Making Paper - Part 1 by Sue Forey

Bloggers and Dreamer's Etsy Team aka Team BAD is made up of talented, creative and experienced members who are willing to share their expertise.  Our first featured member is Sue Forey of Etsy shop, Sue Forey – Fibre Art.  She has generously provided free instructions for making home-made paper. 

 

Be sure to stop by Sue's shop where you will find the most wonderful, whimsical and original works of art that are sure to capture your imagination and make you smile.

 

Debra Young, Captain, Team BAD

Happy Tuesday, November 12, 2013




Sue Forey - Fibre Art

Sue Forey was born in England but moved to Wales about 10 years ago with her husband and children.  She raises animals and grows vegetables on their farm.  Sue makes felt from the wool of her sheep and paper from vegetables that grow in her garden.   To read more about Sue and to see her beautiful works of art, visit Sue’s Etsy shop

Making Paper with Plants – Part 1 Pulp Making Process

After my mixed media post in which I used handmade paper, I've been requested to provide instructions on how to make it. You can, of course, make paper from recycled paper or buy pulp ready to use… but it is soooo satisfying to make it from raw products that you have gathered yourself.

Theoretically, paper can be made with any plant - fresh or dried but some plant materials make better paper than others. All types of grasses, even dried in the form of hay, make good paper. But why not try something else and experiment? Have a look around your garden if you have one. If you are a city dweller, check out roadside weeds and fallen leaves in the park. I chose to use the tough, outside leaves from broccoli plants because I have a lot of them in my vegetable patch. They were a nice reddish green color and I thought they might make an interesting colored paper. Do remember that the color of your plant material will affect the color of your paper so if you want writing paper use pale plant material.

Before you start there are a few things you need. Probably the most important is your deckle and frame, which are the tools you will use to scoop up the pulp and shape it in to paper.  The deckle is a wooden frame covered in mesh. The frame has to be of the same size as the deckle but without the mesh.  You could use 2 picture frames of the same size and staple old net curtain to one.

 

      

Deckle





Equipment and Supplies Needed:

• Deckle, wooden frame covered in mesh.
• Frame, without mesh.
• Large stainless steel or enamel cooking vessel. I used a bucket.
• Large plastic vat. It has to be a bit bigger than your deckle. I used a plastic cat litter tray.
• Sheets of fabric, a little bigger than the deckle. Reusable kitchen cloths are OK. 
• Two pieces of board. If you are using edible plants you could use chopping boards.
• A solution for cooking your plants that will break down the cellulose. The best liquid is wood ash lye. For some people this may not be practical to make in which case you can add *washing soda to your cooking water.
• A blender. If you do not have a blender, you can put it in a large container and beat with a heavy stick…maybe a rolling pin.
• Plant material

If you are making the wood ash lye here is the recipe.

• 1 bucket of wood ash from a 100% wood fire
• Enough water to cover the ash

NOTE:  Make sure the room is well ventilated as this stuff smells!

Boil the wood ash in water for 1/2 hour and leave to soak overnight. In the morning, strain through some netting. KEEP THE LIQUID and discard the wood ash. You will end up with a disgusting brownish-pink liquid like shown in the photo.

Next, you need to pick your plant material. You can see my broccoli leaves below.

At least a bucket full will be needed. Now you have to cook the plants in the wood ash lye or *washing soda. Use the stainless steel or enamel pot and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until very soft. Grass cuttings take at least an hour. My broccoli leaves took 1 1/2 hours. Make sure that they are covered with the liquid. If you don't have enough you can add a little water. Again make sure you have enough ventilation.

When you have very soft vegetation, you can strain.  This time discard the cooking liquid and keep the plant matter.  There will probably still be lumps of plant in the pulpy mass.  So, whizz it through a blender until it looks the picture shown.  If you do not have a blender, you can put it in a large container and beat with a heavy stick…maybe a rolling pin.

Your pulp is ready to use.

*Note:  Washing Soda is known in United States as powdered laundry detergent and can be found in most supermarkets. Be sure to use detergent that is sodium carbonate. Mix 3.5 ounces detergent to 8 quarts of water. That is 100 grams to 8 liters.  Another product you can use called soda ash which can be obtained from papermaking and ceramic suppliers.

Next:  Paper Making Process

 

Blogger Debra Young
Captain Etsy Team BAD
 (Bloggers and Dreamers)

 

Visit Debra's Etsy shops:

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If you are interested in blogging, join us at Etsy on the Bloggers and Dreamers Team.  Non-Etsy shop owners are also welcome to share their blogs on our team threads.