The Art of Quilling
What is Quilling?
Quilling is the art of rolling, coiling, and shaping small strips of paper to create a beautiful decorative design. The name comes from the bird's quill — the feather early crafters used to coil the paper into shapes.
The art has been around for centuries. During the Renaissance, nuns and monks used quilling to adorn religious objects in place of costly gold filigree. Affluent women across Europe practiced it as a treasured pastime. The pilgrims even brought it to America. Today, Quilling Card is the premier source keeping this beautiful lost art alive — and sharing it with the world. 🌍
The Making of a Quilling Card
Every card begins with a design inspired by nature, wildlife, seasons, or even customer suggestions. From that first sketch to the finished card in your hands, the entire process takes 10 months.
Using a quilling pen, each artisan threads strips of Kishu paper — a high-quality Japanese paper — through the tool and rotates it to create a tight coil. Each coil is then relaxed and molded by hand or with tweezers into the desired shape, and glued into place. This process is repeated shape by shape until the entire design is complete. Each card takes one hour to bring to life.
Before an artisan ever crafts a card for sale, they complete six months of intensive training to develop the level of skill these designs require.
More Than a Card
Each card comes with a separate insert so you can write your own personal message without worrying about anything bleeding through onto the design. No pre-printed sentiments — just your own words.
And because these cards are truly works of art, many people don't tuck them away. They frame them and keep them out to enjoy. We carry specially made shadow box frames designed to display your quilled card on a shelf or wall — a thoughtful gift, or a beautiful piece of home décor.
The People Behind Each Card
Quilling Card was founded in 2011 by Huong Wolf, a native of Vietnam who left a career at L'Oréal and Unilever to follow her passion for this art form. She and her husband Raphael built a company with a mission — making quilling accessible to the world while creating real opportunity at home.
Since 2015, Quilling Card has been a Verified Member of the Fair Trade Federation, working with 6 factories across Vietnam where over 1,000 local artisans handcraft every design. Many come from rural areas with limited access to education and few opportunities for stable work. Quilling Card offers training, advancement, full benefits, and wages 20–25% above the national average.
When you hold one of these cards, you're holding all of that — the history, the craft, and the care of the people who made it.
Don't just send a card — send art.