We all have those core memories that stick with us. For me, one of those is making paper at school when I was in grade school. We did it in the “little” gym as part of our Earth Day celebration and I was fascinated! We tore up old newspapers, misprints or extra copies that were going to be recycled, scrap paper, etc into the smallest pieces we could manage with our hands and soaked it in water. Then, we made our slurry and dipped our screens into the water to pull our paper. After allowing the paper to dry for a few days, we were allowed to take the paper home. It was so much fun and something I’ve always remembered doing.
Of course, our paper turned out lumpy and wasn’t the best quality, but it was fun and it stuck with me after all these years. Today, I want to share with you an elevated way of creating handmade paper. A process that will give you a finished product you can use to create handmade journals, use in your vintage or junk journaling, or on handmade cards! The process I’m sharing today is a little more detailed, but still just as easy!
Be sure to watch the two video tutorials below to see not only how to make your own handmade paper, but also an easy way to create your own DIY mould & deckle!
Video Tutorials
Easy DIY Mould & Deckle
How to Make Handmade Paper
How to Make Handmade Paper
Supplies
As with any tutorial I’ll start with the supplies you are going to need to create your own handmade paper.
To shop the supplies head HERE!
- Old paper – This can be recycled paper, card stock, printer paper, etc. I used old book pages and very thin cardboard for bits of brown.
- Blender or Food Processor
- Large Bowl for Soaking Paper
- Large Tub for Pulling Paper
- Mould & Deckle
- Sponge or Old Towels
- Drying Rack or Table
- Couching Sheets (I used an old bed sheet)
- Optional Additives (Strings, dried flowers, glitter, dye, coffee grounds, etc.)
Let’s break down the supplies.
Old Paper
This can be so many different things. You can use old newspapers, recycled printer paper, junk mail, etc. I used old book pages and very thin cardboard. Just know that whatever color of paper you are using is what is going to determine the color of paper you pull if you aren’t adding dye. My paper was primarily old muted brown, and I pulled a grayish brown paper. I added the cardboard so bits of brown would pop out in the finished pages.
Blender or Food Process
This is to make your paper into pulp. Be sure you are using a blender or food processor that is powerful enough to handle this process. And just know, once it is used for paper, you probably shouldn’t use it for food anymore!
Large Bowl
You want a bowl large enough to fit your paper and water to soak overnight or at least a few hours. This makes the blending process easier on your blender and give you a finer pulp!
Large Tub
Your tub is what you are going to be putting your pulp and water into and pulling your paper sheets. You will need a tub large enough to fit your mould & deckle. I was able to use a Sterilite Tote, which I leave linked in the Amazon Idea list, but you may need something larger if you want to pull larger sheets of paper. Or maybe you’re going smaller and need only a small tub.
Mould & Deckle
I shared how I made my mould & deckle above and that is a great option! However, if you aren’t like me and think your projects through, you can order a mould & deckle online! I will leave some linked in the Amazon Idea list in my storefront.
Sponge &/or Old Towels
These are to remove excess water from your pulled paper so it will release from the screen. A sponge is the better option, but towels will work in a pinch! I used towels, because again, planning is not something I do a lot of!
Drying Rack or Table
The handmade paper takes awhile to dry. And you need somewhere to put it while it is drying. I used a plain plastic folding table covered in an old bed sheet (which doubled as my couching sheets – more below), but a drying rack is great to speed up the process!
Couching Sheets
When you flip the paper over and start removing water, this is called couching (KOO-ching), yes for real. I don’t like the name either, but that’s what it is. Anyway, you will need a surface to do that process on. Like I said above, I did mine on an old bed sheet that was covering my table where I dried my paper, but you can use felt sheets, old cotton sheets, etc. There are a lot of options. Just know, your paper will take on that texture, so have fun with it!
Optional Additives
You can absolutely leave your paper as is and just pull sheets from the pulp. But just know you can add things to your pulp and pull paper with different additive included. A few ideas are dye or food coloring to change the color of your paper, coffee grounds, glitter, threads, dried flowers, and tissue paper to name a few. Have fun with it and use your imagination!
Making Handmade Paper
The process of making handmade paper is fairly simple. Watch the video to see the process in action. Paper making is a bit trial and error and really seeing the amount of pulp to add, how to pull the sheet, etc. is the best way to learn!
A few things to remember.
Pull Test Sheets
Every pull is not going to be perfect. Pull a few test sheet and adjust the amount of pulp and/or water to be sure you are getting the thickness you want. The more pulp you add and pull, the thicker the sheet. The less, the thinner. But you can’t make it too thin, or the paper won’t be usable.
This Is A Wet & Messy Process!
Making handmade paper is messy and WET! Plan accordingly – don’t be like me! I did mine in a basement, in winter, in Iowa. It was COLD! It worked, but it was cold and drying time was increased because of the cold. Also, this process is messy and drips will happen. If you have to do this on carpet or hard wood, put down a tarp. I would suggest doing it outside, but I know that’s not always possible. Just be prepared if you making handmade paper inside!
Making Handmade Paper Takes Time
Making handmade paper is not a ten minute project. Even with the most favorable drying and soaking conditions and a high powered blender with every step going perfectly, you’re still looking at a few hours at the very least. Again, plan accordingly. If you need your paper for a project, do it several days beforehand so the paper has plenty of time to dry. I like to make a lot of paper at once in a neutral color. This way, I have plenty on hand. You can also add dye to your pulp and pull different colors, so you have plenty of colorful papers on hand if that is more your style!
If you haven’t already, be sure to watch the video tutorials above! And if you have and are ready to start making your own handmade paper and/or mould & deckle, here is the Amazon Idea list to get you started!
Until next time, Happy Crafting!
Crafting While Caffeinated with Lindsay Adreon 