How did I begin quilling?
It was in July 2011 that I wished to venture a bit into art/craft to break away from my research life (too much labwork and data analysis make me a little too left brain oriented). Initially it was clay art that came into mind but I couldn't locate anyone giving clay art lessons at the place that I stay. So I turned to a local bookstore to look for craft books on clay art. It was then that I came across a card making book and a technique involving 'paper rolling' . I was fascinated by the colourful coils of different sizes and shapes.
So, the following few days I searched online to find out all about 'quilling'. The intricacy of the art, yet the simplicity of it - anyone can pick it up as long as you have interest, won my heart over. I kept saying 'awe' and 'oooh' and 'wah' when I saw other quillers' work in books and on the web. And my idol is none other than Yulia Brodskaya. You could check out her work at
www.artyulia.com.
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| My messy work table, once upon a time. |
One thing I like about quilling is that it is relatively cheaper in terms of materials and tools yet many impressive and interesting patterns and designs could be created. It is also quite a self-learning friendly craft. I am a self-taught quiller. I learn most of the stuffs by researching through quilling books (yes, I have a small collection of them), tutorials on YouTube or from reading other quillers' blogs or websites.
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| quilling class |
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| teaching quilling at a baby shower party |
Besides quilling for hobby, I also like to make cards and explore other forms of paper crafts. I am a proud member of the
UK Quilling Guild since June 2013 and am an accredited quiller with the guild. I teach quilling to beginners both young and old at local quilling classes, workshops or during public demo. I also do private tuition and events. Sometimes, I do take part in local craft bazaars. I try my best to introduce the art of quilling to our local community - I once gave a talk about quilling at our local Pecha Kucha event.
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| Let's roll - at Pecha Kucha Kuching Vol 3 |
I'm now working as a full time high school teacher in a local International School. I started a paper craft club when I first joined the school 3 years ago. As a mother of two and a teacher trying to adapt to the new work environment, I hardly find time to enjoy quilling in the past few years. Now, however, with things settling better, I hope I can start quilling for leisure once again.
(June 2020)
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