We could define quilling as an art of “killing” time in a fun and useful way, creating decorative elements from thin rolled strips of paper. When it emerged as a craft activity, a quill was used to roll the strips of paper, which is why this activity was called quilling. But creating quilling designs is also known as paper quilling and filigree because of the fine and delicate look that the strips of paper take on after quilling.

The basic principle of quilling is to exercise in some basic shapes such as round coils of paper (tight or loose), oval-shaped coils, tears, hearts, shapes rolled at one end or shapes rolled at both ends in “C” or “S” shapes. , spirals, squares, triangles or rectangles. Once you gain skill and speed in creating these, quilling designs will just be a matter of creatively putting them together to get the item you want.

In quilling, we must pay attention to the properties of the paper we choose. It is recommended that the paper be thin and easy to roll, fold and roll. There are various types of paper that we can use to achieve impressive results when we are working on our quilling designs:

1. Acid-free paper has the advantage of not changing its appearance over time. By using this type of paper we will be certain that the photo album or scrapbook that we have decorated and given away will not end up in the trash after a few months because it turned yellow.

2. Two-tone paper has a specific color on one side and a slightly lighter shade on the other. We can use this type of paper to create effects of different color intensity in our quilling designs. It is recommended especially when we use spiral shapes.

3. Graded paper has a specific color at the edges, fading to white towards the center. It is useful when we want to create shadows and blur effects.

In addition to paper, when you start quilling we will need basic tools for cutting, measuring and gluing. All of these can be purchased at any hobby supply store. There are also some simple but golden rules that you should follow so as not to mess up your quilling designs. Here are some of them:

1. The most common mistake people make when quilling is putting on too much glue. This will definitely compromise your work. To avoid this mistake, use small bottles of glue with tips. This way you will also avoid getting your hands dirty and then staining your work.

2. If your hands come into contact with the glue, consider using tweezers to pick up your pieces and avoid making a mess on your quilling designs.

3. Always keep in mind the big picture. If you are creating elements to decorate a greeting card or an invitation, keep in mind that they will be placed in an envelope. This means you shouldn’t go overboard with the thickness of the design and eventually find that your card or invitation won’t fit in the envelope.

Choosing the right tools and sticking to these simple working rules are the main ingredients in creating attractive quilling designs. Add a little originality when putting the pieces together and your work will be admired wherever you are.