What Do I Do With All of These Tools?

All of the quilling tools I own but have never used.

What can I do to use these tools, or even use them together to create a piece of art? It's a good thing I have been tasked to complete a Networked Learning Project (NLP) where I learn something new, ONLY using online networks and resources. For this task, I have decided to finally take on the challenge of learning how to do paper quilling. This will give me the perfect opportunity to learn about and use these tools. Shehan defines paper quilling perfectly as “the art of cutting paper into long thin strips, rolling and pinching the pieces into different shapes, and then gluing the shapes together to form decorative art” (Shehan, 2019). As a card maker, paper quilling is a skill I’ve found to be creative, beautiful and intriguing for quite some time because I know these pieces of art could be a great addition to many of the cards I make. At the same time, I’ve also been intimidated to try it out which made it the perfect choice for my NLP. In this process, I’d like to learn how to make a few simple designs to enhance my cards.

This is the quilling starter kit I purchased during the pandemic and have never opened until now.

I knew there were specific tools needed for paper quilling. In fact, during the pandemic, I purchased a starter set which I never opened. As Mishra and Koehler (2006) discuss in “Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge” even though I know there are many tools available for paper quilling, I don’t have the skills or knowledge base to choose the right tool based on their function.

But first...Research

First, I needed to do some research for helpful YouTube videos and find my affinity spaces for paper quilling, specifically for beginners. I also follow many card makers on Facebook and Instagram and figured they could be great sources to find paper quillers too. Gee mentions people "might participate in more than one affinity space” and they “might even bring those spaces together” (Gee, 2018). When I first searched for groups on Facebook, I only included the words “quilling for beginners”. To my surprise many groups about “quilting” for beginners popped up. I quickly learned I needed to refine my search to include “paper quilling”. I joined the Facebook Groups: All About Quilling and Quilling for Beginners.

This is a finished quilling project above my level posted by artoholic.in on Instagram.

The search on Instagram was a bit overwhelming as there are many talented paper quillers. Some of the users’ creations were above my skill level such as Quilling Starry Night created by artoholic.in. Although it is beautiful and detailed. I'm just not there yet in my beginning stages of learning how to do paper quilling.

These are some projects I would like to create inspired by quilligree.creations on Instagram.

I continued my research on Instagram to try and find people to follow that were helpful for a beginner like myself. In my search, I chose to follow a few influencers whose posts of their work was more along the lines of where I would be at this stage of learning. A couple I chose to follow are quilligree.creations and simply_quilled_designs. While their work is still beautiful it also appears to be more manageable and realistic for me to accomplish throughout my limited time frame.

Time to get started!

I am eager to learn more about paper quilling and can’t wait to get started. My next step is to watch the YouTube video: 14 Quilling Tools Demo & How to use Basic Quilling Tools to get a better understanding of the tools before I try to use them.

Read my second and third blog posts to learn more about the rest of my journey and my culminating creation.

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References

Artoholic.in (2023) Quilling Starry Night [Screenshot]. Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/artoholic.in/

AV Visuals. (2015, September 4). 14 Quilling Tools Demo & How to Use Basic Quilling Tools [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY5k_7AJm6s

Gee, J.P. (2018, February 26). Affinity spaces: How young people live and learn online and out of school. Phi Delta Kappan. http://www.kappanonline.org/gee-affinity-spaces-young-people-live-learn-online-school/

McHorney-Enokian, S. (2023) Display of Quilling Tools [Picture].

McHorney-Enokian, S. (2023) Quilling Starter Kit [Picture].

Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054.

Quilligree.creations (2023) Quilligree IG Homepage [Screenshot]. Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/quilligree.creations/

Shehan, R. (2019, October 17)The art of paper quilling. The Spruce Crafts. Retrieved July 8, 2023, from https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/the-art-of-paper-quilling-4046023