Quilling with the experts

It's not often that you get the chance to quill alongside expert quillers like Jane Jenkins, Diane Boden Crane and Elizabeth Moad - but that's exactly what we got to do on the brilliant Shared Skills Day that was organised by The Quilling Guild last weekend.

And just LOOK at some of the projects they showed us!!

It was a wonderfully informal event, staged in a superbly well-equipped hall where we sat around tables in groups of five or six, sharing techniques and learning from one another. Every so often, the call would go out that someone was about to demonstrate a particular method of quilling, and we would all gather round to watch and learn.

I was asked to demonstrate making the 'twisted wheatears' that I used in my winning 'Spiral Starburst' design, and before I knew it everyone seemed to be grabbing their slotted needle tools to twist the loops of huskings that they had made. Believe me, that felt good!

I think the most wonderful thing about this event was that we all felt so connected as quillers at every level - beginners and experts alike. It's so comforting to know that even the most accomplished quillers sometimes lose control of their coils, drop tiny quillings and succumb to the temptation of rushing ahead with a project too soon before their glue is completely dry!

I laughed, I learned and was inspired! And I just can't wait to do it all again next year ...