For the uninitiated, quilling or paper filigree is a form of art used for making decorative designs. It entails rolling, looping, curling, twisting, shaping and glueing together of paper strips.
Back in the times of Renaissance, this art form was practised by the French and Italian nuns of those times for decorating book covers and other items. Later, this art form became a leisurely pastime for the royal ladies. The centuries-old quilling can be seen today on the boxes, baskets, etc. of those times.
In the present times, this art form is gaining in popularity, spearheaded by the likes of Ada, an artist and a resident of Bucharest, Romania. Having discovered this art form in 2011, she took it up, both as a hobby and a challenge. Today, she has surpassed many of her contemporaries in the beauty and originality of this art.
Says she, “…the evolution for me was like a ladder I had to climb with a step, through much, much work and especially patience.” Little wonder her quilling and paper art is making waves on the social media.
Ada has to her credit an exciting collection of designs that she uses to decorate greeting cards, pictures, boxes and eggs, as also to adorn jewellery, mobiles, models and the like. She also does not confine herself to paper, but also uses other materials too, like jute and wood.
