QUILLING, THE ART OF ROLLING PAPER
Raise your hand if you know what the word “quill” means.
In English, this term indicates the quill, which is the instrument that the monk scribes used in the Middle Ages to curl strips of paper around its metal tip and create spectacular decorations, intended to embellish the covers of books and sacred volumes. Often the paper chosen for this process was gilded and therefore made it possible to create even more precious and versatile elements thanks to the metallic finish and the effects of reflected light.
Basically, quilling takes a flat and smooth sheet of paper and transforms it into a sculpture, making it pass from two into three dimensions but not through a folding technique, such as in the case of origami, but thanks to small coloured spirals of many dimensions.
Today the art of quilling has become a very popular hobby and there is no lack of professional expressions of this technique.
Let’s start from the basics, because to do any job well you need the right materials.
To start, coloured paper! Favini Le Cirque sheets are also intended for this use, available in two different weights and in a selection of deep and soft colours, to satisfy the most diverse creative needs and to give movement and character to every paper creation.
Indispensable, scissors: sharp to avoid burrs on the cut edge, rounded tip for the little ones. We use them to make strips of every colour and size from our sheets. We then have to equip ourselves with special tools to curl the strips. Or even for the beginner a wool needle or toothpick will work just fine.
Glue is essential, perfect in its pva water-based version, suitable for paper and ultra-fast drying.
Finally, or perhaps primarily, is a project to follow! At the beginning we could just be practicing curling the paper on our support and then get carried away. So, slowly, we learn we can follow a chosen pattern to create a final effect, selecting the most suitable colours and defining the right length for our strips.
Elena Marconato, quilling expert, teacher and trainer, told us the main reasons for devoting herself to this technique and her approach to our youngest generation.
Quilling trains patience, attention and precision. It teaches to repeat an action and to connect a result to it, but above all “it is a very precious ally in the development of fine motor skills, that is everything that concerns the child’s manual skills through hand to eye coordination with the aim of performing precise and refined gestures. An essential stage for development and growth”, Elena tells us. It is also very absorbing and reinforces the perception of self-worth in young artists, while they slowly discover that they can create small masterpieces like these with their own hands.
Nor should we overlook what it offers in terms of educational value in the sphere of ecology and creative recycling: both in the papers chosen to make their creations, as well as the repurposing of common household items used as tools of the trade, as this can provide the perfect starting point to make people reflect on the importance of responsible use of resources. Similar considerations formulate the philosophy that moves Favini in the creation of many of its lines.
Additionally, quilling will be able to give us the greatest opportunity to relax in a creative and productive way, customize our accessories and tailor little presents for the people we love.
The possibilities are endless. Do you want some examples?
Letters written in 3D to be glued on a support billboard.
Flowers, leaves, natural and decorative elements of all kinds.
Small adorable and cute animals, perfect for the first creations of children.
Earrings from simple shapes to more sinuous ones, obtained by mixing together different textures, weights and shades, which can be accompanied by coordinated pendants.
Brooches, decorations for hair clips, garlands, Christmas tree decorations, beautiful personalisation to greeting cards and invitations … the list is almost endless.
You now want to give it a go, don’t you? Well, we forgot to list one last, very interesting advantage of quilling: it is cheap and can also be made starting from the paper that we would throw away at the end of the day. No excuse, then: tonight, scissors at hand and anyone can make their first work with paper curls!
