2D diagram

How to make a loose coil for quilling

Loose Coil Quilling: try all 4 steps in the 3D player. Turn and replay every move. Print the complete diagram sheet or save it as PDF.

Easy4 steps3 mm × 30 cm · One rectangle

Roll a quilling strip tightly, let it spring open to an even spiral and glue its end: the open coil that every teardrop, eye and petal is pinched from.

You need: A 3 mm × 30 cm quilling strip, a slotted quilling tool, craft glue and a toothpick to apply it. A circle template helps you make every coil the same size.
Start: Begin with one quilling strip, 3 mm wide and 30 cm long, lying flat with its long edges at the top and bottom.
Tips: Let the coil relax on the table, not in your fingers, so the turns spread evenly.
Coils for one design should all open to the same size: a circle template makes that easy.

Finish

Your model is ready

Your loose coil is done: an open spiral with a little gap between each turn. Pinch it into a teardrop, an eye or a petal, or use it round as it is. Turn the coil to see its open spiral, the gaps even from the middle out.

3D paper

Whole sequence Finish

This stepSpeed

4 steps · press any step to watch it in 3D

Step-by-step diagrams

1
Roll the strip on the tool
Slide the left end of the strip into the slot of the quilling tool. Turn the tool, guiding the strip so each turn lies snug on the one before, until the whole strip is wound on.
2
Let the coil open
Slide the coil off the tool and let go. The turns spring apart into an even spiral about 14 mm across.
3
Lay the end on the coil
Press the last few millimetres of the strip down flat against the turn beneath it, without squeezing the coil.
4
Glue the end
Put a tiny dab of glue under the end with a toothpick and hold it against the coil until it holds.
✓
Finish
Your loose coil is done: an open spiral with a little gap between each turn. Pinch it into a teardrop, an eye or a petal, or use it round as it is. Turn the coil to see its open spiral, the gaps even from the middle out.