On Making Fish Skin Parchment

Yes, you read that title correctly--I made fish skin parchment.

In April, Peter D. Verheyen provided a webinar on how to go about making parchment from fish skin, which I finally got around to watching last month.

My initial response to watching it was that while it was certainly interesting, I didn't know that I'd actually ever want to try it. But then the more I read about its history and the process of making it and fish skin leather, the more intrigued I became and ultimately decided that I really did want to try!

Having finally had salmon for dinner, I gained three small skins and, following the video and Verheyen's ""Fips" and His Eels: Fish Skin in Bookbinding", began the process. I started out by placing my three small skins in dish detergent filled jar in the refrigerator to rinse. Having no unscented detergent in the house that wasn't also dyed, I ended up having to use undyed, lemon scent, which I don't think had too big of an impact (though this being my first attempt I might not have noticed if something was amiss).

The next day I took them out for their first scraping, which I did with the back of a butter knife and the side of a spoon. A considerable amount of meat came off, as you can see!  

Over the next few days I repeated this process to get any remaining meat off and with changes of the sudsy water in between.

Not sure how it would go and with the risk of a rather curious feral cat in the yard, I decided to spread out my drying days, which I probably would have done anyway given that one of the skins needed more scraping than the other two even after soaking a few days. I'm not sure if part of this was using slightly warmer water one day in the rinsing process, as it seemed a littler fibrous, but overall it dried out just fine with nothing noticeable about it.

To dry them, I covered a small piece of corrugated cardboard with plastic wrap and then stuck another piece of cardboard underneath to ensure the pins would hold in place. Then with scale side down and pulling the skin taunt as I went, I put pushpins around the edge, and out into the sun they went. Each skin was outside for somewhere between three to six hours. In the case of the first skin the pins pulled up a little as it dried, but having experienced that I did a better job pinning with the other two. 

My drying process involved putting them on the armrest of our glider and putting a piece of tree branch atop the cardboard to keep it in place (also to create a noise so I'd know if the cat got nosy-which thankfully didn't happen). 

Fish skin #1

Fish skin #2

Fish skin #3

And here's what I ended up with! While I didn't notice a smell when I was scraping them, being in the sun and the heat brought out the oils, which have made the skins somewhat smelly (although it has dissipated over the course of the two week since I dried them), so I'll be wiping it them down with alcohol before I use them.

Overall, I really enjoyed my first attempt at doing this! At this point, I'm undecided about what I'm might want to use them for, but I do have a few ideas for mini books in terms of both using them as part of the cover and as "textured paper" elements, so eventually there will be a another post about them! ♥️  

On "Mud Pies and Other Recipes": A Book Review

Another month of trying to get a book review for a Dumas book posted and once again deciding to go with something happier...

Title: Mud Pies and Other Recipes
Author: Marjorie Winslow
Genre: Children's, Cookbook

About the Book...
A collection of recipes for dolls with contents including Appetizers, Soups, Salads and Sandwiches; Main Dishes; Pasteries and Desserts; Beverages; and Suggested Menus. First published in 1961.

What I Think...
This is one of the nicest cookbooks for imaginary dishes I've ever come across! It's written as seriously as any real cookbook, never taking on a tone of being overly cutesy or talking down to the reader. Most of the dishes are very simplistic and perfect for the beginner doll chef allowing them to explore what might be available to them in their yard and around the house. I feel like Winslow presents the reader with an opportunity to use their imagination to build on the recipes as well, which in my opinion is always a plus when it comes to children's books. 

The illustrations by Eric Blegvad, whom I adore, are perfectly suited to the content and, from a contemporary perspective, add to the nostalgic charm of the book. 

And, for some reason, I am tickled pink that most of these are recipes that humans would avoid eating!

To Sum it All Up...
An utterly delightful trip into the imaginary world of cooking and happy days of holding parties for toys!

On a Miniature Eeyore to Join Piglet

I had intended to have Winnie-the-Pooh be the next Hundred Acre Woods' character to go with Piglet, but, having been in a distressed state of mind for the past few weeks, trying to make a selection between three different shades of mustard felt was proving challenging. So, I went with the simplistic gray Eeyore.

Eeyore was faster to make than Piglet. Or would have been, had I not been so tired and started by accidentally sewing the forehead/nose piece along the back rather than under and around the nose. The larger pieces did make him easier, though.

Oddly enough, his tail was the biggest issue for me. The book's instructions were to use a button for the nail in his tail, but I really wanted to go with something that looked like a nail. I don't use a lot of metal in my sewing and the only vintage rivets I had were too puffy, so I ended up using a tiny scrapbooking brad! 

"Eeyore frisked about the forest, waving his tail so happily..." 

To get it in, I poked a hole in the felt with a darning needle and then scraped up my fingers trying to get the prongs flat through the multiple layers of felt, which was not exactly fun, but it's on there and not about to come off!

One must, of course, celebrate Eeyore's birthday with a red balloon!

And to conclude, a sneak preview of whooo's next...

  ♥ ♥ ♥

On "Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions": A Book Review

Title: Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions

Author: Daniel Wallace

Genre: Fiction

About the Book...

William Bloom is trying to come to terms with the impending death of his father, Edward, a figure known to him more in terms of legend than in actuality. In reflection, William begins to put together the many tall tales he's heard over the years in a series of vignettes capturing the life of his father concluding with an understanding of mythic proportions.

This novella was made into a movie in 2003 staring Albert Finney and directed by Tim Burton.

What I Think...

This is actually a pretty subtle book, which I think lent itself really well to making the much more whimsical movie adaption. Wallace does a spectacular job of providing just enough detail to paint a clear picture, but that allows the imagination to still take off with it and, in some cases, speculate what qualities about Edward the particular story is trying to exemplify. It is charming and witty at parts, while still capturing the poignancy of what Edwards death means to his son.  

It's broken down into three sections that both show how Edward's life progresses, but which also effectively shows how William's understanding of him continues to grow through his acknowledgement of the stories and that alter the way he imagines his father's death (shared in four "takes" throughout the book). Most of the vignettes are no longer than five pages, so if you have very little focus (which is me right now) it makes this book really easy to pick up and read just a little of it without loosing track of what's going on overall. 

To Sum it All Up...

A sweet novella with an amusing and poignant message about the way we view others and the many stories that make up a life. ♥️