New Husking Cards
Here is some exciting news for those of you who love husking, but don’t want to design your own patterns. Elizabeth’s Creations has just introduced new husking cards; these are 3” x 5” laminated cards with pre-designed husking patterns. You use them with your own work board and pins which keeps the price down to a reasonable $5.00 each.
For those of you who may not be familiar with husking; it is an interesting technique. Instead of rolling the paper the paper is wrapped around pins. Starting with pin #1, wrap it around the pin several times or to make a tiny glued loop around the pin, then wrap around pin #2, back to #1, around #3 back to #1 and so on. It is optional as to whether you want to put a dab of glue each time you get to #1, but you might want to the first time out. Once the shape has been completed,, I suggest that you twist the pins to remove them (just in case they got any glue on them) and then gently lift the finished piece off the board/card. Husking with pins has the advantage of making all of the shapes exactly the same size. It is especially pretty when done with specialty papers like two toned or graduated strips. You really get to see both sides of the strips because husking is much more “open” than traditional quilling. I also like to use gilded edge strips when I make husked snowflakes (I actually like gilded edge strips on my regular quilled snowflakes too); I like to used the blue gilded edge on white for my husked snowflakes.
Of course you can “do it yourself” with a piece of graph paper (on which you mark your pattern), waxed paper, a work board and pins. When I teach this technique that is what I use rather than having students invest in materials for a technique they may or may not enjoy. The down side of drawing your own designs on graph paper is that it wears out pretty quickly; the holes get larger and kind of sloppy. The laminated cards eliminate that problem; if you don’t feel like reinventing the wheel the pre marked pattern cards are a good idea.
We have carried Elizabeth’s Creations wooden husking boards for years, our customers have been very happy with them, although sometimes they have trouble deciding which one(s) they want. The laminated cards are 1/3 the price of the wood ones so you can get a bigger “bang for your buck”, no small consideration these days.
These cards have multiple sizes of each design on a card eliminating all of the guess work. Mary Elizabeth has 10 cards to start with more to come. Designs include: T001 Butterflies, Dragonflies and Flowers which includes 4 sizes of each petal/wing, T002 Classic Hearts in eight sizes, T003 Original Hearts in 7 sizes, and T004 Primitive Hearts with 10 sizes. (Mary Elizabeth says “These hearts are fun to make and can be used for many different designs . . . angel wings, flower petals, borders, butterflies, and oh yes . . . hearts) T010 the Snowflakes and More cards have three styles of snowflakes. There are five “nothing but holes” T005, T006, T007, T008, & T009 cards each with a different scale (i.e. 4 holes to an inch, right up to 8 holes per inch). The more dots per inch the smaller the grid, we do still carry that wonderful Dutch book “Quilling for Cards” by Janetta van Roekel-Wolters that has instructions for 21 husked designs. The book is written in Dutch and English; it is a great companion to the nothing but holes card.
Showing posts with label quilling tools. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quilling tools. Show all posts
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Monday, August 20, 2007
Quilling Calendar
Quilling Calendar
Today’s post is about a project you may or may not be aware of. In 2006, I was approached by Accord Calendar Company to coordinate a quilling-pattern-a-day calendar for the year 2007. Accord specializes in novelty calendars; they are actually more like kits than calendars. They make an origami calendar, an airplane calendar, a scrapbooking calendar, a watercolor calendar, a watercolor calendar and many more. The calendars come in patented gift boxes which open to form an easel stand. While the pages are dated, there is no room to jot down appointments or reminders. Instead each page has a picture of a small quilled item at the top of the page. The items are generally themed with the time of the year, for example: if you are looking for Halloween ideas just flip through until you get to the month of October. The bottom of the page is die cut into 18 six inch long quilling strips in the appropriate colors to complete the piece shown at the top of the page. The directions for making the piece are on the back of the picture. I had trouble visualizing this too, until I saw an mock up of the real thing. It is such a clever idea! The box includes a small slotted tool, a quilling shape key, and general instructions. Wow! Was I impressed!
The really neat thing about this project was the fact that quilling was finally being sold and seen someplace other than craft stores, (not that you see very much of it there either.) The calendars were sold in book stores, kiosks, craft stores, mail order, and by quilling suppliers; we sold more than 150 right here at Whimsiquills. We received terrific feedback from our customers. Teachers and scout leaders bought them as a teaching aid. Quillers bought them because they just wanted the 313 design patterns. Where can you get 313 designs for only $13.99? Why only 313 designs you ask? Well in order to be able to fit all of the pages in this neat little gift box, Saturdays and Sundays were combined on one page. Oh and where did the designs come from? From quillers of course! Each design had the creators name and web site (if there was one) printed on the page. North American Quilling Guild members created the designs for the first two calendars, (2007 and 2008). It was a challenge, because the quillers had to come up with designs that were approximately 2”x2” and didn’t use more than 108” of paper. You can’t even imagine the things they came up with! Since I was coordinating the project, all of the pieces came to me. What fun! It was like Christmas every day! I couldn’t wait for the mail to come to see what delightful surprises were in store.
Well, the 2008 calendar is finished and will soon be in stores, we are anxiously awaiting our shipment, but while we are waiting we are busy working on the 2009 calendar. (Talk about confusing, you can’t imagine what it is like working on a 2009 project in 2007! I have to double check every check I write because I keep writing 2009! . . . Talk about postdating a check!) One of the reasons I am doing this blog is to reach quillers who might not have known about this project and invite them to participate. If you are interested, contact me a Whimsiquills@cox.net or if you are in the USA or Canada you can call toll free 1 877 488 0894; if you are outside of the USA or Canada, our phone number is 1860 749 0894 and the fax is 860 763 3904. If you are interested in receiving the info packet via email or snail mail just let us know. We still have lots of days open for the 2009 calendar and would love to have you submit a design. We have a list of themes we are looking for and all of the general directions which we will be glad to send you. I’d like to get all of the submissions by the end of September.
Today’s post is about a project you may or may not be aware of. In 2006, I was approached by Accord Calendar Company to coordinate a quilling-pattern-a-day calendar for the year 2007. Accord specializes in novelty calendars; they are actually more like kits than calendars. They make an origami calendar, an airplane calendar, a scrapbooking calendar, a watercolor calendar, a watercolor calendar and many more. The calendars come in patented gift boxes which open to form an easel stand. While the pages are dated, there is no room to jot down appointments or reminders. Instead each page has a picture of a small quilled item at the top of the page. The items are generally themed with the time of the year, for example: if you are looking for Halloween ideas just flip through until you get to the month of October. The bottom of the page is die cut into 18 six inch long quilling strips in the appropriate colors to complete the piece shown at the top of the page. The directions for making the piece are on the back of the picture. I had trouble visualizing this too, until I saw an mock up of the real thing. It is such a clever idea! The box includes a small slotted tool, a quilling shape key, and general instructions. Wow! Was I impressed!
The really neat thing about this project was the fact that quilling was finally being sold and seen someplace other than craft stores, (not that you see very much of it there either.) The calendars were sold in book stores, kiosks, craft stores, mail order, and by quilling suppliers; we sold more than 150 right here at Whimsiquills. We received terrific feedback from our customers. Teachers and scout leaders bought them as a teaching aid. Quillers bought them because they just wanted the 313 design patterns. Where can you get 313 designs for only $13.99? Why only 313 designs you ask? Well in order to be able to fit all of the pages in this neat little gift box, Saturdays and Sundays were combined on one page. Oh and where did the designs come from? From quillers of course! Each design had the creators name and web site (if there was one) printed on the page. North American Quilling Guild members created the designs for the first two calendars, (2007 and 2008). It was a challenge, because the quillers had to come up with designs that were approximately 2”x2” and didn’t use more than 108” of paper. You can’t even imagine the things they came up with! Since I was coordinating the project, all of the pieces came to me. What fun! It was like Christmas every day! I couldn’t wait for the mail to come to see what delightful surprises were in store.
Well, the 2008 calendar is finished and will soon be in stores, we are anxiously awaiting our shipment, but while we are waiting we are busy working on the 2009 calendar. (Talk about confusing, you can’t imagine what it is like working on a 2009 project in 2007! I have to double check every check I write because I keep writing 2009! . . . Talk about postdating a check!) One of the reasons I am doing this blog is to reach quillers who might not have known about this project and invite them to participate. If you are interested, contact me a Whimsiquills@cox.net or if you are in the USA or Canada you can call toll free 1 877 488 0894; if you are outside of the USA or Canada, our phone number is 1860 749 0894 and the fax is 860 763 3904. If you are interested in receiving the info packet via email or snail mail just let us know. We still have lots of days open for the 2009 calendar and would love to have you submit a design. We have a list of themes we are looking for and all of the general directions which we will be glad to send you. I’d like to get all of the submissions by the end of September.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Which is better when quilling? Using a tool or finger rolling?
Quilling Tools vs. Finger Rolling?
Which is better, using a tool or finger rolling?
How you roll your quilling strips is really a matter of personal preference. I don’t believe there is a hard and fast rule, although many quillers have very definite opinions about the subject.
Slotted tool- When I first learned to quill, I learned using a slotted tool. You just ‘thread” the beginning of a strip into the slot and then turn the tool until the strip is completely rolled. Let the strip fall off the tool and then pinch into desired shape and glue. Depending on the slotted tool you use, there will be a small opening in the center of your tight rolls (the size of the hole is determined by the size of the shaft of the tool). There may also be a tiny fold in the strip where you first inserted the strip into the tool. This little fold or “hook” is offensive to some quillers. (I have never had a customer mention this little hook) If this is a concern for you, the hook can be eliminated by reversing the tool before releasing the roll. It can also be eliminated when you pick up the roll with a tweezer.
Pin or Needle tool-I know that many of the early “1970’s” kits came with a corsage pin. When you use a pin, you roll the paper around the pin (instead of turning the tool), the hole in the center will be smaller and there will be no hook.
Finger rolling-When finger rolling your strips, it helps to soften the paper a little by running it over your finger nail, much like you would with curling ribbon. I usually have a damp washcloth nearby and dampen my fingertips so it is a little easier to get the roll started. Your finished roll will have a very tiny center opening. I also find that my rolls are a little “tighter” when I finger roll. After using a slotted tool for many years, the repetitive motion began to bother my thumb, so I forced myself to learn to finger roll. I quickly realized this was also easier on my tired old eyes since I was no longer required to ‘thread’ my slotted tool. Now I finger roll most of my strips but still use my slotted tools for rolling fringe flowers and curling back the corners on my rose petals.
I do have a funny story about finger rolling. A couple of years ago I did a taping for the DIY (Do It Yourself) network demonstrating quilling and how it can be used for scrapbooking. I had to fly from Connecticut to Tennessee for the taping. With all of the security restrictions on the airlines I thought it best to put all my quilling tools, tweezers and scissors etc. in my checked luggage. Of course my bags were opened and inspected. The next day as I prepared to do the taping, I opened the box with all of my tools and realized I had no slotted tool! Thank goodness I knew how to finger roll! The DIY folks were pretty impressed with my finger rolling although it was harder to tape. (I was only allowed to move my fingers a tiny bit so the camera could zoom in.) At any rate we got through the taping and when I packed my bags to fly back home, there in the bottom of my suitcase was my slotted tool! When they inspected the bag they just didn’t put everything back where they found it. And I am sure they had no idea what they were looking at.
Which is better, using a tool or finger rolling?
How you roll your quilling strips is really a matter of personal preference. I don’t believe there is a hard and fast rule, although many quillers have very definite opinions about the subject.
Slotted tool- When I first learned to quill, I learned using a slotted tool. You just ‘thread” the beginning of a strip into the slot and then turn the tool until the strip is completely rolled. Let the strip fall off the tool and then pinch into desired shape and glue. Depending on the slotted tool you use, there will be a small opening in the center of your tight rolls (the size of the hole is determined by the size of the shaft of the tool). There may also be a tiny fold in the strip where you first inserted the strip into the tool. This little fold or “hook” is offensive to some quillers. (I have never had a customer mention this little hook) If this is a concern for you, the hook can be eliminated by reversing the tool before releasing the roll. It can also be eliminated when you pick up the roll with a tweezer.
Pin or Needle tool-I know that many of the early “1970’s” kits came with a corsage pin. When you use a pin, you roll the paper around the pin (instead of turning the tool), the hole in the center will be smaller and there will be no hook.
Finger rolling-When finger rolling your strips, it helps to soften the paper a little by running it over your finger nail, much like you would with curling ribbon. I usually have a damp washcloth nearby and dampen my fingertips so it is a little easier to get the roll started. Your finished roll will have a very tiny center opening. I also find that my rolls are a little “tighter” when I finger roll. After using a slotted tool for many years, the repetitive motion began to bother my thumb, so I forced myself to learn to finger roll. I quickly realized this was also easier on my tired old eyes since I was no longer required to ‘thread’ my slotted tool. Now I finger roll most of my strips but still use my slotted tools for rolling fringe flowers and curling back the corners on my rose petals.
I do have a funny story about finger rolling. A couple of years ago I did a taping for the DIY (Do It Yourself) network demonstrating quilling and how it can be used for scrapbooking. I had to fly from Connecticut to Tennessee for the taping. With all of the security restrictions on the airlines I thought it best to put all my quilling tools, tweezers and scissors etc. in my checked luggage. Of course my bags were opened and inspected. The next day as I prepared to do the taping, I opened the box with all of my tools and realized I had no slotted tool! Thank goodness I knew how to finger roll! The DIY folks were pretty impressed with my finger rolling although it was harder to tape. (I was only allowed to move my fingers a tiny bit so the camera could zoom in.) At any rate we got through the taping and when I packed my bags to fly back home, there in the bottom of my suitcase was my slotted tool! When they inspected the bag they just didn’t put everything back where they found it. And I am sure they had no idea what they were looking at.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
What is a fringer (quilling fringing tool)?
What is a fringer (fringing tool)?
A fringing tool is like a tiny paper cutter which cuts a fringe into one side of wider quilling strips (1/4” & 3/8”). There are two types of fringers - the Straight / 90 degree & the Angle/ 45 degree.
A straight / 90 degree fringing tool can be a wonderful time saver if you make a lot of fringe flowers. Quilling strips are fed through the guides of the tool and the handle is raised and lowered manually. The resulting fringe is very even and can be adjusted for a wider or in some cases a deeper fringe. If you are only making a few flowers at a time, quilling strips can be hand fringed using a small sharp scissor. (With some practice your fringed scissor cuts may become as even as those done with a fringer).
The fringer itself only does one thing, and that is fringe the paper. The uncut side of the paper is then rolled and glued; the fringe is spread out to create flowers and/or poms to be used in a project. There are, however, many different ways to assemble your fringed strips to create many different kinds of flowers.
Here are some examples
A fringing tool is like a tiny paper cutter which cuts a fringe into one side of wider quilling strips (1/4” & 3/8”). There are two types of fringers - the Straight / 90 degree & the Angle/ 45 degree.
A straight / 90 degree fringing tool can be a wonderful time saver if you make a lot of fringe flowers. Quilling strips are fed through the guides of the tool and the handle is raised and lowered manually. The resulting fringe is very even and can be adjusted for a wider or in some cases a deeper fringe. If you are only making a few flowers at a time, quilling strips can be hand fringed using a small sharp scissor. (With some practice your fringed scissor cuts may become as even as those done with a fringer).
The fringer itself only does one thing, and that is fringe the paper. The uncut side of the paper is then rolled and glued; the fringe is spread out to create flowers and/or poms to be used in a project. There are, however, many different ways to assemble your fringed strips to create many different kinds of flowers.
Here are some examples
Glue a strip of 1/8” paper to the unfringed side of a ¼” or 3/8” strip of paper. Starting with the end of the 1/8” strip roll the entire strip up and glue at the end. Open petals and you will have a daisy like flower with a tight roll center. I generally use a 3” strip of 1/8”, and 4 or 5 inches of fringed strip.
Roll a 6” strip of fringed paper to create a single color Flower. The 3/8” fringe will make a larger flower.
Glue 4 or 5 inches of ¼” fringed paper to 4 or 5 inches of 3/8” in a contrasting color. When you roll start with the ¼” paper and you will end up with a flower with longer petals on the outside and shorter fringe in the center.
Glue two or three fringed lengths of different colors together, when you roll them your flower will have different color stripes.
Roll two fringed strips of different colors together at the same time. Your flower will look totally different.
You can also fringe dark center or graduated strips for a still different effect. These are just a few of the possibilities.
We carry several fringers that are manufactured by different manufactures on our website , or at our Ebay store; therefore we are sure to have one that will please everyone. Please see details below:
TIP: Since fringers can not accommodate 1/16” & 1/8” quilling strips .To make really tiny fringed flowers, simply fringe a ¼” or 3/8” quilling strips then trim fringe down to desired size and roll as usual.
The Angle / 45 degree fringer is most often used to make leaves. 3/8” quilling strip is folded in half length wise and fed through the guides with the fold placed at the back of the fringer. After the quilling strip is fringed, cut folded strip into leaf shape in desired size and unfold (open) leaf. Width and depth of fringe can be adjusted depending on the fringer model. (Angle fringed quilling strips can also be used to make fringed flowers Jane Jenkins has a delightful book (B172 “Fringed Flower Hybrids ") that gives some very interesting variations
T3189 – Paplin’s Angle Fringer / 45 degree fringer @ $55.00
All metal fringer, made in the USA, with adjustments for depth & width of fringe, useable with ¼” to ¾” folded strips (measurements before folding)
T3190 – Paplin’s Straight Fringer / 90 degree fringer @ $45.00
All metal fringer, made in the USA, with adjustments for depth & width of fringe,
Useable with ¼” or 3/8” paper strips (not folded)
T175 – Lake City Fringer (the original straight / 90 degree fringer) @ $70.00 this made in the USA fringer has adjustment for width only. WE DO CARRY THIS FRINGER, IN LIMITED QUANTITY DEPENDING ON AVAILABILITY.
T181– Lake City Fringer Straight/ 90 degree @ $45.00
Metal fringer, Imported, with adjustment for width of fringe only.
O305 – Quilled Creations Fringer Straight / 90 degree @ $49.95
Plastic base, Imported, with adjustment for width only
If we haven’t answered all of your fringing questions please let us know.
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