Paper spinning or quilling technique

Quilling is the art of making flat or volumetric compositions from long and narrow strips of paper twisted into spirals.

The finished spirals are given a different shape and thus the elements of paper twitching, also called modules, are obtained. Already they are the “building” material in the creation of works – paintings, postcards, albums, frames for photographs, various figures, watches, jewelry, etc.

The art of paper twitching arose in the late XIV - early XV centuries in Mediterranean Europe. Quilling is believed to have been invented by monks. Cutting the gilded edges of the books, they twisted them on the tips of bird feathers, hence the name (quill - translated from English "bird's feather"), which created an imitation of a golden miniature (especially often used in poor churches). In Russia, this art became popular only at the end of the XX century, as quilling is very popular in Germany and England.

This technique does not require significant material costs to start its development. However, you can not call simple paper wrapping, since to achieve a decent result, you need to show patience, perseverance, dexterity, accuracy and, of course, develop skills for twisting high-quality modules.

In the XV-XVI century, paper casting was considered art, in the XIX century - ladies' entertainment (and almost the only needlework worthy of noble ladies). For most of the twentieth century it was forgotten. And only at the end of the last century, paper swings began to turn into art again. In England, Princess Elizabeth was seriously interested in the art of quilling, and many of her creations are kept in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

The Korean school is somewhat different from the European one. Modern European works, as a rule, consist of a small number of details, they are concise, resemble mosaics, decorate postcards and frames. Oriental masters create complex works, more like masterpieces of jewelry art. The finest volumetric “lace” is woven from hundreds of small details.

In Europe, a plastic or metal rod with a slot at the end is used to twist strips. Some themselves make a similar tool, for example, from a rod for a ballpoint pen. In this case, when twisting, a part is obtained with a too large and uneven hole in the center. Masters of the Eastern school prefer to perform twisting with a thin stitch, while the tip of the paper slips. Its likeness can be made of a thick needle and cork. You can also put paper on toothpicks. There are rulers with holes of different diameters, allowing you to create elements of a precisely specified size. To do this, twisted spirals are placed in the holes of the ruler.

Also used are tweezers (for precise fixing of parts on the base), scissors, PVA glue (or any other sufficiently thick glue), usually a bottle with a small hole is taken to make it easier to control the amount of glue.

The most versatile option is to make a tool for winding strips of a needle with a large and long ear. To do this, you just need to cut the very tip of the ear with ticks to get a branching (similar to a pitchfork). For greater convenience, you can insert the resulting device into the back end of the pencil with a needle point.

Also, now in some stores for creativity it is possible to buy a special device for winding strips (like a homemade needle).

Paper of varying density (from 116 to 160 g / m2) is used for paper twirling, painted in volume so that both sides and the cut look the same, although sometimes the cut is specially given a different color. Sets of ready-made sliced strips of paper for paper wrapping (multicolored and monochromatic) can be bought in specialized stores. If this is not possible, you can cut the strips yourself: the width of the strips for quilling is usually 1-15 millimeters, the length from 15 to 60 centimeters. Often in the course of operation, the strips for wrapping are cut into parts if a short segment is required, or glued together if the size of the part requires it. Sometimes masters combine strips of different colors to create multicolored spirals.

Special strips for paper wrapping can be of a variety of colors and shades: white, black, colored, shiny, mother-of-pearl, with a gradually changing color in length, with double tinting (one side is lighter than the other).

Tools for paper wrapping can be special devices with a wooden, plastic or metal handle and a thin “fork” at the end. In such a “fork” it is convenient to insert a strip of paper and gradually twist it into a roll, turning the handle. In addition to the "forks" for paper twirling, a shill with a thin sting is used, in this case, after twisting the paper element, there is practically no central hole left, which is appreciated when creating miniature works. To tools for paper fringing also include: rulers with circles to create the same elements, machines for cutting paper fringes, machines for corrugating paper (consists of two gears, between which a strip of paper is passed for paper fringing), machines for cutting strips from a sheet of paper.