Parchment Projects:

A selection of tiny accordion-fold books bound in parchment dyed with plants from my dye garden: Madder, Cosmos, Dyer's Chamomile, and Marigold.

Madder dyed parchment binding. Each little book became a sampler of the variety of things that can by dyed/painted with the natural dye of the cover parchment.

Showing the according folded pages. In the background are organic pigments I made for illumination.

This closure features bone and yarn dyed with madder, like the parchment. Notice the pores of the skin.

My first real book binding. I used Pergamenata for the interior pages because I didn't have enough parchment made for a whole book.

I followed a couple tutorials on YouTube. Parchment strips are tucked into the stitching on the binding.

This binding is based on limp vellum binding. I used this tutorial and my own parchment for the cover.

The closure is made with parchment. This book became the illustrated journal of my first year of parchment making.

Stained glass inspiration. The period "recipe" for faux stained glass comes from the 15th Century "Bolognese Manuscript" translated by Merrifield in "Medieval and Renaissance Treatieses on the Arts of Painting."

"To make a window of goat-skin parchment which will appear to be real glass." There are two recipes for fake stained glass in this book, one with a different hide treatment.

"Take a kid or sheep-skin parchment, scraped very fine, wet it with warm water; then stretch it on a frame, and let it dry; afterwards paint upon it, and again let it dry."

"Then take rather warm linseed-oil, and rub it over the parchment, and let that dry also, and it will resemble glass in appearance."

I bought these laser cut wood pieces for a different dye project, but they were calling for the dyed parchment as "stained glass".

Naturally-dyed parchment made by me with madder, Osage orange, and indigo.

Back side showing glued parchment pieces.

I might need to make a parchment lantern with dyed parchment. Remember, this is for funsies.

I used my first parchment-bound book to keep a journal of my parchment making. The art and writing are modern and done as a memento to this amazing year of learning.

I started with a watercolor I did of a well-known illumination of a medieval parchment maker.

It's so important to keep notes. I wouldn't remember much without the journal. I kept the journal electronically and then transcribed the info to the 80-page journal I made.

Included are samples of each hide I worked that year. Every hide has many lessons for the new parchmenter, so it's good to keep track of what was done and what kind of hide was used (age, animal, soak time, etc.).

I love getting to know each hide. Each one teaches me so much. So far I have worked with sheep (stillborn to elderly ram), goat, boar (the hair goes all the way through the epidermis to the fat layer!) , deer, and calf (holy thick hide!).

Helpers, Magdalene van den Velde and Duke Frederick Hollander, carry the parchment on the herse after a class I taught at Collegium. This hide became the binding on my parchment journal.

Half way through the year I finally got to take a class (my first and only in-person parchment class) from David de Rosier-Blanc, master parchment maker. He had been coaching me online and with phone calls.

Even though David taught me what I know about parchment making, when I finally saw him work, I noticed how my techniques had developed independantly and differently. I suspect every parchment maker has their own tips, tricks, and style.

Here are some of important lessons for the first time parchmenter. Lesson #1: You can re-wet and re-work a stretched hide even if you think it is done.

Lesson #2: Always build the best and biggest herse you can. Too small and you waste valuable hide. Not strong and it won't withstand the tension needed.

Lesson #3: Have good, oblique lighting when finishing the parchment. You will get the smoothest finish if you can see if the parchment smooth. This isn't something you can feel, but need the oblique light. My dark garage was subpar conditions.

Lessons from stillborn lamb hides: Don't leave these fragile hides in the lime bath very long. Using a pip (small rock) is the optimal tie down method--less tearing with pips. If you tie down with an existing hole add a little piece of skin to reinforce the tied edge for extra strength.