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Sunday, March 13, 2011

Tool Lending Program

Are you considering teaching a quilling class; or do you know someone who is? Then read on, perhaps I can help you.

As a long time quiller, and one of the original members of the group that went on to become the North American Quilling Guild, one of my goals has been to ensure that this beautiful art form we all love is passed on to future generations. This was the reason I started this blog, to pass my experience on to other (hopefully much younger) quillers. Over the years, I have taught many people to quill, giving classes, workshops, and demonstrations. Now that I am running Whimsiquills and still doing custom orders for customers, I no longer have time for classes so I decided it was time to help others teach. More teachers mean more students . . . which mean more quillers . . . it’s a “no brainer”.

I have come up with a program which I think is pretty unique, a tool lending program. (I have to thank the people at Paplin Products who are working closely with me to make this possible.) This is how it works; when I talk to someone, a scout leader or teacher who is planning to teach a group to quill, I tell them about our tool lending program. Most of these groups have a very limited budget (if any at all), so we send them the tools they need for their class at no charge, along with some other goodies like mat blanks, bookmarks, whatever we have on hand. When they are finished with the tools, they return them to us so we can send them on to another group. If any of their students decide they want to keep on quilling, they have the option to keep the tool at a discounted price.

We try to keep the costs of teaching as low as possible, suggesting students bring scissors and tweezers from home, using corrugated cardboard or Styrofoam covered with waxed paper as a work board, the old “white glue on a piece of waxed paper with a toothpick trick “etc. We give teachers a discount on any supplies they decide to purchase.. We also make sure they have links to our free patterns and instructional sheets which include things like a basic shapes chart and are all free and downloadable. We also encourage them to visit our blog www.quillingwithwhimsiquills.blogspot.com where we have all kinds of helpful info like teaching quilling which is a four part series. Our hope is that some of the students will decide to continue quilling. We have had an excellent response to this program; if you know someone who might be interested, please feel free to pass this information on.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am currently using her Tool Lending Program and am teaching the quilling art to a group of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders on Friday afternoons in South Carolina. Most of the students love the class and have come up with cute products. One girl went home after the first class and cut her own paper strips to make her designs. Another student created her own quilled Valentine Cards to give out. Even the boys are enjoying themselves!!! The lending program provided the tools and allowed these students to learn about a beautiful art! We have 4 more weeks of classes but the students have a lifetime of a new artform!! Thanks Whimsiquills! Without your lending program, this would not have been possible because there was not enough money in the budget to purchase strips and the tools.

Helen said...

what a great program! Too bad the people in my area are not interest in craft.

Helen said...

The basket is gorgeous!

Teddie Seeley said...

Pat,

What a generous person you are, and a wonderful idea. I'm surprised someone hasn't come up with it before now.

By the way, I'm not surprised by the generosity, I've noticed how so many quillers (too many of you wonderful people to list individually) are willing to share their ideas and patterns with others. I am so happy that I found this art form, and just had to join NAQG and quillers@yahoo.com.

Thank you.
Teddie