Quilling, the coiling and shaping of narrow paper strips to create a
design, has been around for years — hundreds, in fact. During the
Renaissance, nuns and monks would roll gold-gilded paper remnants
trimmed during the bookmaking process, and use them to decorate
religious objects as an alternative to costly gold filigree. Quilling
later became a pastime of 18th and 19th century young ladies in England,
who would decorate tea caddies and pieces of furniture with paper
filigree. The practice crossed the Atlantic with colonists, who added
quilling to candle sconces and trays as home decorations.
In all of that time, the process has remained very much the same, but
quilling designs and specialty supplies have definitely caught up to
the 21st century. Today some aficionados focus on making incredibly
detailed 3-D figures, while others favor wall-sized museum
installations. Perhaps quilling is best known, though, as a way of
bringing personality to handmade cards.
The short list of necessities includes computer printer paper cut into narrow (1/8 inch or 3mm)
strips,
glue, and a tool with which to roll the paper — that’s it! Now you can practice......Even better,
there’s probably no need to shop for supplies before you try quilling,
as a bamboo skewer, round toothpick, or even a cake tester from your
kitchen drawer can serve as a substitute tool.
Many arts and crafts stores sell basic tools and packages of
multicolor paper strips. Beautiful papers and other quilling supplies
are available from online suppliers. Oh, and lastly, one requirement
that’s not available for purchase, but will also be needed, is a fair
amount of patience. With a little practice, however, I can almost
predict you’ll find quilling to be creatively satisfying and fun.
