Paper Lace

The art of Paper Lace, Parchment Craft or Parchcraft is said to have originated in Europe possibly during medieval times. It was an early Christian decorative art. Today it has had a revival in Europe and in Puerto Rico and South America. This beautiful hand crafted art is not as well known in America. I discovered it about 2000 on the Internet while surfing craft sites. I could not believe this lace was paper! It looks so very much like a fabric art. I purchased a kit of basic supplies and began to make lace.


This is a photo of a small paper frame that I made for a photo of my Grt-Grandmother. I ordered the pattern from a talented paper art designer in Brazil. The background consists of numerous tiny holes punched into the parchment paper. Included in the design also are embossed curves and swirls. The opening for the photo is punched out using a special tool.

Popular and traditional paper lace designs include fans:


The cross is a holdover from the ancient days of Christian art and is included in many paper projects. Crosses can be hand cut or made with a special tool.

Traditional fabric laces can be beautifully mocked in paper:


Bookmarks and greeting cards are most commonly made:


Search the WEB for "Parchment Craft", "parchcraft", "Perigamo", "paper lace", etc. to learn more about this beautiful craft. Some supplies and kits may be purchased in the US but most are available in Europe and the best tools I have found are made in Australia.

You can see more images of paper lace and the Tools used to make it in my Flickr Set "Paper Lace": http://www.flickr.com/photos/bribling/sets/72157624556841304/

That is amazing, Brib! Does it take incredible hand-eye coordination?

I hope you're using acid-free paper so that they last! (scrapbooker here )

That is amazing. I've never seen paper lace before. Where did you get the kit? I used to do battenburg lace years ago.

I ordered a Peragamo kit from a US vendor who is no longer in business. You can search for Peragamo or Paper Lace or Parchcraft to find vendors. Peragamo, an Italian company, is probably responsible for the revival of this old craft. They require any store to have a certified (by Peragamo) instructor so very few, if any, US craft stores carry the Peragamo products. Parchcraft Australia is a company that makes what I think is the best parchment tools ever! These are well made (better than Peragamo)and there are quite a lot of them to choose from. I bought most of my tools from PA years ago. They no longer sell directly but only through vendors. Look for their site to find some of their vendors. PA also sells parchment. There are many FREE patterns on the WEB. I have designed some of my patterns and have also used stencils that I purchased locally at Wal-Mart (just regular plastic stencils made for other crafts).

I have experimented with locally available products. I found that the thin parchments available in most craft stores can work but tears easily so you must be very careful. They may not hold up to piercing well but can be embossed to some degree. I have a large collection of metal crochet hooks of many sizes. These work rather well for embossing! Cuticle scissors and small embroidery scissors can be used to cut crosses and other small lace openings. Orange sticks can also be used for embossing. Some craft stores sell tools for metal embossing and these can be used too. A pattern tracer (in the fabric section or at a fabric store) can be used to make edges or dotted patterns. Water color pencils and gel pens are good for painting and oil pastels are good for coloring the backs of the paper. Use wax paper to rub on the back side of the paper. That makes embossing much easier! With these fairly easy to obtain items, you can practice this craft without bothering to order supplies from a foreign country. You may find some tutorial videos at PA or other Vendor and fan sites.