Paper quilling is the craft of rolling narrow strips of paper into coils, pinching those coils into shapes, and gluing the shapes together into flowers, cards and framed art. To start, you need a pack of quilling strips, a slotted tool, white craft glue and something pointed to apply it. Learn the tight coil, the loose coil and five or six pinched shapes, and you can make most beginner patterns.
This guide walks you through the tools, the core coil, the essential shapes and scrolls, and a first flower you can finish in an evening.
What you'll need
- Quilling paper strips. Pre-cut strips come in standard widths: 3 mm (about 1/8 inch) for fine detail, 5 mm for general shapes, and 10 mm for fringed flowers. Start with 5 mm; it's easier to hold and roll evenly.
- A slotted quilling tool. The slot grips the strip so you just turn the handle. The 19-piece paper quilling tools and supplies kit bundles a slotted tool, needle tool, tweezers and strips, which covers everything here.
- White PVA craft glue, applied with a toothpick, needle tool or fine-tip bottle. Quilling needs tiny dots, not smears.
- Fine-tip tweezers for placing small shapes.
- A circle sizer or quilling board so all your loose coils come out the same size. A quilling board and winding disk set has graded circles plus pins for holding shapes in place while you glue.
- Cardstock for a base, and small sharp scissors.
You'll find strips, tools and cardstock in our paper craft supplies collection.
| Width | Best for |
|---|---|
| 3 mm (about 1/8 in) | Fine detail |
| 5 mm | General shapes; the easiest width to start with |
| 10 mm | Fringed flowers |
Slotted tool or needle tool?
Most beginners start with a slotted tool because it's quick and easy to hold onto the strip. The trade-off is a tiny crimp at the center of every coil where the slot gripped the paper. A needle tool (a fine, plain metal shaft) leaves a smooth, tiny center, but you have to start the roll with your fingertips, which takes some practice.
Start with the slotted tool, then try the needle tool once your coils are even. If rolling dozens of identical coils by hand sounds tedious, an electric quilling tool turns the strip for you and keeps tension steady.
Watch the 48-second quilling walkthrough: prepare even strips, roll steady coils, pinch beginner shapes and arrange them into a simple paper design.
The core technique: rolling a coil
Almost every quilling shape starts as a coil, so practice this until it feels automatic.
- Tear a strip to the length you need. Tearing gives a soft, feathered end that glues down almost invisibly, where a cut end leaves a visible step.
- Slide one end into the slot of your tool so it lines up with the edge of the slot.
- Turn the tool (not the paper) with steady, even tension, guiding the strip with your other thumb and finger so the edges stay aligned.
- Roll to the end of the strip, then decide which coil you're making.
Tight coil
Keep holding the coil on the tool and glue the loose end straight away, without letting it unwind. Tight coils are small and solid, ideal for flower centers, berries and eyes.
Loose coil
Slide the coil off the tool and let it relax and open up. Drop it into a circle on your sizer to control how big it gets, then glue the end down. This loose coil is the starting point for nearly every pinched shape.
Keep your strip lengths the same for shapes that need to match. Two petals rolled from the same length and relaxed in the same size circle will look like a set.
Essential quilling shapes
Each of these starts as a glued loose coil. Before pinching, use a fingertip or tweezers to nudge the center into position: centered for a symmetric shape, pushed to one side for a curved, off-center look.
Teardrop
Pinch one side of the loose coil into a sharp point and leave the opposite side round. Teardrops are the classic flower petal.
Marquise (eye)
Pinch two opposite points at the same time. You get a pointed oval that works for leaves and long petals. Twist the two points slightly in opposite directions and you have a shaped leaf with a gentle S-curve.
Square and diamond
Make a marquise, turn it 90 degrees, and pinch the two new sides to make four corners. Press it flat into a square, or stretch it long for a diamond.
Triangle
Pinch three evenly spaced points, or hold a teardrop's point and press the round side flat against your fingertip to form the base.
Half circle
Pinch two points close together, then flatten the section between them. Half circles make good hills, umbrellas and bird bodies.
| Shape | How to pinch it | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Tight coil | Glue the end while still on the tool | Flower centers, berries, eyes |
| Loose coil | Relax in a sizer circle, then glue | The start of nearly every shape |
| Teardrop | Pinch one point | Classic flower petals |
| Marquise (eye) | Pinch two opposite points | Leaves and long petals |
| Square / diamond | Marquise turned 90 degrees and pinched again | Geometric designs |
| Triangle | Pinch three points | Trees, borders |
| Half circle | Pinch two close points, flatten between | Hills, umbrellas, bird bodies |
Open scrolls
Scrolls are strips rolled at the ends but not glued shut, so they stay open and airy. They're used for borders, stems and filler curls.
- Loose scroll: roll one end only and let it relax.
- C-scroll: roll both ends toward the middle, in the same direction, so the strip forms a C.
- S-scroll: roll one end up and the other end down, toward the middle from opposite sides, so it forms an S.
- Heart scroll: fold the strip in half, then roll each end inward toward the fold. The two rolls form the rounded tops of a heart.
- V-scroll: fold the strip in half and roll each end outward, away from the fold, for a V shape with curled tips.
Your first project: a simple quilled flower
What you'll need
- Six 5 mm strips in a petal color, torn to the same length
- One strip in a contrasting color for the center
- Two or three green strips for the stem and leaves
- A square of cardstock and your glue, tweezers and tool
Steps
- Roll six loose coils from the petal strips, relax each one in the same size circle on your board, and glue the ends.
- Pinch each coil into a teardrop, with the glued end at the point where it's hidden.
- Roll a tight coil in the contrasting color for the center.
- Arrange the six petals in a ring on a pin or your board with the points facing in. Add a small dot of glue where each petal touches its neighbor and leave them to set for a few minutes.
- Glue the tight coil in the middle.
- For the stem, glue a green strip on its edge onto the card. Make two green marquise leaves and attach them either side.
- Glue the flower in place by touching the underside of each shape lightly to a thin film of glue, then setting it down on the card.
Once that's easy, try a fringed flower: snip finely along one edge of a 10 mm strip, roll it into a tight coil, then fluff the fringe outward with your fingers. The quilling comb set is useful when you move on to looped petals, which give flowers a lacy, layered look.
If you'd rather follow a pattern with everything included, a guided kit like the bird and flower quilling pattern set comes with a board, strips, glue and tweezers.
Tips for neater quilling
- Use less glue than you think. A dot on the tip of a toothpick is enough. Too much glue leaves shiny marks and makes the paper soggy.
- Keep strips flat and dry. Bent or creased strips roll unevenly, and humidity makes paper soft.
- Match lengths and circle sizes for every shape in a set. Inconsistent petals are the most common thing that makes beginner work look uneven.
- Glue the end where it'll be hidden, usually at a pinch point.
- Let glue set before you handle a shape again. Most PVA glue grabs within a minute or two.
- Work on a cork board or foam sheet with pins so shapes stay put while the glue sets.
Where to go from here
Quilling has a long history, from gilded paper on Renaissance religious objects to 18th-century English decorative work, and the Wikipedia article on quilling is a nice read if you're curious. Practically, the next step is to put your shapes on something. A quilled flower makes a lovely card front, so try our guide to making greeting cards, or browse these paper craft ideas for home decor for framed pieces. New to paper crafts in general? Paper crafting essentials for beginners covers tools and paper weights.
Frequently Asked Questions
What width of quilling paper should beginners use?
Start with 5 mm strips. They're easier to roll evenly and handle than 3 mm strips, which are better for fine detail once your technique is steady.
Do I need a special tool to start quilling?
A slotted quilling tool makes rolling even coils much easier and is inexpensive. You can roll around a toothpick or cocktail stick at first, but the results are less consistent.
What glue is best for paper quilling?
White PVA craft glue that dries clear works best. Apply tiny dots with a toothpick or fine-tip bottle rather than a glue stick.
How do I make my quilling coils the same size?
Use the same strip length for every matching shape and let each loose coil relax inside the same circle on a quilling board or circle sizer before gluing.
What is the difference between a tight coil and a loose coil?
A tight coil is glued while still wound on the tool, so it stays small and solid. A loose coil is released and allowed to open up before gluing, and is the base for pinched shapes like teardrops and marquises.
What can you make with paper quilling?
Popular projects include greeting cards, framed wall art, monograms, gift tags, ornaments and lightweight earrings sealed with a clear coat.
