Sunday, August 17, 2014

Handmade Paper


As promised, here is my paper-making tutorial.

I started with two sheets of this cotton linter.  I think I got the linter and my paper-making mold from the toy store that used to be in Ward Warehouse. I forget the name . . . Child's Play?
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I tore up the linter along with a sheet of dark blue card stock.  I put the pieces in a bowl of warm water and let it soak for a few minutes. 
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Then I dumped everything into this old blender that I keep in my closet just for this purpose.  It's been quite a few years since I last used the blender so it shocked me that it still worked.  

I actually shoulda done half at a time and put double the water, but too late . . .  I ended up using a chopstick to shove all the stuff on the top down to the bottom.  
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Here's the pulp.  If I had done it right, I coulda got it shredded finer, but nooooooo . . .  
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This is my deckle and mold.  The screen part (mold) goes on the bottom and the wooden frame thing (deckle) goes on top of the screen.
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I put a handful of pulp into each section and swooshed it around in a tub filled with water to level out the pulp.  
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Then I removed the deckle and turned the screen upside down onto a felt sheet.
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I removed some of the water by dabbing with a sponge.
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Then I lifted off the screen.
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I placed another felt sheet on top and repeated and repeated and repeated.
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I placed the finished sheets of felt between two cutting boards and pressed them together over the sink to drain off as much water as I could.  I even put the boards on the floor and stepped on um to press out as much water as I could.
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Then I separated the paper and let them dry.  It usually takes about a day to dry.
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Here is the finished product. It came out kinda thick and bumpy. 
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Here is the card that I made using the paper.
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And same thing as with the "love always" cards, I made a whole bunch.  Let me know if you want cards . . . JalnaA@aol.com.  I'll send you some. Free.

19 comments:

Dd said...

Beewtifullll......okay, now, can we talk about the vintage blender...and...umm...this closet of "goodies" is there a secret room in your closet where all your stash is ??

jalna said...

Thanks Didi. No, no secret room. Just shelves and bins jam packed.

K and S said...

pretty! you should sell your cards :)

Anonymous said...

j: I'll trade with cha. I promised avocados to you and for them could I have one sheet? I go to town this Wed. and will be pau about 11 a.m. at the Ala Moana bldg. You are nearby I think? I'll hang out in that area cuz of the K-store I wanna go to and the J-store I need to check out. Can I go to your office - drop off at curb - or meet you someplace. If so, I'll email you my email addy and give you my cell # and we can set something up. Plus it'll be good to see ya after, what, over 40 years? -N

jalna said...

Thanks Kat!

I would love avocados, N!

Kalin's Mommy said...

I remember making paper in Japan, was so much fun!

Erick said...

That is so nice, you so talented. Love the blender. Hand crank?

jalna said...

You made paper in Japan, Mich? Probably was the authentic washi kine . . . how cool!

You so frickn' funny, Erick.

Jody A said...

I don't need the cards but I did want to say that your instructions are great and it looked very nice!

jalna said...

Awww, thanks for taking the time to comment, Jody!

Nippon Nin said...

Beautiful! I love the color!

I don't remember making paper in Japan but that's something I might enjoy doing it.

jalna said...

It's a very relaxing thing to do, Akemi. I think you would enjoy it.

Susan said...

You are sooo industrious! How do you make the ribbon soo perfect? Beautiful!!

Leslie's pics said...

That's pretty awesome...waaaay too much work for me, so I'll just admire the ones that you make :) I'm surprised you never burn the house down with a blender like that!!

jalna said...

I think it's OCD, Susan. I'm gonna make a whole pile of um and then suddenly . . . BAM . . . I'm gonna stop.

The blender did have a smell, Les. LOL!!

Nippon Nin said...

Thank you Jalna. They are amazingly good looking cards. You can sell them at Hallmark store.
You're so artistic and has sweet soul.

jalna said...

You're welcome, Akemi. I feel the same way about you.

Mokihana said...

I took a paper-making class once and just loved it! Loved the process, loved the results. Maybe when I retire I can do it again.

jalna said...

I can imagine you doing something like this, Moki.