How to Set Two Guinness World Record Titles in 8 Weeks

Since setting two Guinness World Record titles in April 2022, we’ve been asked countless times how we achieved this monumental feat. So, we’re here to share the journey of how we set not one, but TWO Guinness World Records in only 8 weeks!

How it Began

It all started in February 2022 when the team at our headquarters (then located in Framingham, MA) gathered to brainstorm ideas for Quilling Card’s 10th anniversary celebration. We had no shortage of ideas that day—some more outrageous than others. Brainstorms challenge you to think big, temporarily suspend reality, and imagine what might be possible. I spoke up, suggesting, “What about a Guinness World Record?”

There was a pause as everyone processed the idea. Huong, the founder and CEO of Quilling Card, loved the suggestion and immediately felt the excitement of what it could mean for our brand.

Originally, my idea was to aim for a record for “The Most People Quilling Simultaneously,” but as the brainstorming continued, we couldn’t shake the feeling that we could do more. Huong had always dreamed of creating a large-scale quilled masterpiece, and this felt like the perfect opportunity to make that dream a reality. After all, if you’re going to go big, why not go all in?

Soon, the 10th-anniversary project had evolved into a challenge to set TWO Guinness World Record titles: one for “Most People Quilling Simultaneously” and the second for “The Largest Quilling Paper Mosaic Image.” Both records had never been attempted before, and we had just 8 weeks to make the impossible possible.

What to Quill?

But what would we create for such an enormous, quilled masterpiece? It seemed that Starry Night by Van Gogh was on everyone’s mind. The Van Gogh exhibit was traveling across the country at the time, and beyond being a well-known and beloved piece of art, there was deep symbolism in the subject matter.

Huong and Raphael had truly reached for the stars when they founded Quilling Card, so it seemed poetic to celebrate that journey by creating a quilled piece that nodded to that same spirit of boldness.

But my favorite reason for selecting Starry Night was its backstory. Van Gogh painted it while in an asylum, and if we’re being honest, we had to be a little crazy to attempt such a monumental project, right?

Let’s get Started

Now that we knew what we wanted to do, how would we go about doing it?

I began reaching out to Guinness World Records to outline our plans. Since these records were brand new, they needed to create the guidelines and officially open the categories. Once that was done, they provided us with the extensive and detailed guidelines we needed to follow. After thoroughly reviewing the guidelines, we agreed to adhere to all the requirements for our attempts on April 8th. An official Guinness World Record judge was assigned to guide us through the process, overseeing everything leading up to the official judging on the day of the event.

The following weeks were a whirlwind of problem-solving, teamwork, and excitement.

Working with our team in Vietnam, we determined that we would need at least 300 quillers to participate in both records. Considering the overall dimensions of Starry Night—its length, width, and the minimum size requirements set by Guinness—we decided that the mosaic would consist of 285 individual 1x1-foot tiles. The final piece would measure 15 feet tall and 19 feet wide.

In the U.S., we took a high-resolution image of Starry Night and vectorized it digitally. We then simplified and fine-tuned the colors down to just 18, converting them to Pantone colors, which we matched to specific quilling paper strips. Each of the 285 squares was labeled with an alphanumeric system (A-O, 1-19) to keep track of each piece’s placement.

Meanwhile, our Vietnam team coordinated with printers for the tiles, hired builders for the mosaic wall, and sourced vast quantities of quilling paper while also conducting test quilling on the squares. After some experimentation, we found that it took roughly 12 hours to quill each square. We opted to mount the printed tiles onto chipboard and attach magnets to the back so that we could place them directly onto the metal wall.

As the Vietnam team worked on printing and wall-building logistics, the team in the U.S. focused on coordinating the final preparations for a successful attempt with Guinness World Records.

Off to Vietnam

During this time, travel to Vietnam wasn’t recommended due to post-pandemic restrictions, but we felt it was essential for the leadership team—myself, Huong, and Sara—to be on-site in Vietnam to oversee the final execution. So, we made the journey to see the project through to completion.

Traveling to Vietnam provided its own challenges that we will save for another day.
 
Meeting the Vietnam team for the first time was wonderful. We had corresponded on video calls and over email almost daily for several years. It was an exciting moment to come together in person especially on such an enormous project. 

Our team affectionately nicknamed the piece “Scary Night,” a nod to just how intimidating the challenge was. After all, no one had ever attempted anything like this before. There was no roadmap, no one to ask for advice—we had to figure it all out ourselves. But that’s when our team’s resilience and resourcefulness truly shined.

With the planning phase behind us, it was time to execute.

Quilling Stary Night Piece by Piece

On March 24th, 2022, 300 quillers arrived at the factory, each assigned a 1x1-foot square to quill. They received a cheat sheet with corresponding quilling strip colors for their specific piece. The challenge was that each square was an abstract splatter of colors, so there was no way of knowing which part of the painting you had. Standardizing the colors was crucial to ensure consistency and a seamless fit when the pieces were assembled.

  
Once all 285 pieces were completed being quilled on March 26th, we organized them according to their alphanumeric system. The mosaic consisted of 15 rows and 19 columns, and we laid them out on the floor, several rows at a time, to ensure that all the colors were accurate. Some squares needed additional quilling to achieve the necessary consistency. We took the extra few days to ensure each individual piece was perfect before assembling and mounting them to the wall. It was during this time we discovered the importance of an arrow on the back side of each piece to confirm the proper side up when putting it into the mosaic.

 On March 31st we began adding them to the wall, starting with the bottom-most row, scaffolding was used to carefully place each square, row by row, until the entire masterpiece was assembled. It was like a giant puzzle coming together, with Starry Night gradually becoming recognizable.

   
After 12 hours, when the final piece—the upper-right corner of the moon—was placed, the factory erupted in cheers. There were tears, hugs, and a profound sense of accomplishment as everyone saw the quilled masterpiece come to life. Every single person who contributed to the project felt deeply connected to the result.

The Judge’s Call

After assembling the mosaic, we sent photos to our Guinness World Records judge for review. One of the requirements was that no seams could be visible, and the piece needed to appear as one continuous artwork, not a patchwork of individual pieces.

The judge, however, felt that the seams were still too noticeable. But we weren’t ready to give up.

Our quillers sprang into action over the next several days, moving across the mosaic to fill in the gaps and ensure the piece looked truly seamless. We perfected the details, then sent updated photos to the judge to review. He confirmed that the piece now met the criteria, and we had officially met the requirements. We put the final touches on the setup the remaining days —lighting, banners, carpet, and a curtain for the grand reveal.

Officially Amazing 

On April 8th, 300 quillers lined up outside the factory for an official count before entering. Once all of the participants were seated it was time to begin.  At the sound of the gong, each quiller began working on their card, to qualify for the Most People Quilling Simultaneously record. One by one each quiller finished their card and turned it in for judging. We successfully achieved that title once our guest judges performed a final quality check on each card and confirmed all 300 of them had been quilled simultaneously.
   

One record down, one more to go.

Then came the grand reveal of the Largest Quilling Paper Mosaic Image. We dimmed the lights and gathered everyone around as the curtains were pulled back to reveal the completed masterpiece. Gasps filled the room as everyone took in the sight of the mosaic. Guest surveyors climbed scaffolding to measure the mosaic, while the Guinness judge and quilling experts carefully reviewed the artwork to ensure it met all requirements.

Huong proudly announced over the microphone all the stats of the mosaic that make it so magnificent and a true testament to collaboration:

• 285 individual pieces
• 3,399 hours of quilling (average 12 hours per piece/425 days if one person quilling 8 hours a day 7 days a week)
• 191,948 quilling paper strips = 57.6 km /40 miles
• 18 colors
• 11,970 grams of glue
• 15.09 feet tall
• 19.07 feet wide
• 287.77 sq ft

The moment arrived: The Guinness World Record judge proudly handed us the official certificate and announced that we were “officially amazing!” The factory erupted with cheers, and people snapped pictures and celebrated what we had collectively accomplished.

Personal Reflection

That day felt almost magical—a surreal moment that brought our team closer than ever. Achieving two Guinness World Records on our 10th anniversary was not just a milestone; it was a testament to our collective teamwork, resilience, and unwavering belief in turning the impossible into reality. To this day, those titles remain a source of immense pride and a cherished topic of conversation within our team.

As we continue to push the boundaries of creativity—whether through crafting memorable card designs or launching innovative marketing campaigns—we carry with us the confidence that there's no challenge too great to overcome. After conquering two Guinness World Records, we know there’s nothing we can’t achieve.

Whenever I face new challenges, whether personal or professional, I remind myself: "It Can Be Done." We proved this when we created and achieved two Guinness World Record titles. Even during moments of doubt and frustration, I kept that mantra close—because if we could achieve something so monumental that had never been done before, (in only 8 weeks) then anything is possible. "Can't" has never been part of my vocabulary. The fact that something hasn’t been done yet only means it’s our opportunity to be the first to make it happen.

Leading and managing this project was an honor I will never forget. From collaborating with an incredible international team to visiting Vietnam for the first time, every laugh, every challenge, and every tear shared along the way is a memory I will treasure forever.