Quilling is an art form that involves the use of strips of paper that are rolled, shaped, and glued together to create decorative designs. The paper is manipulated to create designs on their own or to decorate other objects, such as greeting cards, pictures, boxes, or to make jewelry. Quilling is also known as paper-rolling or paper-scrolling and has a long and interesting history. The origins of quilling are not recorded, but some think it began with the invention of paper in China in 105 AD or in Egypt, where some tombs have been found to contain wire shapes similar in appearance to modern quilling. By the beginning of the 20th century, quilling was only introduced as part of a school craft education. Many European museums hold examples of quilled work, and two major exhibitions of quilling have been held in 1927 in London, one reportedly displaying items quilled presumably by Charles I.

Quilling involves taking long, thin strips of paper and coiling, looping, and folding them into different shapes and designs. These can then be glued together to form decorative art. Quilling designs can be used to decorate cards, boxes, gift bags, picture frames, or even be made into 3D stand-alone art pieces. The decorative pieces can be simple or complex, but one thing is for sure, paper quilling can be mastered in an hour or two. Quilling is the perfect craft project for beginners, as it is easy for a novice paper crafter to get good results, and another plus is the fact that this craft costs almost next to nothing to make.

The most important quilling tool is the slotted tool as it makes curling coils easier. Other tools needed include a needle tool, glue, strips of paper, and a circle sizer ruler. Beginning quilling can be accomplished using only strips of paper, a toothpick, knitting needle, or similar object, and some glue. If you get bitten by the quilling bug, you can invest in proper quilling tools to make your work easier.