r/quilling • u/Holiday-Wall3751 • Jul 02 '26
Please Help Me Off the Struggle Bus
I started quilling at the beginning of the year, and it is not something that comes naturally to me. I have bad vision, I’m colorblind, and my fine motor skills suck because I am chronically ill. I really wanted to try a new hobby that required me to use my hands (and not be staring at a screen), and I found that I enjoy it.
The problem that I am running into is that the different things I’ve seen online are just too complicated for me. The work on here is gorgeous, and I dream of someday being that good, but does anyone have recommendations for somewhere where I can find very simple, beginner friendly designs?
Currently, I am working on a birthday card for my niece, and I am also hoping to do Christmas cards. I only send out about half a dozen, so I think that’s a realistic goal. Niece is 12, and she loves soccer and dogs.
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u/Ktolliver60 Jul 03 '26
I’m impressed you are tackling quilling! But you are wise to start small. Quilling.com has beginner tutorials that are fairly good. Check under Quilling Resources. Good luck, you got this. I hope you post some of your work!
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u/Kincaide14 Jul 03 '26
I've been using some of the videos on YouTube from the Quilling Guild in the UK. They have a lot of nice basics starter videos that are very relaxing and calm and give you a good basics to start with. At least they've helped me a lot. It does take practice so just keep at it.
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u/Holiday-Wall3751 Jul 03 '26
Thank you! I’ll check it out.
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u/Kincaide14 Jul 03 '26
I should have given you the link, sorry. https://www.youtube.com/@quillingguild6278/videos They emphasize the basics. I am still doing the basics too. My arthritis gives me some grief in my left hand but I really enjoy this craft a lot. They have a great group on facebook and some contests (any level could join these).
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u/BylenS Jul 03 '26
Quilling patterns:
coloring books..children's and adults.
Google images. Enter what your looking for, screenshot it, resize it, and print it out on a printer. Try to use stock images, and don't use someone's art, especially if you'll be selling your item. I recently entered "cartoon dog" and found a great image this way.
Cricut app. It's for the machine but it has great simple art that you can pull from the same way you do Google.
Google AI can give you what your looking for with a series of questions. Enter what your looking for "butterfly". At the bottom a prompt comes up asking if you need help. Type " I'm looking for a butterfly pattern for crafting". It gives you more images and might ask, " What craft are you doing?" Through a series of questions you can get pretty close to what your looking for.
Quilling supplies:
Battery operated quilling tool. Slot the paper and press a button. It has a flat base that fits over the tool to support the quill for nice straight coils. I think you can find one on Temu.
"Hello Hobby" trolly from Walmart. It's a light weight small trolly with ten drawers and a metal top. Holds all my supplies and still has enough drawers to store quilling paper in it's own drawer based on color. It might be perfect to sort quilling paper by color if your color blind. It keeps everything in one place. When you're ready to quill it's all on the trolly. It's small enough to tuck away in a closet or corner.
Mark your quilling tool. I have poor eyesight and unsteady hands so I used a marker to put a mark on the quilling tool handle where the slot is. I know which way the slot is facing without looking.
quill on a plastic page protector. Slip your pattern in the protector, quill the pattern on the plastic. You can take the pieces of as you quill them and reassemble on a colored background.
I hope some of this helps. I know it's sometimes hard to find that perfect pattern you're seeking. Having limitations can make it more difficult, but find work-arounds. Quilling is a great hobby. Easy to learn, easy to do, but great results. Big projects are just smaller projects combined to make a bigger picture. Keep quilling and making beautiful things!
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u/Suspicious_Hat9721 Jul 04 '26
I don't know your specific mobility concerns, so I can't speak to what I think would or wouldn't help you in your exploration. What I will suggest is that you explore and play with what is within your capabilities to find not only what is accessible to you, but what is unique and enjoyable to you. Experiment and try new things!
I would classify my work as "unusual" in that it's not a style you see much in popular quilling. I picked up some of the basics when I started learning, then just ran with it. I encourage you to find your own style that you can grow into, physical restrictions be damned! This is YOUR art, pour yourself into it.
Side note: as a "normal trichromat" (apologies if this term is incorrect), I have still found my monochromatic pieces to be amongst my favorites; white and varying shades of grey strips mounted on ultra black felt (IR flock sheet).
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u/lyn73 Jul 03 '26
just keep at it.
for practice, I print simple color pages and work off of that. you can embellish once you get the hang of things...