Basic Quilling Tools & Supplies : Beginners must read!

Basic Quilling Tools & Supplies : Exhaustive list with details

Quilling is like the “in” in-thing these days and there are many people who want to try quilling but not able to figure out where to start! Dont worry I have been there and I have crossed that phase right now so long back that I actually am in a position to give some tips for beginners 🙂 Anyways since there was a huge response to my beginners quilling shapes tutorial (HERE) I realized that I should do a post on Quilling tools as well. Not that I own all the quilling tools but I can tell  you what you need and what you dont!

Be sure to also check out all the quilling tutorials covered :

• Basic Quilling tutorial : Making Flat Tight Quilled Coils
• Basic Quilling instructions : Quilled Teardrop Shape
• How to make Quilled Flower Petals without tools
• How to make Quilling Leaves without tools
• Quilling Butterfly Tutorial
• Tight Quilled Flower Tutorial 
• Beehive technique Quilled flower tutorial
• Quilled Wall Hanging Tutorial
•  Quilled Hearts Card Tutorial
• Quilled Malaysian flowers Tutorial
• Quilling Comb Flower Tutorial with Video
• Double Sided Quilling Comb review & Tutorial
• Quilling Combing technique : Quilled bird

Here is the summary if you are scared seeing the loooong post ahead!

Must have  Basic quilling tools & supplies: 

• Basic single colored quilling strips
• Quilling slotted needle
• Circle sizer
• Precision glue tip applicator
• Tweezers

Quilling tools & supplies to splurge on :

• Special types quilling paper like dual tones, metallic, ombre, metallic edged etc.
• Border buddy
• Curling coach
• Fringing scissors
• Spiral bloom stencil
• Quilling needle
• Quilling comb
• Quilling mould
• Crimper

Basic quilling tools & supplies : Quilling paper strips 

These are strips of paper that you roll with help of a quilling needle to create various shapes and figures. I buy precut quilling strips that are available in many  Indian online craft supply shops ( listed HERE) since I work with lesser quilling projects

1. Size :  In India, you mostly get 3mm, 5mm,7mm and 10mm wide quilling strips that you can buy depending upon your project requirement. I use only 3mm wide strips and my favourite online shop when it comes to quilling supplies is CraftGully (HERE). They have a wide variety of colours and width and the cost ranges from Rs.20-40 per 100strips pack depending on the types of paper. One thing to keep in mind is that there are places where you get strips maybe for Rs.10 as well but do keep a check on the paper gsm aka thickness – lower gsm paper will become slushy when you apply glue and also they will not give that sturdiness/durability to your project. And also some low quality strips will not be uniformly wide which again gives you weird outcomes while quilling!
2. Colors & Textures : In India, you can buy quilling strips of plain color ( poster color with no gloss), metallic shade ( with a metallic shimmer effect), metallic edge strips ( the edge of strip will have contrast metallic colour) and and also dual shaded (two colors on either sides of strips).

Basic quilling tools & supplies : Quilling needle 

Its a basically a metallic needle firmly inserted within a sturdy handle that helps you guide and hold your quilling strip while making a coil.They are of two types as follows :

1. Slotted quilling tool : This is a must have for quilling beginners since almost all your shapes are made from loose/tight coils and this tool is essential in getting them right! A slotted quilling tool has a thick needle that is placed firmly within a comfortable handle and this needle has a slot/cut in the middle wheirein you can place your quilling strip. For making coils, you need to place the tip of the strip within the slot to hold it firmly and then start rotating the handle to coil the strip around the needle. For beginners this is a very handy tool but for advanced quillers, the small gap in the middle of tight coils in the size of the needle can be a worrying aspect!
2. Quilling needle : Design wise its same as the above but these have no slots in the middle! They are just a thin needle around which you have to patiently wrap and coil your quilling strip. No you would ask isn’t a slotted tool easier that this tool? Well as I said before, if you do not like a hole in the middle of your coils 😛 you can opt for this tool and also they are widely used to make spirals. I guess they became a hit after works of Gunjan Aylawadi (HERE)

 

Basic quilling tools & supplies : Slotted circle sizer 

1. Slotted circle sizer board: This is the most common type of circle sizer that is available in India. I have one of these bought from Itsybitsy (HERE) for Rs.180 and its made of cork board and the white are is foam. I find it okay types but I think I shouldve gone for the smaller one with only circle (HERE) which costs only Rs.69 because anyways im not finding any use out of any shapes other than circles. ( If anybody is using other shapes as well please do let me know for what and how !)
2. Slotted circle sizer scale : I haven’t come across this type of slotted circle sizer in any of Indian online craft stores ( list HERE) but they remind me of the rulers that we used to have during school days which had circle slots of various sizes. I guess you can use them as well if the circle are of sizes you need for your projects 🙂 This is same as the board except that this doesnt have a base and also looks like its made of plastic. If its available in India this one should be a cheaper and meaningful option to pick up!

Basic quilling tools & supplies : Tweezers

When I started quilling, I dint have a tweezer neither did I have a circle sizer but it worked without them. But once I got hold of them, I realised how much of a difference these tools can bring into a quilling project. This tool helps to pick out your loose coil from a circle sizer, hold the smallest of quilled shape securely and very importantly helps you place your shapes exactly where you want without stamping down the nearby areas of your projects 🙂  I got this tweezer set from Itsybitsy (HERE) for Rs. 89 which are basically for jewellery making but works well for quilling as well. If you dont want to invest in this tool, you can as well use your eyebrow tweezer although it might not be perfect for holding your quilled paper shapes!

Basic quilling tools & supplies : Quilling comb 

The very first quilling project that I did was a quilled sunflower and since I didn’t have any tools except the slotted needle, I made use of my haircomb to make the petals for them (tutorial HERE) . Your haircomb is a very easy replacement for a real quilling comb but there of course are limitiations to it due to thicker teeth and lesser gaps between them. I got mine from Craftshop.in (HERE) for Rs.115 very recently and I’m yet to try quilling with them! These pinwheel type flowers are definitely on my list first and then maybe fringed flowers.

Basic quilling tools & supplies : Curling coach 

A curling coach is basically a support tool for making really really big tight coils. Once you are into quilling sometime you might feel that your tight coils aren’t flat and there are some loops that make small bumps! A quilling coach is a flat transparent spoon shaped tool with circles of various diameters marked and it has a hole in the middle through which you have to insert the quilling needle and start making coils. Basically, this tools serves the purpose of having a base while making coils so that your tight coil is flat and also with the markings, you can get coils of same size. This tool is not an absolute necessity although, if your project needs more tight coils, this tool is recommended for more perfection 🙂

Basic quilling tools & supplies : Mini moulds 

These are plastic plates with hemishperical domes shapes of various sizes. If you are not into professional quilling,  this tool can be purchased since they can be used to make jhumka earrings, cherries, doll miniatures etc of various sizes. Considering the price at which they are being sold in India (Rs.440/-) I guess  you can easily replace this tool with watercolor mixing plate with rounded slots 😀

Basic quilling tools & supplies : Spiral Quilling blossom plate 

This is probably not available in India but there are many craft-shops that take pre-orders and maybe you can buy one of these. They are basically stencils that can be used to trace a spiral shape along which you have to cut out your craft paper and roll to make beautiful flowers. The stencil also has marks for bud,bloom & blossom so that you can create your flowers accordingly. These are also not a necessity since you can draw the pattern yourself with free hand or even download one from any craft blogs and trace it out with butter paper!

 

Basic quilling tools & supplies : Crimper 

A very small quilling tool thats sold for around Rs.70 in India and its definitely not a must have. This tool has two rounded shaped with zig zag protrusions and you need to insert your quilling strip in between the two circles and rotate the handle on the ring. They can be used to add a different touch and look to your projects but thats it. I bought one and I hardly even used it because I somehow did not like the crimped effect 😛 There is no DIY replacement for these tools so if you like the crimped effect, do buy one from any craft store.

Basic quilling tools & supplies : Precision tip glue applicator 

This is definitely a must have if you are quilling. I have never owned this and I know how pathetic a quiller I am without this one! I apply glue directly from the glue bottle and my project has overflowing glue of the rough side which is okay when you are making it for yourself but bad if you are into a quilling business! This is just an empty bottle with a very fine needle that give your fine lines of glue so that your work does not get glue smudged.

 

Basic quilling tools & supplies : Border Buddy 

This is the latest entrant into the quilling world and this tool definitely stops our hunt for the perfect sized tins or pens to make that hollow quilled shape! The border buddy comes as a set of three tools, a square shape, a triangle shape and a circle one and one tool has several sizes from top till bottom in a pyramid formation. This is very ideal in making various shapes in jewellery making and I think if you can manage to find household items that can get the shapes in various sizes you want, that would also work. This particular tool is available in India at around Rs.250/- (the Indian make) which makes it pretty much a cheap investment compared to the hunt we need to take up every time! I wouldn’t say this is a must have but its definitely a lifesaver for jewellery makers 🙂

Basic quilling tools & supplies : Fringing scissors 

They are specialised scissors that have multiple teeth usually 4-5 that can create more than one cut at a time. The only main use of this scissors is to create equal closely spaced fringes/cuts in a time saving manner. The fringed strip of paper can be rolled with quilling needle to make a fringed flower like in the photo. This scissors retails at a cost of Rs.250 and above in India which is a little costly considering the fact that we can put in a little more patience with our normal scissors to create the same effect 😛 But if you are a person who is into card-making/scrapbooking  business, its definitely a must have since it not only reduces the time but also gives less work to your fingers!

Basic quilling tools & supplies : Water sealant 

I personally dont use any water sealant since I have never made anything thats going to have to go into water 😛 There are a lot of water sealants available in market for your quilled jewellery especially but they seem to be very pricey in India. Here are three links to Indian quillers who have explained a budget way to waterproof your quilled works : LINK 1: Pritesh, LINK 2 : Pritesh, LINK3 : Shylasree .

So that sums up almost all the quilling tools and supplies you need as a beginner and as an expert. I guess this is my longest post ever and phew! I’m tired typing! If you found this article interesting and useful, do let me know through the comments below. Also, dont forget to subscribe to blog for updates right in your email through the subscribe option available just below the header 🙂

xoxo Angela