Quilling for Beginners - Retford Library - Adult Learning

The Quilling for Beginners course offers a wonderful opportunity to explore the elegant art of paper quilling. No prior experience is needed. Over the four sessions, we will transform simple, flat strips of paper into a stunning 3D piece of artwork. Learning will take place through demonstrations, hands-on experimentation, and individual support tailored to your needs. Suitable for all abilities, this fun and engaging course is perfect for anyone looking to get creative, learn new skills, and try out fresh ideas.

Throughout this exciting course, we will begin by building familiarity with quilling tools, paper handling, and foundational shapes. As the weeks progress, we will learn more complex shapes and begin assembling small motifs. We will then move from individual shapes to structured designs and finally applying all learned skills to produce a cohesive finished piece.

On this course, you will:

• Master core quilling techniques and precision control.

• Make basic shapes: circle, teardrop, marquise, oval, triangle, square, crescent, heart.

• Combine shapes to form patterns and decorative compositions.

• Apply balance, symmetry and spacing to enhance visual impact.

• Understanding colour theory to create aesthetically coherent spring designs.

• Assemble and finish a small, quilled project.

Resources required:

• Slotted quilling tool

• Tweezers

• Fine-tip scissors

• Pre‑cut quilling strips in 3mm, 5mm, 7mm, 10mm widths

• PVA glue and/or Precision‑tip glue bottle or glue pen

• Quilling template board

• Pins

Funding and Fees

If you receive certain benefits, you may be able to take the course for free.
If money is stopping you from enrolling, please visit our funding page to see what help is available.

Living in England

To book and join one of our courses, you must live in England permanently and either:

• Live inside the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) area (Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire)

or

• Live outside the devolved areas listed below

You cannot enrol if you live in these devolved areas:

•    Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)
•    Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

• Greater London Authority
•    North East Combined Authority
•    South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority
•    Tees Valley Combined Authority
•    West Midlands Combined Authority
•    West of England Combined Authority
•    West Yorkshire Combined Authority
•    Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority
•    York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority
•    Hull and East Yorkshire
•    Greater Lincolnshire
•    Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority
•    Cornwall Council
•    Lancashire Combined County Authority
•    Buckinghamshire

• Warwickshire

• Surrey

Residency Requirements (Additional Information)

If you live in the UK on a visa, we’ll need evidence of your visa to confirm funding. You can upload this when applying, and you’ll need to complete a short questionnaire.

Some exceptions include:

• Your visa must last until after your course ends.

• Asylum seekers must have lived in the UK for at least 6 months while their claim is being processed.

• You are supported by your local authority under Section 23C or 23CA of the Children Act 1989, or under the Care Act 2014.

Anyone who does not meet the funding criteria would need to pay full course fees.