Quilling or paper filigree is the art of rolling thin strips of paper into different shapes and using the shapes to form designs. Quilling has been around since the Renaissance age, but I was only recently introduced to it. It is fun and easy and I find it to be pretty relaxing. I hope this introduction to Quilling will spark an interest, and start you imagination flowing.

The tools needed for this craft are very basic. Paper strips, something to wind the strips around and glue are basically all you need to get started. Paper comes in many different weights. You select the weight according to what you want your finished design to look like. The strips of paper are usually cut anywhere from 1/8" to 1" wide with 1/8" being the standard. In the examples I used ordinary construction paper cut into 1/8" strips. I used a toothpick to wind the coils, but some prefer needles, pins, hat pins or some specially designed tools for quilling. Ordinary clear-drying white glue is good for most projects. If you are using a paper that has been sprayed with metallic paint, a heavier clear-drying glue may be used.

Other tools that may be helpful ~Scissors for cutting the strips of paper, although you can purchase pre-cut strips of paper for quilling in some craft stores. A small plastic cap or plastic bottle to hold a few drops of glue so the rest of the bottle won't dry out. A ruler is used to achieve uniformity in the size of the pieces. You can use a piece of corrugated cardboard covered with waxed paper as a work board. A pattern can be slipped between the cardboard and the wax paper and if glue gets onto the wax paper it can easily be peeled off. Another alternative is styrofoam covered with plastic wrap. Tweezers and a muffin tin are good to have handy for organizing by different size or shape and the tweezers will help you pick up or place the smaller pieces into position. A damp sponge or washcloth is helpful to keep your fingers free of glue and to moisten the strip when you start a coil.

If you have a paper shredder. Run card stock through it to get the perfect size pieces to quill with. It's a lot cheaper than buying them already cut in the store.

The best tip to offer is to tear your paper strips instead of using scissors. It is much easier to begin the roll from the torn side. If you're still having problems, try placing your thumb on a damp sponge. This will also help to begin the rolling.

A long pin (like you would use for a corsage) works just as well as the quilling tool. In fact, I like to use these to keep my little projects in place as I glue stuff around them. You can use a piece of cardboard box with waxed paper over it for your "work station". And if you can't find the paper (since quilling is not very popular), try cutting some 2-sided SB paper into 1/8" long strips (then tear them into 2", 3", 4", etc. pieces.)

I wasn't sure I would like quilling or be able to do it for that matter, so I got creative with my initial supplies. I used the peircing tool in the MM tool kit as my quilling tool. It allows for coils to slide off easily and has a good handle for gripping. I also made my own drying board with size chart. I used a large piece of packing styrofoam and covered it with waxed paper. I used strait pins to hold things in place - even if I used too much glue the wax paper allowed me to slide it off without ruining my project. When I got good enough to need sizing circles I traced coins, and ultimately printed a sheet of sized circles off the computer and slid them in under the wax paper.

Quilling A Rose~Using a 3/8" piece of paper tear it 1/2" long. Tear 10 of these. Curl under 2 corners on the same end. Make a short cut on the other end. Slip one side of the slit on top of the other and glue. Make a circle out of 5 by gluing them together. With the other 5 glue them in back between the first set of petals. Make 2 leaves of your choice, quilled, punched or stamped. Glue the leaves to the rose. Roll a 3" strip of quilling paper into a tight circle and glue to the center of the rose. For the center you can use a pearl, bead, punchie or something else of your choosing.