Meaning & use
paper quilling
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Meanings
noununcountable
The craft of rolling narrow strips of paper into coils and shaping them into decorative designs.
Grammar: Uncountable: talk about 'paper quilling' as an activity or art form, never 'a paper quilling' or 'paper quillings'.
Patterns
- do paper quilling
- a paper quilling design
- learn paper quilling
She took a weekend class in paper quilling and came home with a framed flower.
Paper quilling looks delicate, but the basic coil is easy enough for beginners.
The birthday card had a border of paper quilling in gold and white.
noununcountable
The coiled paper shapes themselves, used as decoration on cards, boxes, or pictures.
Grammar: Also uncountable; if you mean one individual coil, say 'a quilled shape' or 'a paper coil'.
Patterns
- add paper quilling to something
- decorate something with paper quilling
They decorated the wedding invitations with paper quilling.
The shadow box was filled with paper quilling in shades of blue.
Common combinations
- paper quilling design
- She found a simple paper quilling design for a snowflake online.
- learn paper quilling
- He learned paper quilling from his grandmother.
- paper quilling tool
- A slotted paper quilling tool makes the coils much neater.
- do paper quilling
- My sister does paper quilling to relax after work.
- paper quilling strip
- Cut the paper quilling strips about five millimeters wide.
Synonyms and how they differ
- quilling
- The short, everyday name for the same craft; 'paper quilling' is clearer when you first mention it.
- paper filigree
- An older, more formal name for the same technique, now mostly used in historical or craft-writing contexts.
Word family
- quill verb
- To roll or shape paper into coils, as in quilling.
- quilled adjective
- Describing something decorated with coiled paper shapes, as in a quilled card.
- quiller noun
- A person who does paper quilling.
Commonly confused: paper quilling or quilting?
paper quilling vs quilting
Quilting is sewing layers of fabric together to make a quilt; paper quilling uses thin paper strips, not cloth or thread.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'paper quilling' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Paper quilling' is uncountable, so it works as the object of 'does' in 'She does paper quilling as a hobby.' The other options treat it as a countable noun ('a paper quilling', 'three paper quillings') or use it as a verb ('She paper quilling'), which is not how the craft name is used.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “paper quilling”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.