Statement:
Paper filigree (also known as: quilling) dates back over 500 years and is accredited to the French nuns. Smaller monasteries could not afford to purchase gold and silver filigree artifacts. The nuns discovered they could take leftover strips of paper from book making and create the filigree shapes. They would then add those shapes to crosses and other artifacts. They discovered they could have the beauty without the expense.  In the 1700 and 1800’s, ladies of fine households decorated many things including furniture and tea caddies, and created framed items, including the family coat of arms.

In 2011, I was bored and started searching my UFOs (UnFinished Objects) for a challenge. In one container there lay a paper filigree kit I had abandoned years before. Again, it peeked my interest.

I researched paper filigree/quilling on-line and discovered amazing things! Visually I was hooked and fell head over heels with the depth, colors and endless possibilities. A skill that I found tedious many years before has become a passion.

The process of taking a narrow strip of paper (standard size is 1/8 inch wide) and creating varied shapes that make up the foundation of a piece is mind-blowing to me. The simple shape of a marquise or a teardrop can become flower petals, leaves, butterfly wings, and much more. A simple sketch can be filled with quilled shapes to create an elaborate piece of art.

I love the feel of the paper, the twirl of the process, and even more, the connection to women from centuries past.