Craft of the day - Quilling

Have you ever heard of filigree? It is the art of intricately carving silver to form elegant decorative silverware. However, Silver is not very affordable and it is not something you would want to easily experiment with.

Quilled Flower

 Try paper filigree or Quilling as it is usually called. Quilling involves turning paper strips into intricate art forms. The strips of paper are rolled, shaped and  glued together to form decorative designs. The paper is wound around a quill to create a basic coil shape. The paper is then glued at the tip and these shaped coils are arranged to form flowers, leaves, and various ornamental patterns.

Paper Quilling was introduced during the renaissance in France. The nuns would use gold gilded paper and roll it into decorative art forms instead of the more expensive gold filigree.

Quilling Basic shapes

A quilled flower bouqet

 Quilling paper is cut into strips and rolled into shapes as in the picture. These basic shapes are then put together to form designs. You can use these shapes to create flowers, 3D models of animals, jewelry, even landscapes.

There are various types of paper available for quilling in the market. Some papers usually used for quilling are Acid free, graduated and two tone graduated quilling paper. Essentially any paper that is thick enough to hold its shape after rolling can be used. These days pre-cut colored paper is also available. 

Have you ever tried quilling? Do share your work with me . Here is something made by my mom. 

A Quilled Rooster

Image source : wikipedia