This activity should be restricted to those who can safely use and manipulate

The art form of quilling answers to many names: paper rolling, paper scrolling, paper filigree or mosaic. Whether quilling originated in ancient Egypt or China in 105 AD when paper was invented, the art form has a rich and fascinating history. In the 300’s and 400’s, silver and gold wire (known as metal filigree) was used to adorn pillars, vases and jewelry using the quilling technique. When metal became scarce, paper was substituted as the materials used for quilling which made the art form affordable and accessible to the masses. Quilling really came into its own in the 1500s and 1600s when French and Italian nuns used the torn edges from gilt-edged bibles and goose feathers to quill and decorate religious articles and pictures. In the 1700s and 1800s, quilling, along with needle point, were popular hobbies taught to young ladies. Although it was not typically practiced by working-class women, quilling eventually found its way to America where it was embraced and enjoyed by settlers. Today, with the advent of scrapbooking and card making, quilling has found a resurgence in popularity.

The projects in this article feature the teardrop coil, but there are many other intriguing shapes to try — marquises, arrowheads, holly leaves, and all sorts of beautiful scrolls, just to name a few.