Homemade paper

How to make homemade paper

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.

Easy Step 1

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.

Easier Step 1

Tear approximately 20 sheets of toilet paper into 1-inch squares.

Easy Step 2

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.

Easier Step 2

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.

Easy Step 3

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.

Easier Step 3

Soak the torn toilet paper in a dishpan of cool water for 15 minutes.  Blend one-quarter cup at a time for about 5 to 10 seconds, or until the consistency turns creamy.

Easy and Easier Step 4

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.

Easy Step 5

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.

Easier Step 5

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.