{a crash course in papyrus}

The papyrus plant

Cut the stem to reveal the white fibres inside

Slice the stem - in this state, the papyrus is watery and weak

Roll the slices of papyrus to remove excess water

Leave the rolled slices in water for 3 days

Lay out the pieces in a basket weave formation

Put it in the press with 2 pieces of carpet on either side {a carpet / papyrus sandwich if you will}

Pressing it down

The finished product

I found some more pictures lurking on my camera memory card.  During our Egypt trip in April, we went to the pyramids and sphinx on our first day.  Just down the road was a papyrus "factory" where they taught us how to make papyrus, and then how to spot fake papyrus {i.e. made out of banana leaves}


Very interesting!


xoxo,
Pippa