Tips for choosing and making quilling paper

In recent years, such type of needlework like quilling or paper rolling. In order to be able to create crafts in this style, it is necessary to prepare special paper. Today we will talk about how to choose the right paper for quilling and whether it can be made independently at home.

Quilling is a type of needlework that allows an artist to create paper compositions. Moreover, these compositions can be both flat and voluminous. Quilling paper must have a special shape: the material must be cut into narrow and long strips. The artist can give these strips a very different form, thereby forming the most unusual compositions.

Initially, this type of needlework appeared in the late XIV - early XV centuries. in Mediterranean Europe. Unusual art was invented by monks. Today, several different quilling schools stand out: Korean and European. They have significant differences. At the same time, both technicians found their admirers.

Depending on what end result you want to get, you can use plain or multi-colored paper. In addition to quilling paper other requirements are put forward, because the quality of the source material determines how the final product of your work looks.

Due to the fact that the art of quilling is becoming more popular, on the market you can find a variety of types of paper. At the same time, many manufacturers offer customers full sets of quilling strips. Paper material may vary by length and width, and texture (for example, you can purchase corrugated paper) and appearance (already twisted strips can be found on the market).

If you qualify raw materials by categories, then you can use several key parameters. So, there is the following classification by color:

• monophonic;
• gradient;
• with the effect of tinting;
• glossy;
• matte;
• mother of pearl;
• metallic (e.g. gold or silver), etc.

Another important factor is the length, because the final size of the craft depends on it.. In general, quilling paper is produced of any length in the range from 2 to 7.5 cm. In this case, the figure of 3 cm is considered the most standard. The raw material for quilling also varies in width, the indicators of which can vary from 0.2 to 1.5 cm. Most often, options with a width of 0.3 to 0.5 cm are used. Different types of paper are also divided by density, which is measured in such an indicator as gram per meter.

Before you purchase paper, you need to think in advance of the composition that you want to create. And already depending on this should choose one color or another. So, many masters use only pastel shades, while others prefer bright flowers. In addition, thanks to color preferences, you can create your own style.

These dimensions affect the final size of your composition. For example, to create some pictures it is better to choose small stripes to get a neat and elegant image. At the same time, one should take into account the fact that the smaller the size of the strips, the more difficult and painstaking the work will be. In addition, creating a fake will take a long time. A common technique is when strips of different sizes are used in the same composition. Thanks to this, the maximum volume is created.

For quilling, a material with a density in the range from 80 g / m2 to 160 g / m2 is suitable. If possible, give preference to a material whose density varies from 120 g / m2 to 140 g / m2. Thinner paper will have to work as carefully and carefully as possible, as it can easily tear. Too thick paper, on the other hand, is difficult to curl.

Among other things, you need to pay attention to the price goods. For quilling that material which corresponds to an optimum ratio of the price and quality is best suited. You should not get too cheap or too expensive options.

If you are not a beginner in needlework, but already an experienced performer, then you it is worth paying attention to who produced the paper. The thing is that different firms have different approaches to the process of creating material. There are several options. standards and the norms. Well-made products manufactured in Korea and Indonesia.

If you take into account all the options described above, you will definitely get material that will be of high quality. In addition, if you doubt this or that indicator, then do not hesitate to ask for a recommendation from a sales assistantHe should tell you all the features, nuances and details.

Helpful advice: if you didn’t have colored paper at hand, but you want to create a bright composition, you can simply color your existing white paper with paints, pencils or felt-tip pens.

The cutting itself can be done in a variety of ways. Choose the one that is most convenient for you. Among the most common cutting tools are:

• scissors;
• stationery knife;
• construction knife;
• shredder;
• trimmer etc.

However, even if you have decided on the tool with which you will cut, it is also important make sure in advance that you can create even stripes that are the same in length and width. Experts recommend creating special mesh. Depending on your capabilities and wishes, you can create the necessary markup using a ruler and a pencil, as well as using a computer. For example, such a common program as Microsoft Word allows you to create a ready-made template that can be attached to paper.

In this way, quilling is a rather interesting and widespread form of art, which for many people is a real hobby. If you take the crafts seriously, you can even organize your own business (for example, sell compositions or conduct master classes). It should always be borne in mind that the choice of tools and raw materials should be approached as carefully as possible, since only in this case you can get the best result.

In the next video, you will learn some tips on choosing the right paper for quilling.