Six Week Class Taught Online Via Zoom
Sundays, July 19 - August 23, 2026
2:00 - 4:00pm ET (NYC Time)
$165 Paid Patreon Members / $185 General Admission
PLEASE NOTE: Classes will be recorded and archived for students who cannot make that time
Paper quilling—also known as paper filigree—is the art of rolling and shaping strips of paper and attaching them to a surface in order to adorn it. This technique was first used in the 13th century to embellish devotional objects created by French, Italian, and German monastics. These nuns and monks would often use gilded edges of books in order to mimic metal filigree which was a more costly form of ornament.
Paper quilling became a popular pastime in 18th and 19th century Europe, used to decorate everyday objects as well as Victorian hairwork and stump work embroidery. With the rapid proliferation of mass produced goods in the 20th century, the popularity of paper quilling as a decorative artform waned. This course seeks to re-situate paper quilling as an art form and as an act of devotion that allows us to bridge the sacred and the mundane.
It is no wonder this artform was popular in convents and monasteries; The act of quilling strips of paper into shapes is repetitious and contemplative, allowing one to focus on the intention of the object that is being adorned. The adornment of an object with quilled paper is an act of devotion that serves as a reminder of what we hold most sacred. Paper quilling invites us—in today’s fast paced world—to slow down and focus on the present moment. Each piece of quilled paper allows us to become more immersed in both the temporal and the numinous realms.
Over the course of six weeks, we will explore paper quilling techniques as we create a shrine or talismanic object meant to serve as a reminder of what we hold most sacred. Through the examination of the history of paper quilling and devotional objects, we will find inspiration and ideas. The instructor will demonstrate basic and advanced quilling paper techniques, along with ways to use recycled materials to serve as the support for your object.
By the end of this course you will have acquired basic paper quilling techniques and knowledge of more advanced ones. As a final project students will complete a shrine or talismanic object embellished with paper quilling to honor what or who they hold most sacred.
Miriam Morrissette is an artist, occultist, and former public school educator. She works in the mediums of analog collage, quilled paper, and various textile arts. She has a BA in English from Oregon State University where her undergraduate thesis focused on trauma, disability, and queerness. She is currently a full-time professional artist living in Reno, NV.
Images: Tea caddy (one of a pair), with original paper box- from the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Quillwork shadow box, c. 1720 American, probably Boston, Massachusetts. Bridget Noyes (Stonington, Connecticut, 1710–1774). Paper, shells, wax, gum Arabic, silver wire, mica, glass, and pine. Gift of Frank S. Pratt through William B. Goodwin, 1949.637; Paper quilled box by Artist Miriam Morrissette.
Six Week Class Taught Online Via Zoom
Sundays, July 19 - August 23, 2026
2:00 - 4:00pm ET (NYC Time)
$165 Paid Patreon Members / $185 General Admission
PLEASE NOTE: Classes will be recorded and archived for students who cannot make that time
Paper quilling—also known as paper filigree—is the art of rolling and shaping strips of paper and attaching them to a surface in order to adorn it. This technique was first used in the 13th century to embellish devotional objects created by French, Italian, and German monastics. These nuns and monks would often use gilded edges of books in order to mimic metal filigree which was a more costly form of ornament.
Paper quilling became a popular pastime in 18th and 19th century Europe, used to decorate everyday objects as well as Victorian hairwork and stump work embroidery. With the rapid proliferation of mass produced goods in the 20th century, the popularity of paper quilling as a decorative artform waned. This course seeks to re-situate paper quilling as an art form and as an act of devotion that allows us to bridge the sacred and the mundane.
It is no wonder this artform was popular in convents and monasteries; The act of quilling strips of paper into shapes is repetitious and contemplative, allowing one to focus on the intention of the object that is being adorned. The adornment of an object with quilled paper is an act of devotion that serves as a reminder of what we hold most sacred. Paper quilling invites us—in today’s fast paced world—to slow down and focus on the present moment. Each piece of quilled paper allows us to become more immersed in both the temporal and the numinous realms.
Over the course of six weeks, we will explore paper quilling techniques as we create a shrine or talismanic object meant to serve as a reminder of what we hold most sacred. Through the examination of the history of paper quilling and devotional objects, we will find inspiration and ideas. The instructor will demonstrate basic and advanced quilling paper techniques, along with ways to use recycled materials to serve as the support for your object.
By the end of this course you will have acquired basic paper quilling techniques and knowledge of more advanced ones. As a final project students will complete a shrine or talismanic object embellished with paper quilling to honor what or who they hold most sacred.
Miriam Morrissette is an artist, occultist, and former public school educator. She works in the mediums of analog collage, quilled paper, and various textile arts. She has a BA in English from Oregon State University where her undergraduate thesis focused on trauma, disability, and queerness. She is currently a full-time professional artist living in Reno, NV.
Images: Tea caddy (one of a pair), with original paper box- from the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Quillwork shadow box, c. 1720 American, probably Boston, Massachusetts. Bridget Noyes (Stonington, Connecticut, 1710–1774). Paper, shells, wax, gum Arabic, silver wire, mica, glass, and pine. Gift of Frank S. Pratt through William B. Goodwin, 1949.637; Paper quilled box by Artist Miriam Morrissette.
