Einstein was right in stating that true art is characterised by an irresistible urge in the creative artist. It goes for quilling too. Also called paper filigree, the art is all about creating wonders with strips of paper.
They can be rolled into set shapes according to quilling traditions or otherwise and glued together to make various patterns. The paper can be rolled, looped, curled, twisted and manipulated in any way to create forms to decorate greetings cards, pictures, boxes, eggs or to make models, jewellery and many more. The most popular and versatile technique is that of rolling. The paper strip is rolled with the fingers or using a tool. The coil is then released and then glued at the tip and then shaped. The coils are then arranged in different ways to create flowers, leaves or anything under the sun.
Anyone can master the art with a few paper strips and a quilling needle and a dash of creativity, imagination and patience.
Meet Meeta Bhalotia, a Kanpur-based self-taught quiller settled at Kadavanthra who likes to describe herself as the ‘proud’ owner of ‘The Quill Mill’.
Starting a page on Facebook, which has now hit more than 3,500 likes, to sell her quilled artifacts was never there even in the wildest of her dreams. “It happened all of a sudden,” recollects Meeta Bhalotia.
As a child she always had an affinity towards art, especially oil painting. Born in a family where creatively ruled the roost, Meeta once saw her mother making incredible objects with paper strips. She had also seen her aunt doing the same. Before long she inherited the skill from them.
First she started making quilled raksha bandhans and presented them to her kith and kin that year. She entered into serious quilling around five years ago by launching her page on Facebook titled ‘The Quill Mill’.
Her husband Rajiv, a businessman and daughter Mansa, a BCom student, are her pillars of support. Quilling is believed to have taken birth pangs in the West. It’s a few years since it has won international acclaim. Meeta now offers more than 30 quilled products, including hair clips, accessories, stationery items, trays, magnets, traditional door hangings known as ‘bandharwal’, greeting cards, wind chimes, wrist watches, photo frames, name plates, and home decor items such as clocks and framed wall hangings which are now one of the most rated items in the list. The prices range from `30 to `3,000. “We treat all our customers as VIPs and thus we ensure that get the best,” says Mansa.
Meeta has now started incorporating various other craft genres into quilling. She uses seals, punching machines, stamps, tapes, glitter tapes, dyes and frames which she buys online. 3D cards, cascade cards and wrist watches belong to the exclusive category.
Festive special items such as diyas and candles for Diwali and Christmas are also available. Each item takes about two to 20 days to make depending on the intricate work and design. She is very particular that, none of the designs or colours are repeated.
People from all over the world visit her page and her blog frequently and she makes sure that each product is unique. She also has customers from the US, UK and Copenhagen.
Meeta and Mansa have also held workshops at Oberon Mall, St Teresa’s College and Lion’s Club. The aura of the metamorphosis of a paper strip into a wonder is the source of happiness for both of them.
“It is important to nurture the skill one possesses and indulge in it despite the busy schedules for it helps maintain a tranquil mind,” says Meeta who says that she is on an endless journey, learning, experiencing and sharing ideas, and at the end of the day gets satisfied by seeing the smile on the face of her customers.