Tips for Quilling Flowers

My book, Pretty Quilled Cards, was recently given a review by Honey of Honey’s Quilling. Honey has so many great quilling tutorials on her blog, so I was eager to hear her response. Although she and her daughter anticipated doing the projects and were having fun being able to mix and match different components, there were some challenges. Specifically, Honey had some trouble in gluing the flower petals. I'm so grateful she pointed this out, so I can explain it better, in case any one else is also struggling with this too.

Honey was most inspired to quill the cherry blossoms on the front cover of my book. The petals were coming apart on her, and not sticking well – let's see if I can add some pointers here.

Once the petals have been cut and folded where indicated by my pattern, dip the fold into a small glue puddle. This way the paper is simply "kissing" the puddle and it's easy to minimize the amount of glue used. Adhere the fold to the flower center.

Use a needle tool or toothpick and gently score along that fold. Running something along that fold is mainly pressing the papers together firmly, reinforcing the bond. Set the flower on your table surface and allow to dry. If you are impatient like me (and apparently Honey too :), then work on 3 flowers at one time. By the time you are gluing the third blossom, the first has enough time to set — otherwise they can and will come apart.

The glue I enjoy using most Aleene's Original  Tacky Glue because it's super thick and dries clear quickly. I avoid using any children's school glue because it's simply too liquid. I hope that helps you with quilling my open, airy flowers!