Paper making
It's only mid-day, and already I've made ten sheets of handmade paper, and been out for a (very hilly) bike ride.
I've been meaning to have a go at making paper since I took part in a paper making workshop run by Art Angells at Compton Verney. I bought one of her paper-making kits, then over time acquired a blender (we did have one but decluttered it), a bowl (ditto), and a board that I don't mind standing on.
Last night, I soaked some junk mail envelopes (good because they have less ink) and liquidised them this morning. They make a pale blue pulp.
Yikes - there are jets screaming low over the hill - why???
Anyway - I then added water to the pulp until the bowl was half-full, and sprinkled some seed heads into the mixture (dandelion and little star-shaped seeds from those plants that have leaves that look pretty when water droplets stand on them - oh, what are they called?) Then slid the paper-making frame into the water, sloshed it about a bit and then slowly lifted it out. A layer of paper forms on top. I lifted out the mesh, placed it on a towel and put a plastic drying sheet on top. The board goes on top of this, and you stand on it for a few seconds. Magically, the paper transfers from the mesh onto the drying sheet. So, I now have ten sheets of pale blue paper (varying quality) drying all over the kitchen work surfaces. Rick will be pleased.
The highlight of the bike ride was spinning past a beautiful male pheasant. He was perched on a gate. We both stared at each other with the same amazed expression, then I was gone before he could even think about panicking.
posted by Carole @ 11:59 am
4 Comments:
Oh, I am full of envy. I so want to have a go at making paper. Also, I long to hand-mable paper too.
jpeg please!
What are you going to do with your paper, now that you have made it?
Oh - and the jets? That comes with living in the countryside... we had some real screamers over yesterday. I think we are far too close to the RAF bases in Moray - well, Griff believes so anyway.
I've edited the post to add a picture. It's gone kind of bubbly for some reason - I suspect there was not enough paper pulp in the mixture. I quite like the wierd texture, but paper probably *should* be flat.
As for what I'm going to do with it - well (*blush*) I haven't worked that bit out yet. Any ideas?
You will be fairly near Kinloss, which is where my Dad was posted. He was nimrod flight crew.
Ah - I know a very nice flight sergeant, working on Nimrods at Kinloss.
As for what to do with the paper? Bind it into a book, and hand-pen your poetry onto it.
That's a nice idea.
It has dried now, and the bubbles flattened out a bit, so they just leave an interesting texture on the surface. Because I used envelopes, the glue in them has made the surface silky-smooth, so it would be nice to write on. I'll have a go.
I fancy doing some with dried rose petals (except I don't have any dried rose petals, but there's always pot pourri!) Or lavender - now there's an idea.
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