Homemade Paper - forgotten arts and crafts

Papermaking is an ideal beginner's craft because there is no one way to do it. Any unexpected
colors or textures simply make each sheet unique. There are two different methods a beginner can
follow: easy and easier. Choose the one that suits your timetable and skill level.

Oddly enough, you need paper to make paper. So hang onto that junk mail! Look for stationery-
quality paper, clean white paper, and colored papers, including tissue and crepe paper. Avoid
envelopes with cellophane windows, glossy paper, newspaper, paper towels, and postage stamps.
You can also use small bits of thread, string, or yarn, and even the lint from your clothes dryer.
Tear or cut your paper into 1-inch squares, or run it through a shredder. You might want to sort
your paper by color to produce a particular color in the end: white paper will create white paper;
2/3 white paper mixed with 1/3 yellow or light green paper will create ivory paper; individual colors
will become pastel versions of themselves; and printed paper will produce gray sheets with black
specks. You'll wind up with about 75 percent of the amount of paper you tear up – so if you tear or
shred 10 sheets, you'll probably make 7 new ones.

Use a wooden picture frame to make a mold for your paper. Use a relatively small frame, no larger
than 8 by 10 inches. Remove the glass and any other backing. Cut a piece of fine gauge brass or
aluminum screen (or even fine-textured nylon net) 1 inch larger than the frame on all sides. Use a
staple gun to attach the screen tightly to the frame.

Use a metal or plastic embroidery hoop as your mold. If you plan to make 10 sheets of paper, cut
10 pieces of fine gauge brass or aluminum screen. Make sure each screen is larger than your hoop
by at least 1 inch all around. Open the hoop, place one screen over the inner hoop, and press the
outer hoop into place. Make sure the screen is smooth and taut and trim off any excess. Reserve
your remaining screens for use in Easier Step 5.

Soak your shredded paper in a bucket of cool water for 12 hours. (Add clothes dryer lint just
before blending – you don't need to soak it.) Put about one-half cup of soaked paper in a blender
and cover with cool water. Blend for about 15 seconds, or until the consistency turns creamy.

Fill a dishpan halfway with water and add about one cup of pulp. Add any additional elements
now, such as threads or dried flowers and leaves. Hold your mold with the screen side up, and dip
it into the dishpan. Keep the mold level and with one hand gently stir the pulp over the surface of
the mold. When the pulp is spread evenly, use both hands to lift the mold out of the dishpan.
Always keep the mold level. Put the mold to one side and let it drain for several minutes. If you
don't like the appearance of your sheet, dip the mold back into the dishpan and try again.

If you plan to make 10 sheets of paper, have ready 10 pieces of tightly woven cotton fabric, cut 4
inches longer on each side than your mold. These fabric pieces are called felts. Take the first felt
and dampen it with water. Place it on top of a stack of newspapers. Gently lay the pulp-covered
mold face down onto the felt. Gently sponge the back of the screen to absorb excess water.
Carefully lift the mold off the wet sheet and cover the sheet with another damp felt. Repeat the
process, creating a stack of sheets and felts. When you are through, put a baking sheet on top of
the stack and weight it with books or canned goods. This squeezes out excess water. Leave the
weights in place for no more than twenty-four hours. Carefully separate the sheets (with the felts
still attached) and spread them on a flat surface to dry. When the sheets of paper feel dry, gently
peel them off the felts.

Carefully take the embroidery hoop apart and remove the screen with the wet paper on top. Set
the screen on a flat surface, preferably in the sun, to dry (which can take several days). Wipe the
hoops clean, insert another piece of screen, and make another piece of paper.