Quilling is thought to have begun in the sixteenth or seventeenth century, but may have been practiced long before. From the history and art that have been found, it is thought that the first 'quillers' were nuns and monks. They used handmade paper or even cut off the edges of book pages, and rolled the pieces of paper into ornate designs to embellish religious artefacts. Most quillwork now in museums, date from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but evidence seems to suggest that quilling has existed for over 500 years. | 
