Quilled Paper

"Quilling", also known as paper filigree, is an ancient art in which strips of paper are elaborately rolled and twisted to form complex shapes as decoration. During the Renaissance in Europe, nuns and monks would use quilling to decorate book covers. In the 18th century, upper-class European ladies would practice the art, and it spread to Colonial America.

It is now seeing a resurgence in popularity worldwide, with quillers using the art in scrapbooking, greeting cards, birth announcements, and decorating important objects.

On January 12, 2016, the United States Postal Service released the "Quilled Paper Heart" stamp in Dallas, Texas. The stamp features an elegant heart crafted through this beautiful art form.

This cachet by Joshua McGee features decorative corners and a paper filigree clover in a shaded box. It bears a first-day-of-issue postmark and was part of a very limited issue: only a total of six were prepared.