basic questions regarding quilling supplies.

What quilling supplies to buy?

To begin your happy quilling journey you will need some very basic supplies and believe me even experienced quillers also need these basic supplies.

1.       Quilling paper/ strips: To practice quilling you can buy some chart papers/ thin card stocks and cut them according to your need. You can even start with printer paper. After some practicing when you feel confident, go for readymade quilling strips. Readymade strips are not very cheap but they are worth buying as they give smooth and professional finish to your project , saves time and also available in wide variety of colour.

Regarding quilling strip width I can suggest that you can start with 3mm or 5mm strips. There are 10mm strips also available. Different projects need different width. 

2.       Quilling needle/ slotted tool: For beginners the slotted tool is best which has a fine slit at the tip to hold the end of the strips. With experience you can use quilling needle which has no slit to hold the paper even though personally I find it very difficult and would always prefer the slotted tool.

3.         Quilling board/ stencil: With quilling board or stencil you can make loose circles with different diameter and various other shapes. These are cheap, very useful and a must need.

4.       Stacked tool/ border buddy: If you need to make circle, triangle, square or oval shapes with different circumference then you need the help of this tool. They make the work super easy and fun.

5.       Crimping tool: It’s a small tool which creates crimped quilling strips. They are great to give a textured finish to quilled cards, jewellery, 3D projects like dolls etc.

6.       Glue: Any white glue works nicely on quilling papers. There is a wide range of choices like Fevicol, School glue etc.

7.       Varnish: Amazed by your new quilled creation? Give a round of applause to yourself. Now if you want your creation to look same after a year or two you need to varnish it. Yes you heard it right! Varnish gives a smooth finish and make the project water resistant (not waterproof though) be it a jewellery or quilled frame. Some varnishes gives matte finish whereas some gives a nice glossy finish. Some varnishes also give a plastic like glossy finish which is not my personal favourite. I feel the paper looses its charm if you make it too glossy like plastic.

There are PPA (Perfect Paper adhesive), Asian paints varnish, Mod-podge, Hobby idea’s decoupage varnish, Crystal coat glaze etc. I personally prefer Mod-podge. They have different products for matte finish and glossy finish. I have also used hobby ideas products. They are not bad either. Asian paints varnish is cheap and easily available in India but using them on white surfaces it tends to get yellowish over time.

To be contd.........