Here is the last in the my little series of ‘5 Quilling Supplies’ posts. Â First I posted about my top 5 necessary quilling tools, then my top 5 fun and almost necessary quilling supplies. Â Next were 5 tools that I have, but haven’t tried yet. Â Here is the last installment!
I have a lot of quilling supplies. In fact, I even have several that I have bought, but haven’t had a chance to try yet! But here is a list of 5 things that are on my ‘want to buy’ list that I don’t have, but want to try.
- Mirror paper quilling strips –Â These new strips from Paplin are shiny metallic colors on one side, and white on the other. The colors are just so brilliant and reflective! I don’t think they would work for every project, but I bet they’d work really nicely for some jewelry projects.
- Quillease slotted quilling tool – This new quilling tool works by battery power to make rolling strips fast and put less stress on the hand. It’s not something I need, but it would be fun to try out!
- Paper Bead Girl Adhesive Sealer – I love to try out new sealants. In fact, I have 3 or 4 that I still haven’t tested yet! But here is one that I don’t have yet. It is made particularly for paper beads, so I’m sure it’d be fantastic for paper quilled jewelry!
- Flutter Cutter Die Cut Machine – I don’t have a die cutter (some day!) but I think this little one will be just the right one to start with. It is way more affordable than the big ones, and it’d be fun to make all those little flowers and leaves with it.
- Precision work board – This work board caught my eye several years ago. It is now available through Paplin, and you can also get it in other places. Â I honestly am not sure how useful this board is. My first impression is that it wouldn’t be much more useful than the circle guide board, but I just have this itch to try it for myself and see!
What quilling tools/supplies do you have on your “want to try” list and why?
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I have the QuillEase…in fact, I have had two of them. My opinion: I thought the first one wasn’t working properly….I wrote the company and they generously sent me another. It worked the same as the first. I never found it satisfactory…It may work well with 3 mm strips but anything else, it pulls and stops. I make snowflakes from 9mm strips and the tool wouldn’t even turn. I do have arthritis and I thought this tool would be a Godsend for me…but no such luck. Cathy
That’s too bad it only works with 3mm width
I have the Precision Work Board and I love it, especially for shape like hearts, squares, and triangles. My method may not be the best but using pins around I have successfully made these shapes better than before.. I have only been quilling for about 6 months.
Thanks for sharing!
i don’t have the flutter cutter but I do have the cuttlebug. It is great, I love it you can emboss and use die cuts that embellishes my quilling cards.
Sounds awesome!
The Flutter Cutter is cheaper, but it’s also very small. The opening is only 2.5 inches. That’s enough for most strip dies (which is what quilling dies are) and small leaves/flourishes but I’d suggest saving up for a bigger one with at least a 6 inch opening instead. It’s a lot more versatile.
The Cuttlebug is foldable which is good if you don’t have much space or if you want to take your machine on the go. The Sizzix Big Shot is more stable and has a slightly wider (about 1/4 inch) opening but it’s heavier and takes up more room. (I have Big Kick which is just the Big Shot that’s sold in big chain craft stores.) There’s other die cut machines but these are the two most popular in the US. If you go on overstock.com you can find them for a better price than their respective company websites. The Flutter Cutter is also on overstock for about $10 less than on Quilled Creations.
The benefit of the bigger machines is that you’re able to run through multiple dies at a time because they’re wider. You have a much wider range of dies that you can use.
You’re able to make your own frame cards because you can get stacks of basic shapes (circles, ovals, squares, rectangles, and more) and die cut them out. (This is the reason I originally got my Big Kick).
You can use steel rule dies to cut thicker material like fabric, chipboard and multiple sheets of paper. Great for making cards for jewelry.
You can use embossing folders. You can also emboss with the wafer thin dies if you have a thin silicon/rubber pad.
You can flatten bottle caps. Bezels can get expensive, but bottle caps make a great (and cheap) alternative. Also great for turning your quilled pieces into magnets, pins and keychains.
There’s even bigger machines (A4, 12″ x 12″ and more) but if you’re just using quilling dies, you don’t really need it.
A company to take a look at is Cheery Lynn, more specifically their Expandable Quilling Strip Die.
This is 2″ x 6 1/2″ (53mm x 169mm). It can fit in the Flutter Cutter and while short, you just slide it down to continue the strip. You probably need good lighting/eyesight to make sure you line it up properly. It has several different sizes on it.
If you check Cheery Lynn’s website they also have various flower dies and some make quilled flowers too.
Cuttlebug and DoCrafts/Xcut have some quilling dies as well and they’re much longer, but the Cheery Lynn die gives you different widths.
Thanks so much for the input! It sounds so exciting to be able to make all of those things! Definitely something to save up for!
It is exciting. I spent about 3 years teetering back and forth about buying a die cutting machine because of the price. I just ended up buying paper punches instead which are easy and fast but bulky and limited in their uses. And the punches added up because you needed so many for the different sizes.
As more and more products were introduced and I saw all the youtube videos showing their capabilities (probably way more than the creators ever thought was possible) I did lots of research about the different brands before settling on my Sizzix Big Kick.
If you’re completely new to manual die cutting machines, I’m recommending this video. It’s very long (over 90 minutes) and focuses on the big shot and big shot plus, but it’s very informative.
(#129 The NEW Do’s & Don’ts of the Sizzix Big Shot and Big Shot Plus by Scrapbooking Made Simple)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUt0cp-KJ5c
Actually I recommend the entire channel by scrapmadesimple. The owner has a scrapbooking store in California and an online store. All of her videos are very long because she’s explaining how to use the various products that she sells.
There’s another type of die cutting machine that I didn’t mention before. Electronic Cutters. The Flutter Cutter, Cuttlebug, and Big Shot are all manual machines which means you have to crank a handle to press them through.
There are machines like the Vagabond which is an electric Big Shot shaped like a suitcase. You just flip a switch to send things through but there’s a risk of jamming it. This falls in the category of manual die cutters. It just makes it easier for people, especially if you’re mass producing something like gift tags/cards or if you have arthritis.
The other ones are things like the Sillouette Cameo and Cricut Explore. There’s more brands but these are the most famous. (and cheapest in the US)
You set the machine to cut out whatever you choose. These are probably the most versatile because you can make your own designs or adjust existing ones to fit your wants. They’re capable of very intricate and very small cuts. Some can emboss or print and cut. The tradeoff is that the machine’s blades will dull very quickly on thick material like chipboard or balsa wood and you’re not able to do some of the things you can with the manual ones (like flattening bottle caps). A dull blade will shred your paper. There’s a lot of experimentation needed on the amount of pressure and type of material you’re cutting too.
However, as a quiller, the biggest benefit might be the ability to set it to cut your paper strips for you. It might take a bit of work getting them off the mat though.
Electronic die cutters are very pricey with the cheapest starting around $250.
Thanks so much! I will certainly do a lot of research before deciding. Making my own designs sounds so cool
When I start with quilling, long time ago, in my country even does know what about so no machines for citing the paper or other tools so … I improvised; for roll the paper I used a aiguille that I catted the up part and for cutting the paper I used and still do it, a manual paper distroier.
Where can I purchase 24 inch Quilling strips?
Where can I purchase a grid with holes and removable metal pegs for Quilling designs?
Hi 🙂 most companies sell paper that is 17″ long, but Lake City Craft
Hi 🙂 most companies sell strips that are 17″ long, but Lake City Craft has ones that are 24″ long. It doesn’t really matter in the end, you can just glue shorter strips together to get longer lengths. You can buy a board with circles holes at any quilling supply shop, or you can even use stencil rulers from stationary shops that you pin onto a cork or foam board.
*Where can I purchase a grid with holes and removable metal pegs for Quilling designs?*
It sounds kind of like you’re looking for a wire jig which is used for wrapping wire into more intricate designs for jewelry. The cheapest ones run about $15-18 US but I’ve heard that they’re terrible quality with the pegs not fitting properly more often than not.
Looking up quilling husking techniques to see if that’s the look you’re going for. If so other (cheaper) options are-
Base:
Getting a thick sheet of cork and/or 6mm craft foam (usually $1 a piece at Michaels if you’re in the US–less if you use a coupon and easy to replace) Cork is much more expensive and you’d need a thick piece (at least 1/4″to 1/2″) to hold a pin upright but I think it might last longer. Cheaper cork may crumble before you get much use out of it though.
Cheapest option: you can also use corrugated cardboard. These are free if you have a place like Sams’ Club/Costco which allows customers to take their cardboard boxes. The foam/cork is easier to stick pins into though.
Cover: (to protect your quilled piece from sticking to your pattern)
Put the picture of what you’re making or grid paper over your base and put it all into a page protector (Sam’s Club has a box of 200 for about $10) or you can use of those 12″ x 12″ page protectors for scrapbooking. (about $20+ for 100 online) with a 12×12 cork tile if you want a bigger work surface.
Cheapest Option: Wax or parchment paper taped over the pattern/base. It’s not as clear as a page protector, but you can still see the pattern and get a roll for $1 at the dollar tree.
Straight Pins: (around $3-6 for 100 or so) usually found in the sewing section of craft stores or wedding/floral supplies if you want taller ones with fake crystal/pearl heads. You may want to get the ones with short/flat heads so that it’ll be easier to slip a quilled piece out without have to remove them all.
Cheapest Option: Dollar Tree also has T-Pins in their office supply section if you don’t mind having to pull them out after every piece. They are a little thicker than a sewing pin.
Overall, a regular quilling board (usually around or under $10-don’t forget to use coupons for places like AC Moore/Hobby Lobby if you see it, they used to carry this but I’m not sure if they still do), box of pins, and cover material altogether comes to less than a cheap wire jig anyways.
If you’re adamant about having a wire jig, I’ve heard a good brand is Wigjig which uses thick clear acrylic boards so you see a pattern under it. However it’s expensive with the base alone running $20-50 depending on the size/shape (it comes with 40 pegs but they’re under 1 in tall) and you have to buy different peg sizes separately if you want taller ones. On their website one 2 inch peg is $2.75. That $50 board is only 5 inches big with large intervals and the pegs are much thicker than a pin so it really limits your work space/design. Personally I’d be too afraid to put glue near anything this expensive and risk getting it gummed up.
Sylvia~
{Where can I purchase a grid with holes and removable metal pegs for Quilling designs?}
I just bought one of these! I found it on Amazon for $8; the title and the url are below. I haven’t used it yet. I was actually looking for tips or tutorials for how to use it and wound up here! But I figure if Honey hasn’t discovered it it must be relatively new!
This seller offers two colors, it is nice and compact, and has a small slide-out tray for storing the pegs. It took about two weeks to ship from China to Missouri, USA, but I did receive it three days before the estimated delivery date.
Carykon Roll Quiller’s Grid Guide Quilling Board with Pins Storage for Paper Crafting Winder Roll Square Craft DIY Tool (Light Blue) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LY79FL3/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_MVvgybFM4A659
Honey~
Maybe you could skip the other tools and try this so then you can post a tutorial for it! 🙂
I see the original post is over a year old, but comments are still active from six weeks ago. Thanks for keeping it active! Love your stuff!
Hi Linden, thanks for the comment 🙂 Looks like a very interesting tool! If you leave a review for it on Amazon it can help others as well. I’ve put it on my list of things to try!