I’ve tried quilling once before, when I bought & reviewed the  “Twirled Paper” kit by Klutz Publications.  However, when I was at CHA in Anaheim (2010) I was blown away by the display at the Quilled Creations booth. Take a peek:

Quilled Creations Booth at CHA

I'm not sure if it's the color or the texture, or just the fact that it's just simple paper strips that captivates me...but I LOVE the look of quilling, so I decided to give their Beginner Quilling Kit a try!Basic Quilling Kit Photo courtesy of Quilled Creations

I opened this cute purple box and was really happy with the tools inside. You get:

• Slotted quilling tool
• Needle quilling tool
• Circle sizer
• Quilling papers
• Elmer’s brand glue
• 2 white tags and 2 card templates
• Instruction book…
• and of course the sturdy 2-sided box to keep your goodies in!

That’s a lot of happiness for just under $30.oo! (And puts it right into the “great gift idea” category!)

So I started with actually READING the instruction book. (I know, I rarely do this…) and  decided to make each of the shapes using the instructions provided. First I make a circle using the slotted quilling tool:

Insert paper into slot, and twirl, applying slight pressure with your thumb.

I ended up with a circle that looked like this:

Yay! Perfect. Just a dab of glue on the end holds it together!

Then I tried using the needle tool. There’s no slot to put the paper in, so you have to just get it going and keep it taut:

Wrap the paper around the tool, and then hold it taut while twirling.

I, unfortunately, didn’t keep it taut enough…so this circle….um…..

Not so hot.

So, I went back to the slotted tool and went through all of the shapes in the instruction book. In no time I was zipping along and feeling like a pro. I made a “sampler” of all of my shapes for easy reference:

So once I got through the basics, I went on to try some of the beginner projects- a flower, a butterfly, and a dragonfly. Here are how they turned out:

Beginning project ideas from Quilled Creations

Cute, right?? By the way, I used a little of my favorite shimmer spray Radiant Rains on that one in the middle.) I figure these would make the world’s cutest gift tags. And I’m thinking that if I get super-snazzy, I just might try a picture frame, too!

So now for the nitty-gritty…..

PROS:

• This kit is complete- everything you need to get going, and it includes a storage box.
• It’s great to have a set of tweezers in your kit.  (I made a puddle of glue on my work-table, and used the tweezers to grasp my quilled piece lightly to dip in the glue, then place on the project.) Quilled paper is delicate, and it’s hard to grasp with bare fingers.
• Good price point, and great for gift-giving.
• Appropriate for ages 8 and up.
• Easy to get started and see good results.
• Instruction book is easy to read & understand
• Builds confidence!

CONS:

• Might not be great for folks with low vision, poor dexterity or arthritis/hand conditions.

(Really, I’m stretching here. Can’t find many “cons!”)

So, all in all, I love my little kit. I think it would be fun to do with my son, and it’s one of those crafts you could take on vacation for rainy days. Since it uses so few tools and just simple white glue, it’s also an inexpensive craft to keep up- no electricity to use, and there are probably books with advanced designs available at your library.

I rate this one: CRAFT-TASTIC!

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About Jenny

Chief Craft Test Dummy, Craft Evangelist, Founder, Editor, bottle-washer, trouble-maker, and creative whirlwind.

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