Delia The Artist takes on Making Paper

Last month Delia The Artist posted a challenge: she showed us her garbage, and asked us to tell her what to make of it. She received a myriad of suggestions for what to make of that garbage, and came back to us with her wacky ideas on how to make trash into treasure. Now she's at it again, and this month she teaches us how to make paper!

"Hello Current friends and Eco-maniacs! The month of September always reminds me of paper, so I thought I’d do a series on just that. Let’s start out by making some- you can recycle common items and give them new life as artsy handmade paper!

Step One: GATHER!
Paper can be made from a lot of things found around your house. Some examples of materials you can recycle into paper include junk mail, paper towels, old newspapers and magazines, damaged books, old school notes, light cardboard and flowers.

Step Two: PULP! People make pulp in a few different ways. Start by shredding  your materials and letting them sit in water for a while. To ensure even pulp, a lot of folks prefer to run the paper and water through the blender. This will give you a nice consistency to work with.

Step Three: MOLD! Paper making kits can be found at any craft store- however, I’ve seen people improvise with picture frames, window screens and fabric too! I do own a paper handmold and it is assembled by putting the plastic grid first, tightly wooven screen on top, the looser screen on top of that followed finally by the wooden frame called a “deckle.“



Again, there are differing techniques to getting your pulp into the mold. You can put a bunch of pulp mixture in a tub and lower your mold into it; when you pull it back up, pulp will have flowed into the center. I used another method here that I find to be easier- I put the assembled mold into some water in my kitchen sink. Then I simply poured my blended pulp mixture into it. I move it around slightly so the pulp covers all the corners, then pull it out. Make sure you let a lot of the water drain before the next step- you can use a sponge to press the water out.

Step Four: DRY! I transfer the paper to a hard surface where I can remove the grid and deckle. I like to give my paper another pat down with the sponge; try to get as much water out of the sheet as possible before you sit it to dry. Drying approaches differ as well - stores sell something called “couching cloth” which is very helpful in removing moisture. I don’t have any though, so I simply used a towel. I’ve seen people iron their paper to ensure straightness and blow it with a hair dryer to cut drying time - but I let it dry au natural by putting another towel plus a heavy cutting board  on top to prevent curling. Be patient, the drying process may take awhile!

There are all kinds of things you can use your handmade paper for, and we’re going to look at some of those projects in the following weeks! Enjoy! If you make some paper, post your pics!"