Miriam's Incredibly Meticulous Paper Quilling

In case you've never come across the lovely quilling that Miriam of Miriam's Quilling in Târgovişte, Romania creates, I know you'll enjoy being introduced to her art. I can only imagine the hours she puts in each day producing excellent teaching videos for her YouTube channel, Miriam's Quilling, while also creating the handmade quilled art and digital downloads that fill her Etsy shop.

Perhaps you know the saying that if you want a job done, ask a busy person. I couldn't help but think of it when Miriam replied within hours after I contacted her about being featured in the Artist Spotlight. She answered my questions at length and sent over scads of photos... it's evident she absolutely loves to quill and is doing all she can to encourage others to learn to do it too.

Here's a very short Instagram video that shows how Miriam made the pumpkin. It also shows how finger rolling is done.

She first saw quilling a little more than a decade ago when she received a handmade card that was decorated with quilling. The technique so intrigued her that she purchased a small kit and tried out the slotted tool and colorful strips it contained.

After completing school a few years later, Miriam began quilling as her full-time job. Although she is disabled by muscular dystrophy, it has not prevented her from creating scores of elegant projects, many of which are florals, and building a successful small business that has received many positive reviews.

quilled floral initial monogram designs for letters a-z available as digital download

Quilling Letters A-Z

Here's just one example, "Beautiful set of designs, supported by an excellent series of videos explaining how to quill the designs and including lots of tips to get the best results. Very happy!"

The past few years Miram has perfected combining quilling with watercolor backgrounds that add depth and interest. Now would be a great time to start making quilled Christmas cards. If you would like to enhance these pretty designs with watercolor, her digital download makes it easy and then watch her video to see how the quilling is done.

Tell us about your favorite quilling strips.

Through the years, I’ve always been searching for tools and quilling supplies that would best fit my needs. For example, at my very beginnings with paper quilling, I bought a pre-cut set of colorful paper strips. This was just a standard set and because I was a beginner, I didn’t realize that their quality was not the best. But this experience was good for me because I learned to test papers and see what I liked working with.

As I practiced, I decided to start cutting my own paper strips because I saw that other quillers did that too. This way, I could cut whatever widths I preferred and whatever paper densities I wanted to work with.

I have found a brand of Romanian paper, Lively Paper Creations, that I really like. It comes in two densities (paper weight): 130 gsm and 300 gsm. This paper also comes in a variety of shades (which I love!) and I cut these A4 sheets of paper to my preferred width. I show how I cut strips in this video.

I mostly like to work with strips that are 5 mm wide and under. I love to use between 3 and 5 mm wide paper strips when making cards. For several years, I have worked with 1 mm and 2 mm paper strips because I just love how realistic the flowers turn out when working with such narrow paper strips. I normally buy these strips from online stores.

Ann's edit: For those in the U.S., Etsy shop CustomQuillingByLisa is a source of 1mm strips and a fine-tip tool that works well with them.

And your most useful tools?

-Quilling slotted tool - I have been searching for a better slotted tool over the years - one with a narrower slotted end - and I am very pleased to say that I have finally found a fine-tip tool on AliExpress that I really love and can use for tiny details. Unfortunately, it is only available within a set of six different tools. However, I also use a normal quilling slotted tool a lot too. In my videos, people can see that I usually go from one tool to another, depending on what I'm working on.

set of six different quilling tools with purple handles

-Scissors

-Tweezers

-Glue

What do you love most about quilling?

I love how versatile the paper quilling art is!

Now that I have a YouTube channel, I like to diversify my work and I enjoy trying out different methods of paper quilling techniques, which you will see if you watch my videos.

I like doing art projects for all levels of paper quilling, so whether you are a beginner, an intermediate or an advanced paper quiller, you can find videos and playlists on my YouTube channel that are suitable for your level of work.

Do you like to use any of the quilling extras that have come on the market in recent years?

I have other tools such as a quilling crimper, circle ruler, dome ruler etc., but I use these only on certain projects, not on a regular basis. In every video I share a list of the tools I used for that specific project in the description box below it.

hand holding quilled wreath decorated with red berries, gold bow, and white poinsettia

If you are one of the people who has been following along on my art journey, you might have noticed that I generally tend to make detailed art. It's one of the reasons I have been searching for specific tools and supplies over the years that could make my work just a little easier.

Do you have any advice for those who are brand new to quilling?

You don’t need any specific tools! Just get a quilling slotted tool, some paper strips, a pair of scissors, and glue. If you have blank cardstock, you can easily make some quilled cards.

Start with simple designs... there is plenty of inspiration online these days (blogs to read and videos to learn from). As you practice, you will discover if you really enjoy this art, and then you can decide whether you need additional tools. The first step is really that simple :).