Quilling

Quilling - a craft trend with a long tradition

Have you ever heard of quilling? What sounds a little strange at first is actually one of the hottest new craft trends that inspires and captivates creative minds all over the world. It takes a little tact and patience, but then you can use quilling to create delicate works of art that make an impression and are an absolute eye-catcher for any occasion. Quilling art is also great fun!

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We are real quilling fans

At Monisbastelkiste you can find out everything about quilling, including instructions for both quilling beginners and professionals. We also equip you for every need and provide you with paper strips, instructions, tools, accessories and sets. Whether you want to do quilling crafts for Easter, quilling for Christmas or for any other decorative season of the year, here you can find out everything you need to know. Get inspired and get started right away!

Quilling - what is it anyway?

Quilling is an ancient craft that was actually developed by monks and nuns in the Renaissance. When books were cut out, many scraps of paper were created in strip form. These were then simply used to make artistic decorations for books and pictures.

But how does quilling work?

By rolling, shaping and gluing the strips of paper in different ways to create a piece of art reminiscent of mandalas. In fact, this technique can also be found in the name of quilling. The term is derived from the English word "quill" for "spring" and the verb "to wind up". The name is therefore very fitting, because when quilling for flower decorations or similar, colorful paper strips are literally "rolled up" or "spooled up" many times and in a very laborious way.

How does the quilling technique work?

Basically, it's always about making paper rolls from paper strips. These are sometimes narrower, sometimes wider, sometimes looser and sometimes tighter. And of course they also differ in color at the end and can then be varied in shape. The basic procedure is always as follows:

Roll up the paper strip:

The paper strip is rolled up using a slotted quilling pen, which is also called a quilling pen. The pen is not only used to grip and hold the strip, but also as a winding aid. Anyone who wants to roll up a particularly tight roll will find the pen very helpful. A tip at this point: Make sure that you do not wrap the strip too tightly around the tip of the quilling pen, otherwise the finished roll will be very difficult to remove.

Laying down and gluing individual strips:

Quilling requires making many individual paper rolls, which are then put together at the end to form a specific motif. Stencils are useful for laying down individual, finished rolls and holding them in position (to prevent them from unrolling again). Once you have finished rolling a strip of paper, simply place it in a suitable recess in the motif template, so that the roll stays in shape even before it is glued. Now you can take the paper roll out again, press it together lightly and then glue the edge with glue.

Shaping the rolls:

You can now use your fingers to shape the rolls into different shapes by applying a little pressure. If you press the edges together on the right and left to form points, you can create a beautiful eye shape, for example. If you only press one side together, you get the shape of a drop. If you press the edges together at three ends, you get a triangle. You have many options for designing your quilling motifs individually.

Fixing finished rolls on a foam board:

Once the rolls are glued together, it is very practical to fix them provisionally in the approximate shape of the motif on a foam board with pins. This makes it easier to put the final motif together at the end.