My husband, Wade, and I want to start 2011 off on a creative path. He's committed to practice sketching and work on his drawing skills. I decided I've put my paper making on hold long enough and it's time to get creative again.
Last weekend, I made twenty sheets of paper. Here are a few photos of the paper making process. I've been making paper for over a year now, but it is still amazing to see paper go from a shredded bundle of nothing to a sheet of handmade paper.
Paper making is like riding a bike. Once you learn the process, it's easy. I used the recycled paper from my office, a clean yellow napkin and tap water.
I added about a tablespoon of white glue to each pulp batch. I read that glue will add extra stability to the end product. The pulp was foamy and dissolved quickly in the pool of water.
There wasn't any difference in the process of pulling the paper, or removing the screen.
The paper varies in thickness, depending on how much pulp is in the main vat. When the paper with the glue dried, there seemed to be a stronger feel to each sheet.
I had a very pretty piece of tissue paper that I received as a gift. I've added tissue paper to the pulp in the mixing process, but it dissolves immediately and doesn't add anything to the pulp's structure or color. I decided to lay the tissue paper on top of a wet piece of paper just before the drying process. It added a layer to the handmade paper. I want to experiment with this process more as the winter moves forward.
This weekend, I used the handmade paper to make a journal. The cover is finished in an eclectic mix of trinkets. The inside page has a pocket to store special items. Each of the five signatures contain two sheets of handmade paper and two sheets of a fine quality of regular paper. The journal is bound with a Coptic stitch, using wax thread.
January project is finished. I can't wait until next weekend.
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