A History of Quilling

You might be asking what quilling is. You may have thought of porcupine quills or feathers. That is not exactly the right train of thought, but porcupine quills may have been used at one time as a tool in paper quilling.

Quilling is a paper craft, specifically the art of rolling thin strips of paper around a needle-like tool, then shaping those coils into intricate shapes and designs. The word quilling may have come from quillers using porcupine quills to wind the paper around. If you would like to see images of this beautiful art, look up "paper quilling" in Google or any other Search Engine. If you have never seen paper quilling before, prepare to be amazed at the intricate and beautiful designs you will see!

Quilling is thought to have begun in the sixteenth or seventeenth century, but may have been practiced long before. From the history and art that have been found, it is thought that the first quillers were nuns and monks. They used handmade paper or even cut off the edges of book pages and rolled the pieces of paper into ornate designs to embellish religious artifacts. Most quillwork now in museums date from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but evidence seems to suggest that quilling has existed for 500 years.

Quilling was most likely started to represent metal filigree, the art of shaping fine precious metal wires into open, intricate designs. As handmade paper became more widely available, quilling was a more economical way of achieving these lovely designs and was even gilded at times to more resemble metal filigree.

Quilling became more popular as paper became less expensive and more widely available in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. As it became popular for decorative crafts, it was thought to be a suitable hobby for popular ladies and "ladies of leisure" in England. From there, the hobby was brought to the American Colonies and to New England. When the craft began to die out, a quilling kit was introduced in 1875 to help bring back the popularity of the craft.

Even though it still is not a widely known craft, it is still alive and well among paper craft enthusiasts. It is a simple craft to master, and a very highly enjoyable one! Take a look on eBay and you will see that there are a few artisans that still present beautiful and even humorous small pieces that can be used in scrapbooks, card making, and even wall hangings. Are you ready to give it a try?

Look Who's Scrapbooking Now ~~ Rubber Stamping – Easy and Creative ~~ Getting Started with Scrapbooking ~~ Scrapbooking Basics ~~ Scrapbooking Layouts - How to Enhance Your Pictures ~~ Making Your Own Greeting Cards ~~How To Mix Patterned Papers on Your Scrapbook Pages

Scrapbooking Titles, Phrases, Captions, Quotes, Sayings and Ideas - Thousands Of Fun Scrapbooking Titles, Phrases, Captions, Quotes, Sayings & Ideas! Many Free Sample Downloads! Click Here!

Scrapbooking Layouts - The Greatest Gold-Mine Of Scrapbooking Goodies Ever Crammed Into One Amazing Package! Click Here!