Modern Quilling

The Ultimate Guide To Making Quilled Shapes

A Little Circles Quilling Tutorial

All projects & tutorials by Little Circles (Erin Curet) are protected by copyright and are in-
tended for educational and personal use only. Sales of projects made from Little Circles de-
signs are prohibited. No portion of this tutorial may be copied or used for any other pur-
pose except for promotional context unless permission is given in writing by the author.
2016 All Rights Reserved.

i
1
“Allow yourself to be a
The Very Basics beginner. No one starts off
being excellent”
– Wendy Flynn

Paper quilling is an enjoyable way to express your creativity and make a variety of uncon-
ventional projects from whimsical novelties to masterful works of art. You can quickly roll
up a pair of earrings for a night on the town or spend many hundreds of hours manipulat-
ing paper shapes into a mosaic. The possibilities are endless and only limited to your
imagination.

2
The Fundamentals

When first discovering quilling, it can seem a bit overwhelming. All the swoops, swirls and
shapes look complicated and difficult to make, but nothing could be further from the truth!
It takes only two tools, a quilling tool and scissors(and an optional pair of tweezers for one
of the shapes), glue and some quilling paper to begin to learn all of the quilling shapes and
their variations that are taught within this book.

3
Tools And Supplies

Quilling tools have come a long way in recent years and there are a variety of new and de-
lightful ones that can enhance and transform the quilling of yore into modern day paper
marvels. For this guide however, we will be sticking with the bare essentials: A quilling
tool, scissors, paper and glue*.

Quilling Tool - When just starting out, I suggest using a slotted quilling tool vs. a needle
tool. It allows you to create coils with greater ease and speed. There are a variety of tools
to shop from and the one you ultimately choose will come down to personal preference.
The tool used in this guide is inexpensive but sturdy and has a dual functioning piercing
tool end that is very useful in a variety of ways.

Quilling Paper Strips - Modern quilling paper is a heavier weight than traditional strips
and is much easier to work with in the beginning. In this shapes tutorial, as well as in most

4
of the projects that follow, we will be using 17” x 1/4” quilling paper. For practicing pur-
poses, cut multiple strips in half. In most quilling project tutorials that you will encounter,
individual instructions and paper cuts will be provided.

Quilling Glue - Thinner than typical crafting glue, quilling glue is literally what holds every-
thing together. Invest in a good one and a needle tip bottle for a no muss, no fuss quilling
experience. Alternatively, you can use a toothpick and your craft glue of choice to achieve
the minimal application that is necessary for a good looking project.

Scissors - You will be using your scissors a lot. Invest in a pair that is both lightweight and
durable. I choose to use a pair of snippers that were originally designed to cut loose
threads while sewing. They are the perfect quilling accessory as they are easy to manipu-
late yet strong enough to cut through multiple strips of paper at once.

* The last shape taught in this book will be easier made with the additional help of a set of
tweezers.

A resource guide with links to suppliers is provided at the end of the book.

5
How To Roll

To begin to create your first quilled shape, you will first need to learn how to roll a coil. In-
sert a half strip of quilling paper into the slot of your quilling tool. Line up the edge of your
tool with the end of your strip as best you can. Any overhang will cause an unsightly
crease within the center of your coil. While this is not really an issue while practicing, it
does make all the difference in actual projects. Setting up good habits now will save you a
lot of frustration in the future.

It is your choice whether to roll the tool either towards your body or away from it. Try both
and see which feels more comfortable to you.

6
How To Roll A Closed Coil

Roll the tool over the entirety of the paper strip in whichever direction feels best to you.
When you reach the end, apply a small amount of glue to the loose end of paper, press
and hold to secure. Remove the coil from the tool. This is a closed coil.

7
How To Roll An Open Coil

As with the closed coil, roll the tool over the entirety of the paper strip in whatever direc-
tion is most comfortable for you. When you reach the end this time however, carefully re-
move the coil from the tool and allow it to spring open. This is an open coil.

PRO TIP

Once you reach the end of your paper strip, keep turning while keeping the coil firmly in
place. This action will cause the tool to snap off the inside center of your paper strip (break-
ing the center), giving you a perfect coil sans the center crimp that is usually left behind
when using a slotted tool. Please note that not all quilling tools are up for this kind of use
and abuse however, so proceed at your own risk.

8
How To Glue

You’ve been gluing since preschool so you probably assume this is a non subject, how-
ever gluing is the bane of many a quiller’s crafting life. Use the wrong type of glue and you
will find great difficulty getting your coils to adhere properly or in a timely manner. Use too
much glue and you can literally ruin your entire project. Quilling glue is a thin, fast drying
glue that is specifically formulated to work with needle tip application bottles. The glue
and bottles allow you to place an exact amount of glue wherever it is needed. Place the thi-
nest line, dot or smear you can manage for each coil at the end of your strip and hold gen-
tly to secure.

9
Open & Closed Coils

10
Make Multiples

Every shape you make from this point onward will begin by first creating an open coil. Get
a little practice in before you learn to shape by rolling and gluing multiple coils ahead of
time. Once it begins to feel natural and you are pleased with the tension, spacing, and cen-
ters of your coils, you will be more than ready to move onto learning how to manipulate
them into shapes

11
2
“Don’t practice until you get
Quilling Shapes it right. Practice until you
can’t get it wrong.”
– Unknown

Quilling shapes are the foundation for quilling and will be used in numerous applications
both in the projects included in this book and in your future projects. If you spend a lot of
time on anything in the beginning, spend it on mastering the basic shapes and their varia-
tions. Your art will be all the better for it.

12
How To Make A Teardrop Shape

Place an open coil between your thumb and forefinger of your non-dominant hand. Ar-
range the inside coils evenly or as you wish them to appear in the finished shape.

With your dominant hand, pinch the paper where you want the point to be to create a tear-
drop shape.

13
Tear Drop

14
Teardrop Variations

In addition to creating basic shapes, there are often more ways you can manipulate your
paper to create secondary shapes. The teardrop is an excellent example of this. By slightly
curving the teardrop around your thumb as you shape it, you can create a subtle shift in
shape without compromising the center coils. To further this effect, you can wrap the tear-
drop around your quilling tool or smaller quilling needle form. Pressing the shape around
your quilling tool allows for a more obvious curved shape throughout. From here, you can
roll the tip downward to easily create a paisley shape.

15
Variations On Teardrop Shape

16
How To Make A Marquis Shape

You can create a marquis shape by first making a teardrop shape and then pinching the op-
posite end as well.

The marquis’ final shape is determined by how much the coil is pinched or pressed to-
gether and where you place the center of the coil. Play around with various placements
and pressure to create multiple versions of this basic quilled shape.

17
View Video Instruction

18
How To Make A Tulip Shape

To create a tulip shape, begin by first rolling a marquis. Turn the shape on its side and
pinch a center peak with your fingers.

19
How To Make A Slug Shape

This slug shape is another shape that begins with a marquis. It can be created by either
wrapping one end around the tip of your finger or a quilling tool and then doing the same
to the other end but in the opposite direction.

20
Slug Shape

21
How To Make Square & Diamond Shapes

To make a diamond or a square, first need to create a basic marquis shape. After shaping,
rotate the marquis 90 degrees and then pinch both sides again. This will create a diamond
shape. If you want to continue on to making a square, gently open up the shape between
your fingers to complete.

22
Square Shape

23
Square & Diamond Shape

24
Square Variations

Playing around with how much of each corner you chose to pinch when creating your
square can give you very different results.

The example on the left side of the picture below shows how only applying pressure to the
outside corners will give you a square with a rounded center.

The center square was made by completely pressing the open coil together on one side,
opening it up and then pinching just the corners on the opposite side.

The final square on the right got its unique center by completely pressing down the coil on
both turns.

25
Yet another variation can be made to the square shape by applying pressure to the outside
structure with the use of your fingers or the stem of your quilling tool or quilling needle
forms.

26
How To Make A Rectangle Shape

Rectangles and squares are made very similarly. The difference is in how much you rotate
the marquis shape before pinching additional angles. Begin again with first making a mar-
quis shape and then rotate it only slightly before pinching. Open the shape to reveal the
perfect rectangle.

27
Rectangle Shape

28
Rectangle Variations

View Video Instructions

Alternately, you can create a quadrilateral shape by making your four corners at uneven in-
tervals. This shape is especially useful when making quilled paper mosaics and you find
yourself needing to fill in an odd space.

29
How To Make A Semi Circle Shape

A semi-circle is created by taking an open coil and pinching two corners while leaving the
paper above them round. This shape can alternatively be made by pressing an open coil
onto a hard surface like a table top and sliding your fingers down the sides carefully. Try
both methods to find which suits you best.

30
Semi Circle Variation

Curving the straight edge of the shape will allow you to turn the semi-circle into more of a
crescent moon shape.

31
How To Make A Triangle Shape

View Video Instructions

Make a quilled triangle by first creating a teardrop shape. From this position, you can ei-
ther pinch two additional angles using your fingers or use the table top method - after mak-
ing the teardrop shape, gently press the rounded base against a table top or another flat
surface. Once again, try both to see what works best for you.

32
Triangle Variation

You can create a shape that resembles a shark fin by pressing in two sides of your triangle
and leaving the third side flat.

33
How To Make An Arrow Shape

Create this shape by first making a teardrop. Pull the center down towards the base and
hold in place with your fingers. Next, use the long side of your slotted needle and press
down deeply into the base. Release the tool and smooth the curve out with your fingers
to shape.

34
Arrow Shape

35
How To Make An Arrowhead Shape

This shape also begins with a teardrop shape. Hold the pointed end in your non-dominant
hand and pinch the base end into a tight point. Without letting go, slide your fingers down
to meet the fingers of your opposite hand to create the side angles.

36
How To Make A Heart Shape

Once again, begin with a teardrop. Press in the base of the shape by using the point of
your quilling tool to make a small indentation. Release the tool and carefully press in each
side of the heart to complete the center crease.

37
Heart Shape

38
How To Make A Pentagon Shape

To make a pentagon, first create an elongated semi-circle. Pinch the center of the flat side
in the same method used when making the tulip shape; this is the peak of your pentagon.
Keeping the peak in the center, square off the bottom with two equal pinches on either
side.

39
Pentagon Shape

40
How To Make A Star Shape

To turn the pentagon into a star, simply press in on each flat surface with your fingers or a
quilling tool and then further refine each angle into peaks.

41
How To Make A Holly Leaf

This shape is far and away the most difficult to create and has rightfully been saved for
last. I suggest getting very comfortable with the making of all of the other shapes before
attempting this one for sanity’s sake.

42
Keeping the grip with your tweezers, turn the marquis as needed and pinch a small point
on either side of each peak.

Alternatively, the holly leaf can be made by first making a square, adding a point to each
end and then shaping all of the angles into peaks. I personally have found the tweezer
method to be easier, but be sure to try both ways to find which gives you better results.

43
Holly Leaf Shape

44
Shapes Completed - Now What?

Now that you have completed all of the shapes you will need to know for quilling, it is time
to find a project! There are thousands of good ones to choose from and many places to
find them. If you really want to cement the knowledge you just learned, you may wish to
give a small quilled mosaic a try. Most of the more simple ones use only the basic shapes
to create it and the numerous pieces needed to complete it will give you a lot of practice.
Visit www.littlecircles.net for free quilled mosaic tutorials along with many more quilling pro-
jects to get you started.

45
3
Resources

Supplies

The following supplies can be found at www.littlecirclesshop.net:

Culture Pop quilling paper, quilling glue in applicator bottle, quilling tools

Scissors/Snippers: www.fonsandporter.com

Additional quilling tutorials & patterns: www.littlecircles.net

46
Erin Curet is a paper artist and designer who loves teaching the art of quilling to
people from around the globe through her website littlecircles.net When not
rolling her fingers to the bone, she can be found romping around beautiful
northern Michigan with her two kiddos and husband, Troy.

Please get in touch! You can reach Erin through email at:
littlecircles@littlecircles.net

47
This tutorial has been brought to you by Culture Pop - the best damn quilling
paper in all the lands. www.littlecircleshop.net

48