Quilling

Quilling which is also known paper filigree, is the art of curling paper strips of various sizes (although 3mm is used for most designs) and colours into shapes. These strips are measured to the required length and cut. It is recommended that you tear these stripes as they tend to glue easier and you can’t see the join so easy. They are then rolled to make coils, glued, and then pinched to the desired shape. They can also be rolled tightly to form pegs or they could be coiled to form scrolls, hearts etc. All of these help to form the main basic shapes of quilling. More advanced techniques include alternate side looping, double rolling and reverse rolling. Once the basic technique has been established the craft is fairly easy with one of the hardest things we both found was being able to keep things in proportion.

HISTORY

Quilling, is not a new craft. It origins can be traced as far back as the 15^th Century when Italian nuns discovered they could make designs by curling paper around a birds quill, thus giving the craft it’s name. Records of quilling can also be traced back to the earliest civilisations around the Mediterranean Sea. where they rolled narrow strips of papyrus into coils and scrolls gilded and then burnished to imitate precious gold and silver hence the name "paper filigree". Records show that in the 15^th Century poorer religious bodies in England were using this technique fooling people to believe that they were better off then they actually were. By the 17^th Century "picture ornaments" were beginning to appear in peoples homes. During this time designs were formal. Gilding of cream or ivory paper was popular but little colour was used, interest being added by the use of small shells or beads. An 18^th Century revival increased still further the uses made of quilling in the home and it became a recognised craft for the young ladies to learn. The teaching of quilling became a profession and patterns were printed in the ladies magazines of the period.

MATERIALS

Today the resources available are endless, however, we have found it hard to purchase reasonable and varied quilling papers. As quilling is becoming increasingly popular over the last few years materials are now becoming easier to find.

• Strips of paper are usually cut to 2mm, 3mm, 5mm or 10mm wide by 450mm in length. However there is no reason why you cannot cut paper into strips yourself. Papers come in various colours. In a pack you can have one single colour, shades, two tones, florescent or edged in gold or silver.
• We recommend you use a PVA glue however any clear drying non-elastic paper glue can be used.
• There are selections of quilling tools on the market to roll quilling papers. It is possible to make your own by carefully sawing off the tip of the eye of a sewing needle. We have found that there is no better material than your fingers. We recommend tools for those who have problems with their fingers or hands.
• Cocktail stick or a match.
• It is recommended that you use a piece of fibreboard or polystyrene is a work base. You can then pin the design onto a piece of tracing paper. This helps to keep your patterns clean, as when you glue your shapes together the glue can be easy removed. When gluing your design pins can be used to help keep your work in place.
• Beads, wobbly eyes or ribbon can be added to your work to help create different effects.

Source:

The complete quilling handbook
    Pat Green.