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After paying good money for all of that acid free paper, do you ever wonder if there is something you can do with the scraps? Many of us carefully store them sorted by color but we have more scraps than they we could EVER use for punches or whatnot. This is where papermaking comes in!

Paper making is time consuming and messy like most other crafts, but it is fun and rewarding. You can either use items that you have around the house or purchase papermaking supplies, it is up to you. Making paper out of your scraps of acid free paper is fun and the unique papers that you create are great to use in your scrapbooks or on custom journal covers.

Beautiful handmade papers can be made out of tissue paper, napkins, typing papers, construction paper and  Kleenex,  BUT if you are going to use it in your scrapbook, you will want to use ONLY acid free, lignin free papers and cardstock.  Many rubber stampers add dried flowers, sequins, ribbon, thread, embossing powders which add shine,  glitter, tea grounds, spices, ribbons and lace, money, confetti, feathers, and just about anything that can be torn into small bits BUT again, if your intention is to use the paper you create inside your scrapbooks, be careful to add only “safe” ingredients. Papers that will be used for a journal or book cover will allow you to go wild and use things that might not be safe around your photos.

There are several methods of making paper - the Western or European, Japanese, and the Ancient Chinese method. The method we will be using is the European Dip Method. Paper is defined by Sheril Cunning in her book called “Papermaking for Rubber Stampers” as “a material composed of cellulose fibers which have been beaten to separate the individual strands of fiber; the beaten fibers are suspended in a vat of water, and then they are sieved out of the water on some kind of a screening device. The fibers bond and mat together when the newly formed sheet is pressed and as it dries.”

Things You will Need

Blender or food processor
1/3 & 1 Cup measuring cups
Finely torn paper
Water
Cotton Linters
Container for the beaten pulp (called slurry) larger than paper mold- ( A Rubbermaid sweater storage box, plastic dish pan or an unused cat litter box will do nicely)
Paper mould-screen attached to a frame
Deckle “fence” to hold pulp in place
Couching (pronounced like ”smooch”) container
Sponge
Paper Towels
Old Terrycloth Towels
Clothes Pins

(Optional materials  paper sizing, iron, paper press, add-ins)

 A   Mould-screen and Deckle can be made out of stretcher frames fairly cheaply (most hobby or fabric stores carry stretcher frames). Two sets of each size will be needed. You will need to have a frame just slightly larger than 12 x 12 to make 12 x 12 papers, however a smaller frame will be adequate to make papers that will be used to highlight your pages, not to cover an entire page. Plastic canvas used for counted cross stitch or window screening is then stapled  to the top of one of the frames. Velcro tape can be stapled across the sides of both frames to keep them firmly together when stacked. Screens and deckles can also be purchased at the craft stores, or come with paper making kits.  I do not use a deckle, instead I use the “inside” of the mould to make the paper and a dryer sheet to help me remove the paper.

Cotton linters are be added to the mixture to function as a binding agent. Cotton linters are available at craft stores or rubber stamping stores. They are the short fibers which cling to the cotton boll after the long fibers have been removed for cloth making. Linters come in sheets or in prepackaged sheets.

One quick note on mixing colors before we go any further. You need to be aware of the colors of the papers that you are mixing together. You can easily end up with odd colored paper if you mix the wrong colors together.  You can mix compatible colors together (blue and purple, pink and purple, blue and green, red and yellow, purple and red, red and orange, orange and yellow, yellow and green) for very pretty combinations. If you mix purple and yellow, red and green, or blue and orange you will get brown. If you are unsure of compatible colors, check your color wheel. Do not mix any colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel.

Gather all of your scraps and tear them into 1″ pieces. Sort the scraps into piles of the same color or color families. (Blues together, Reds and pinks together, etc.)

Paper Add-Ins
After you have blended the paper into pulp, you can add in any number of items to make unique handmade papers. Confetti, sequins, tiny bits of colored papers, finely torn bits of maps, comics, money, dried flower petals, yarns, threads, spices, tea grounds, coffee grounds, turmeric (which will turn your paper yellow), herbs, and even dryer lint will all give your efforts a truly handmade look.  If you are planning to use the paper you make for scrapbooking, be sure that these add-ins are also “safe” for your photos. To add these items:Place a few on top of the screen and then carefully pour the slurry on top.
Place more add-ins on top.
Or add them into the slurry before pouring the mixture onto the screen but do NOT turn on the blender after they have been added. Mix them in by hand!)

Making the Paper
1. Place the deckle on the mould and place both in a container of water, like a dishpan, that is large enough for you to get your hands on both sides of the frames, and deep enough for the mould to be just covered in water (***Placing a sheet of pellon in between the two frames to help you remove the wet piece of paper from the screen is a MUST!!!).
2. Have a couching pan (such as a raised-edge cookie sheet, large enough to hold the frame and deckle and excess water) ready to use.
3. Fold up an old towel and have it close by. Decide what color paper you’ll be making first and make sure you have enough scraps torn.  (Generally 1/3 cup of finely packed paper will be just enough for an 8 X 11 frame.)
4. Place the torn paper and linters into your blender, and add parts water for each part paper scraps. Blend for about 1 minute. If you blend too long the fibers of the paper are shortened and your paper will be weaker.
5. Next, use a tub of water to put the pulp into a watery suspension. This will ensure a even distribution of pulp onto the screen. Swirl the pulp into the water in the dishpan until it is mixed in well. Then dip in your mould and raise it up. If needed, spread the pulp evenly over the screen of the mould by swishing your fingers in the water, or using a spatula, fork, or any handy utensil. Some people use a hair lifter to break up the pulp and get a more even texture to the paper.
6. Make sure that the pulp is thick enough for the type of paper you want. If it is not thick enough you can dip the mould back into the pan to collect more pulp. After removing the mould from the water place it on your couching pan to drain.
7.  Press the sponge onto the top of the paper mould, then wring it out and press again. Continue this process until you cannot wring out any more water from the sponge. If using couch sheets, cover the slurry with the couch sheet and press down firmly. Reapply dry couch sheets and repeat the process. Or simply lift your paper off of the mould and put in on some towels. Pressing the paper with a towel will remove the excess water and add to the texture of the paper.
8. Carefully remove the cover sheet or couch sheets from the mould, peeling back very slowly from a corner. If the paper sticks, try another corner, or continue removing water or couching and try again.
9. Pick up the papermaking mould and turn it over, turning out the paper, onto a dry couch sheet or paper towel which is laying on an old towel or any absorbent surface (if you used a piece of pellon under the slurry, just pick this up and place it on the towel).
10. Press a sponge down hard all over the surface of the screen. Wring out the sponge and press again to remove as much water as possible (or if you are using the couch sheets repeat step 8).
11. Carefully lift off the couch sheet or pellon and the mould from the new paper as in step 9.

Drying the Paper
Ironing:
You can use an iron to dry the paper. Place the new sheet of paper on the ironing surface. Place a thin cloth over the top. With an iron on high, iron slowly and without stopping over the new sheet until dry.

Microwave:
You can place the newly made piece of paper on paper towels and dry in the microwave. Heat the paper on high for 3 or 4 minutes. Turn the paper over and repeat the process until paper is dry. This paper will tend to crinkle and is great for adding texture.

Air Dry:
Depending on your climate, you can dry your paper outdoors. Place the wet sheet of new paper on a couple of paper towels and lay on the sidewalk, back porch, or any even surface. Placed directly in the hot sun will quickly dry the paper. In 90 degree temperatures the paper will take several hours to dry. Sun dried paper tends to crinkle.

Paper Press:
A simple paper or flower press can also be used to dry the paper more slowly and give it a more pliable texture and smoother surface. Place the paper between blotter sheets. Change the sheets fairly often. The time on this method varies greatly with temperatures and humidity. Three dimensional paper presses are also available and make pretty decorations for the covers of your albums.

The Cleanup:
Left over pulp can be placed in the refrigerator in a covered container, strained or in solution, for up to two weeks. you can also make a very thick piece of paper out of the left over pulp, and then recycle that the next time you decide to make paper. Do not wash the blender or food processor bowl  in the sink. Take it out into the yard and/ or swish the container around in the frame/deckle pan until all traces of pulp are gone. The water in the frame/deckle container also needs to be thrown outside.  DO NOT THROW THIS WATER DOWN YOUR KITCHEN SINK!!! Do not wash the blender or food processor bowl  in the sink. Take it out into the yard and/ or swish the container around in the frame/deckle pan until all traces of pulp are gone. The water in the frame/deckle container also needs to be thrown outside. The mixture can be poured into an old pillowcase. Once inside the pillow case, squeeze out the excess moisture. Then peel the pulp off the cloth. This can be added to future papers to give a mottled look. If you have had any unusual additives, you can flush the water down the toilet or pour it in an outside drain.

Do not wash the blender or food processor bowl  in the sink. Take it out into the yard and/ or swish the container around in the frame/deckle pan until all traces of pulp are gone. The water in the frame/deckle container also needs to be thrown outside. The mixture can be poured into an old pillowcase. Once inside the pillow case, squeeze out the excess moisture. Then peel the pulp off the cloth. This can be added to future papers to give a mottled look. If you have had any unusual additives, you can flush the water down the toilet or pour it in an outside drain.The couching sheets can be air dried, or  dried in the microwave. After everything is dried and cleaned, you can stack the screen, couching fabrics, paper towels, newspapers and other papermaking items in the couching pan. Place everything into a paper sack so that you will be ready for your next papermaking session.

This is a great activity to do in a group or at a scrapbooking club. Since everyone can enjoy making paper and there is only ONE mess to clean up!

Before I wrote this article in 1997 I actually made paper to see how hard it was. It wasn’t tough at all. My husband was nice enough to build me some 12 x 12 inch deckles from framing supplies and plastic screening. I really enjoy the process and always look forward to the beautiful papers I can create as a play around with the technique.

Copyright 1997 Jennia Hart