Parchment Craft for Beginners

The art and craft of parchment craft creates wonderfully delicate, lacy or romantic greeting cards or pictures. Even the most basic techniques look complex to the untrained eye. This makes the craft very appealing to beginners as they can achieve excellent results very quickly.

History

Parchment craft dates back to the 15th and 16th centuries when Catholic European communities crafted such items as religious communion cards and pictures. The craft developed though the 18th century as more techniques were added to include fancy borders and perforations. French romanticism added floral themes in the 19th century and in the 20th century Martha Ospina started Pergamano, one of the leading manufacturers of parchment craft supplies, in the Netherlands. Parchment craft is also popular in Latin-American countries, with each region and country adding another dimension to style and technique.

Uses for Parchment Craft

Beginners in parchment craft usually start with creating greeting cards, but the stiff, opaque parchment paper lends itself to several other uses. You can make bookmarks, trinket or favor boxes, raised decoupage, framed pictures and even lampshades using parchment craft.