Meet The Custom Quilling Design Team
Sue Custer
I must have been meant to quill because quilling sort of found me. As a child in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s my mom gave me a jewelry quilling kit for Christmas. I learned the basics of quilling with that kit, becoming hooked almost immediately. From there I branched out to flowers, making some small projects for gifts. Then in my early 20’s I worked at a gift shop with a huge doll house section. The owner discovered the Quill Art kits for flowers and wicker furniture. One thing lead to another, and then before I knew it I was making up the kits for display in the shop. In return the shop owner would either pay me or let me order kits. I ordered kits, which was the start of my vintage quilling collection that was not vintage at the time!
My family and I live just outside of St. Louis Missouri. I am married and together with my hubby we have three great girls along with two lazy dogs.
I belong to the Yahoo quillers group and enjoy all of the information that is shared there. Quilling allows me to give one of kind heirlooms as gifts and a way to entertain my creative side. Teaching others about this unique art form and hopefully preserving quilling for yet another generation.
Sonya Appel
I have been crafting since I was a little girl and have never stopped. Paper, paint, glue, shiny stuff, beads and any other thing that could be made into an arts and craft project would fascinate me with the possibilities it could become. I have three grown girls, 3 grandchildren and have been married for 30 years to my wonderfully indulgent husband who only mildly complains when my all my creative chaos spreads over every level surface in the house!
Decorative painting, crochet, china doll making, jewelry making, ceramics, are a sampling of my art endeavors through the years. The kaleidoscope of multi-colors the supplies would come in always draws me in to them. I love color, intricacy and detail, and of course anything shiny and sparkly! But about two years ago, while I was searching through my local art and craft store to get some inspiration I needed for a project that was due, I came across the very small quilling section. I looked at the project books and was in awe of the beautiful things that could be made out of these colorful thin strips of paper!
After making that first project, a framed Bible verse with a quilled border of grape vines, I was hooked, or should I say twirled! Quilling spoke to my creativity in a way that my other crafts didn’t, I had found my perfect match in the delicate and detailed shapes! I dove in headfirst with more quilling books and strips and much practice followed as I recreated the designs in the books. Addicted to quilling, I would search the Internet in amazement at the work and of other talented quillers and be amazed at the versatility of the art. I started branching out from the patterns and designs in the books and finding my own “style” consisting of flowers of any kind and color with a dash of sparkle! Desiring to improve the quality of my quilling I found great advice on technique and ideas thru the online quilling forums and from the great wealth of experienced quiller’s found there. I would like to thank them here for all their invaluable help, generous support and sincere encouragement, my friends I have yet to meet in person.
One of my favorite things in other quillers galleries were the invitations and announcements that have a quilled border around them making them cherished keepsakes. I have been fortunate to do several of these for friends, family and even have been asked to do some for sale. Photo mats with quilled borders, cards, are another of my favorites and I look for anything I can embellish with quilling. I love quilling and hardly a day goes by without me quilling something, even if it is just a little shaped coil or fringe flower. If you are ever in Houston, drop by, I’ll have some goodies to eat and we can quill to our hearts content!
Doreen Coreman
Hi Everyone! I’m Doreen Coreman from Calgary, Alberta Canada and I learned to quill in October 2001. I was born and raised here in the city but my parents also have a farm where I spent a lot of my summers when I was a child. Growing up I was interested in various crafts but could never really get too involved in any.
I discovered quilling first when my boyfriend’s mother gave us a couple of Christmas tags on our gifts in December 2000. I loved them, but never even thought I could make anything like that! So, months past and then my birthday came in September 2001 and Bill’s mum gave me a card with a quilled floral bouquet on it. I was just mesmerized by it! I kept looking at it and asking poor Bill all these questions about how she made it. So, he called her and asked her if she could teach me to quill as I was so interested in the card. The only thing was I didn’t know he did this! He just said we were going to dinner at his parents and to visit. Little did I know she would be giving me a lesson that would have such a big change in my life! She taught me all the basics rolls, and gave me some snowflake patterns, a tool and some paper, along with Malinda Johnston’s Weekend Crafter Quilling book to borrow. Then I was on my own from there, except for one more really quick lesson on folded roses a few months later in which I still do them a little different to hers. Ever since then I have been making cards, frames, pictures, well anything I can quill on!
I do occasional special request orders and have been successful in entering art show competitions locally. One of the main reasons I got so addicted to quilling is I found it to be so relaxing and easy for me to do even though I have Fibromyalgia. Most of my cards have my own designs/style to them but there are times when I will use patterns for inspiration or if I don’t have time to design my own. I find it can take as much time in designing a piece as it can to make it. I hope that I am able to inspire others to quill, and be creative, and most of all love this art form!
Ann Martin ~ Advisor
http://allthingspaper-annmartin.blogspot.com/
I was inspired to learn to quill after seeing a beautiful article about it in Martha Stewart Living magazine. Determined to give a quilled, framed invitation to a relative who was getting married, I practiced on small projects first, via a gift tag kit. Thanks to helpful tips I received from online quillers, I met with success in creating a quilled wedding invitation and was pleased to give such a unique gift. Now I enjoy introducing the art to others via magazine articles, and share new projects and tutorials on my blog, all things paper. I find satisfaction in bringing a fresh, modern approach to quilling as I translate natural and man-made objects into paper.
