Adding glitter to plain paper

Sangeetha Abishek can turn a simple piece of coloured paper into fashionable jewellery. Vipasha Sinha in a chat with the quilling expert

CHENNAI: 29/10/2013: FOR DOWNTOWN: Sangeetha Abishek makes jewelery with paper at Arumbakkam in Chennai. Photo:K_Pichumni

Imagine you have completely forgotten your friend’s wedding and it dawns on you that you have just a couple of hours left to dress up and head to the marriage hall. Clothes are not a problem because you can always borrow your mother’s sari, but what about matching jewellery? Worry not, for all you need is some, paper, glue and a needle to make for yourself a perfect pair of bright earrings.

Sangeetha Abishek, a quilling artist, specialises in making jewellery out of paper. “These are a special kind of paper strips that are available for quilling in various colours. Apart from this, you’ll only need quilling needle and a little glue. Unlike other kinds of make-for-yourself-jewelleries, this is much simpler and less time consuming,” says Sangeetha, who also conducts workshops on the same.

Apart from pendants, earrings, decorative items, she also specialises in making

jhumkas . “Quilling is a western form of art and I have used it to make Indian-style

jhumkas which are extremely popular.

While simple designs take anywhere between half-an-hour and one hour to complete,

jhumkas take at least two hours. However, if you want to make a set, then it might take a day,” says Sangeetha.

She believes the joy of making your own ornament is completely different and they make for a perfect gifting option to — affordable and personalised.

What started as a stress-busting hobby became an obsession. “I read about quilling online and the pictures looked so appealing. I loved the idea of playing with colour and making some amazing designs. I started learning it online two years ago,” says Sangeetha, who works as a content strategist in a web solutions company. She started enjoying and took the art more seriously. She also attended workshops to sharpen her skills.

“I kept practising till I reached perfection. I started gifting my creations to family and friends and the response was great.

But, I was convinced only when a clothing line brand asked me to make excusive jewellery for them. It was then I started to conduct workshops. I was surprised to see that more than housewives, working professionals signed up for it as a way to de-stress,” she says.

Sangeetha organises the workshops at her residence in Madipakkam. The next batch starts from November second week. For details, call 89392 50068.