The history of quilling begins in European religious houses, where nuns and monks rolled narrow strips of gilded paper into coils to imitate costly metal filigree, and runs through the drawing rooms of 18th-century England to today’s handmade greeting cards. For a wholesale buyer, that history is more than trivia: it is a ready-made story that helps a handmade card justify its place, and its price, on a crowded card wall.
Where does the history of quilling begin?
Quilling grew out of a much older and more expensive craft: metal filigree. According to Historic Deerfield, metal filigree appears in Greek, Egyptian and Etruscan tombs and reached its finest form in Byzantine Greece in the 4th and 5th centuries. Paper offered a far cheaper way to get a similar lacy effect.
The Victoria and Albert Museum explains that quilling was used as decoration in religious houses from the medieval period, because monks and nuns wanted the look of Byzantine filigree but could not afford it in precious metal. Once England had its first paper mill in 1495, paper became an affordable alternative, and quilled designs appeared in English churches from the 15th century until the Reformation. Painted and gilded, the coils could pass for metal when seen from a distance.
The craft’s English name is usually traced to the tool. Wikipedia summarises records of French and Italian nuns rolling strips torn from gilt-edged holy books around goose quills to decorate reliquaries and religious pictures.
How did quilling become a fashionable craft in 18th-century England?
By the 18th century quilling had moved from the church to the home. The V&A notes that young women practised it as a handicraft, while professional teachers taught the skill and sold finished pieces such as tea caddies, framed panels, ink trays and cabinets. Historic Deerfield adds that quilling patterns were published in a ladies’ magazine in 1786 and 1787, which helped spread the craft, and that schoolgirls often learned it alongside needlework.
The craft’s popularity rose and fell over the following century. Wikipedia records that it was popular in the Regency period and later declined, before a kit called “Mosaicon” reintroduced it in 1875.
How did quilling travel to America?
Quilling crossed the Atlantic with English fashions. Historic Deerfield describes American quillwork on candle sconces, shadowbox frames, coats of arms and house models, and holds an early 18th-century framed embroidery surrounded by paper quillwork in its collection. The V&A observes that each new fashion for metal filigree tended to spark a fresh interest in paper as a substitute, which is why the craft kept returning rather than disappearing.
A short timeline of quilling history
| Period | Who practised it | Typical objects | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medieval period to the 16th century | Nuns and monks in religious houses | Reliquaries, religious pictures, church decoration | V&A |
| From 1495 in England | Church workshops using newly affordable paper | Gilded quilled designs imitating metal filigree | V&A |
| 17th to 18th century | Young women, professional teachers | Tea caddies, framed panels, ink trays, cabinets | V&A |
| 1786 to 1787 | Readers of a ladies’ magazine | Published patterns that spread the craft | Historic Deerfield |
| 18th century, America | Schoolgirls and women | Sconces, shadowbox frames, coats of arms | Historic Deerfield |
| Today | Craft artisans and workshops | Greeting cards, wedding invitations, wall art | Wikipedia |
How did quilling end up on greeting cards?
The modern revival moved quilling onto paper goods people buy and give. Wikipedia lists wedding invitations, Christmas and birth announcements, greeting cards, scrapbook pages and boxes among its current uses, and notes that quilled work now appears in galleries in Europe and the United States.
The core method has barely changed in centuries: a narrow paper strip is rolled into a coil, shaped by pinching, and glued on its edge so the design stands up from the card. Our post on quilling techniques explained for card buyers shows how those basic shapes become flowers, birds and borders. The cards we supply are made by hand at our partner workshop, by artisans who are mostly local women living near the workshop, rolling and placing each coil the way quillers always have.
How can retailers use the history of quilling to sell more cards?
Shoppers rarely know what quilling is, and a one-line story often turns curiosity into a purchase. A few practical ways to use it:
- Shelf talkers: a short card such as “Paper quilling: a craft that began as a way to imitate gold filigree, still rolled by hand today” gives staff and shoppers a talking point.
- Product listings: online sellers can add one sentence of history to each listing so the card reads as a small piece of craft, not just stationery.
- Heritage and museum shops: link the cards to period rooms, decorative arts or paper collections in your venue.
- Side-by-side display: place a quilled card next to a flat printed card so the raised coils speak for themselves, as covered in quilling cards vs printed cards and greeting card display ideas for gift shops.
Keep the story accurate and short. Quote reputable sources such as museum collections rather than inventing dates or origin myths, which can backfire with well-informed customers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it called quilling?
The name is generally linked to the goose quills that early makers wrapped paper strips around to form coils. Today most quillers use a slotted tool or a fine needle instead, but the name stuck.
Is quilling the same as paper filigree?
Yes. Historic Deerfield notes that quillwork has also been called paper filigree, paper mosaic and paper lace. The filigree name reflects its origin as a cheaper imitation of metal filigree.
How old is the art of quilling?
The V&A dates quilled designs in English churches to the 15th century and describes earlier use in religious houses from the medieval period. Little reliable information survives before that, so it is best to describe the craft as several centuries old rather than quoting a precise start date.
Are modern quilling cards still made by hand?
Ours are. Each card in our range is rolled, shaped and assembled by hand at our partner workshop, and every card is checked before packing. You can see the range on our handmade greeting cards page.
Bring the story of quilling to your shelves
Quilling has survived for centuries because people keep falling for the look of rolled paper. If you want handmade quilling cards with your own designs, logo or private label packaging, browse our handmade quilling greeting cards and send us your brief through the Request a Quote page. We reply within one business day.
Sources: Victoria and Albert Museum, Conservation Journal; Historic Deerfield, Learn How to Quill; Wikipedia, Quilling.