I was taking a papermaking class in college when we were sent home last semester so I have some experience make paper at home! I have some tips if you try this again. It really helps to have a finer pulp, it should feel like slush, this helps you get a thinner and more even looking piece of paper. For forming your sheets it’s easier if your mold and deckle has a wooden frame, without it the sheet warps and you don’t get as even as a piece of paper. In my first day of quarantine I only had popsicle sticks so I cut and glued them to get a sturdy edge. When putting paper on a surface like a window do it straight from your wooden mold and deckle and press firmly on all sides and the center to get an even piece. You can also reactive dried pulp for later. If you are keeping it out you need to wash it and change the water daily to prevent mold and it should really always be in the fridge. I’m so excited that you’re getting into papermaking it’s such a wonderful process! For one of my projects I collected flowers from my town and blended it into my pulp to make floral paper! You have to seal the paper with mod podge or something though to stop the flowers from decaying. I would love to see more of your papermaking adventures💕
Yeah, a finer pulp would make the papers easier to fold. And if you still want a more handmade feel to the paper you can add some bigger sized pulp to your smaller sized pulp. The finer sized pulp should be the base where you then add other pulp for decorative purposes.
I can’t imagine how some people would have survived when we wrote letters using a paper and pen. Apparently anything over four sentences is loooonnnngggg. I used to write my best friend fifty page letters in junior high. I see these comments from time to time and can’t help wonder why they don’t just pass these looooonnnnggg comments by rather than stop to criticize? Did someone force you to read it? 🙄
Once I've been to a paper-making class with my son, he was quite young and now I understand why paper napkins were used for that class :))) it literally melted in water, no beating needed. having a bunch of kids around, that's exactly what you need - an easy process :) one thing which was unexpected - they used dried rose petals, the delicate ones and the paper turned out to be really cool, romantic even :)))
I like your approach. Reading a book instead of just the internet, not going out to buy stuff, you just give it a try and know itˋs a process and doesnˋt have to be perfect the first time.
I love that you share the WHOLE learning journey. I think I will opt for drying my paper outside...I think it will dry faster and it could be covered with a screen or cheese cloth "tent" to keep the bugs out. I like that you can put flower seeds in you handmade paper so that it can be recycled into the garden or a flower pot.
Hi beautiful, 🥰sorry for infringing on your privacy, i was just scrolling through UA-cam videos when I came across your pulchritudinous picture on your profile while scrolling through this UA-cam videos and reading few comments luckily I found yours first which immediately urged my heart and it stopped then pushed me to message you,I bet if beauty contest could be held among angels you would have won 👸 .. please If you don’t mind I would like to chat with you when you’re free to do so, I don’t use UA-cam always but I don’t mind WhatsApp if you’re good with it also…
Thanks for the great introduction to paper making! I tried paper making for the first time last Fall at a course, and I made enough A4 sized papers to make a small book in the future. We used a hand blender in a bucket to make the pulp after letting the paper scrabs soak in water. And to dry the paper we first used a sponge, then ironed the paper in between a couple of pieces of cotton fabric. Just don't use steam when you iron, because that's counterproductive. A lot of papers alreary have the size on them, that helps to hold them together. So if you use like office paper or old mail, you don't need to add size to your pulp water mixture, because the papers already have it. If you want to make some fancy papers, I recommend adding the top layers of some nice paper napkins to the paper, right after you lift the deckle from your water pulp mixture. The fibers stick to each other. I also added dried and pressed flowers to my papers this way and they turned out really pretty.
@@adinapeterson3929 Experimenting is definitely one of the best parts of paper making. I also added some images that I ripped from newspapers on the paper after lifting the deckle from the water. One lady on my course even added some feathers to her papers! I also added flowery loose leaf green tea to my water pulp mixture at some point. I got some interesting papers that way and they smell amazing! :p
So honored to have been mentioned by you ❤️ This must have been such an enjoyable experiment and do hope you continue to make more paper to bind them as beautifully as you do 😍
I can't wait to watch this! I saved all my notes from last semester, and I'm going to make them into paper to make an art journal. Why not make something beautiful out of all my hard work? :) EDIT: Well, I am undeterred. If I can't make sheets that will fold well enough to book bind, I'll make art prints out of them. :) Thank you for sharing your particular process and struggles! :)
Ive been making paper with very basic supplies and I can tell you that its absolutely possible to make journals out of them. I have been both making single sheet binded notebooks and folded. It just can't handle as much paper as your standard notebook since the paper is bound to be thicker than machine made ones. Don't give up! It is a trial and errors type of art, if it doesnt work one way, try a different way and you will eventually find the perfect way for you :)
Thank you for saying papermaking was harder than you'd thought it would be! Experts make it look easy but I imagine there's lots of room for trial and error.
I was going to say exactly the same. I hope Jennifer appreciates our tremendous effort to listen to her and trying not to stare at Kona the whole time, hahahaha
I really want to try this after seeing that there's a low budget and low commitment way to do this, but I think it's gonna have to wait until it's summer because this definitely seems like an outside project lmao. I'd like to do some impasto painting on it, I think that'd look neat.
I find that a pour mold is easier to work with and eliminates the trial and error with how much pulp to have in the vat. Arnold Grummer has some really nice kits and a book with great techniques. You might enjoy his tin can kit if you’re looking for a less formal way of making paper with pre bought molds.
I’m actually making paper today - an iron is good for starting the drying process, and drying under pressure helps make a stronger paper. I don’t have much luck with it being good at folding, though, either.
I used to make paper when I was a little kid, and I didn't use any of those materials... I would use newspaper in a bucket, tint it with finger paint, squeeze the water out and shape with my hands onto another piece of newspaper, wrap it well in the paper and leave it in the sun to dry. It did form a bit too thick paper, but it was so fun to make and use, I loved it.
this was so thorough! thank you. i really like the fact that you gave alternatives to supplies. i hate when diy projects want you to have ten hyperspecific products because half the fun of diy is that you can make new things out of old things or even garbage!
I made paper before: when I was in elementary school. We used newspapers and recycled paper (from the recycle bin). We let it sit for about 24/48 hours so the fibers would separate. We then used a immersion blender to blend the paper and we drained it. We put the pulp sit on a piece of polystyrene from some kind of packaging and let it dry near the window (or else it would fly away if it was outside the window.
I mix the paper scraps in the vat after soaking for a day with a paint stirrer attachment and a drill. If you want to make large rustic sheets you can pour the pulp onto a towel outside then press with another towel,and let dry. Fun to do with kids
I love how you came up with such different methods to make paper despite sm content online related to this topic, the amount of research, thought and work that went into making this video is evident! love it
I really think you should use blender method because it will give you really fine paper, I also really think you should add water to those pulp which you store in containers and I also think that you should use cotton cloth instead of flet, I think you should make the papers thinner and you can let them dry there too. I hope you see this and I hope you like my advice, hope you try them out. Love you😘
I quite like the chunky look of your paper! If you want to revisit the paper making without investing in a real mold and decal I recommend using an embroidery hoop and some tulle, or whatever meshy fabric you've got laying around. I've been making product tags using a small 3 inch hoop that looks so darling and it's surprisingly not a pain in the butt like I initially thought it would be having to remove the outer hoop every time. Just tighten the hoop enough to keep the tulle taught but not so tight that you cant slip the outer ring off. I hope you go back and try this out again! I loved seeing your trial and error process! :D
Your papers are beautiful! Good for you for testing the process which is the best teacher after all the books, videos, and people research. The VanderWalles (probably misspelled) forces right when lifting the screen from the water (a sucking action) pulls the fibres to each other and the actual fibres interlock. This is what makes paper and not just a paper maché sheet. Having finer pulp may assure this but the source of pulp makes a big difference. Copy paper is made from wood pulp and that is of short fibres. Adding some beaten Japanese papers will add longer fine fibres and thinner sheets can be made that hold together. Also beaten fibres of inner bark of dafhne, mitumata, gampi. kosovo, etc. meet this criteria. Your first session has yielded some lovely paper-like forms yet they will hold together better by getting the fibres to actually draw to each other and interlock. Mixing in finer pulped recycled papers could achieve this while leaving chunky bits for beauty will help but if the source of fibre is weak it just gets pulped to wet dust and won’t lock. But if some longer stronger fibres are introduced, ones that break down to fine strands, not wet dust, such as those Japanese papers, added to your recycled pulp the results will be true paper of infinite variety, beautiful surface design and most of all the very coveted deckle edge handmade paper is known for. I hope you keep making and experimenting because I applaud your approach to learning and you are an excellent communicator.🦌💌❤️📚
This is my first feeling of your channel. I have been watching quite a few paper making videos, and really enjoyed your approach and honesty. Subscribed.
oh my god you changed and in a good way! like you were my childhood and i always watched ur videos, you popped up on my recommendations just now and i got so many memories back love ur work keep it up!
I have made paper every year with my 4th grade classes. If you like that very textured paper, that's fine, but if you want something you can bend or bind, your pulp should be much finer. I was lucky enough to have a cast-off blender to use for pulping. You could also try cooking the pulp. Sometimes it's nice to have those bigger pieces of scraps with the finer pulp. It would strengthen your paper without making it so thick if you used some cotton linter mixed with the scraps. You could just use white felt instead of the colored, which I noticed also dyed your paper. With so many classes, I couldn't afford piles of felt (everyone wanted to make many sheets of paper!), so I used fabric interlining (Pellon) for felts. Finer screens definitely make smoother paper. Looks like you had fun!
I just wanted you to know that I started watching you whenever I was in 6th grade and I'm now a sophomore in college and still watching your videos! ❤️
i have been making paper for a month now and i somehow perfected the consistency and what not. Usually you need ordinary papers like newspapers or thin bondpapers or copy papers or any kind of paper that has no gloss. What i did was tear the paper into pieces...or shred them or whatever. then i soaked the papers for at least 8 hours or until they were brittle. then normally you should blend it but if you dont have a blender, you can use a mortar and pestle and pound them until they are soft and mashed . then i soak them back until it looks like fibrous pieces. Then when straining them, the principle is more water results into very thin papers and less water equals very thick paper. you can try it , jennifer. and you can even add some dried flowers or sparkly paper if you want for some texture
This has been the most useful YT vid on paper making i've seen yet, and have been psyching myself up to coming round to making some and you've really motivated me to start so thank you!!
I’ve been saving my scraps to try this too! I really appreciate the research you did. I’ve been trying to find more resources for book/paper making and am really grateful that you lost yours. Thank you!
That was a fun video! I took a paper making class in college. A finer pulp really does help the overall texture of the paper. We used "Pelon" four couching and it worked really well. It is the stuff that they use for interfacing basically, but get the kind with no adhesive. Also the more pressure used for pressing, the better the paper comes out.We had an actual press at school that pressed at hundreds of pounds. However using two boards and putting the piles of paper with their couching material between them and using weights- from book to humans to press them for several minutes will still work better than simply rolling them. I would bring my paper home damp. I would put a piece of blotting paper between each sheet. I used two large flat hard pieces of wood to put the stacks of paper between, and nylon straps... like for compressing sleeping bags... two around the long side, one around the short, and cinch them all as tight as they would go. After I got home, I would change to new blotting paper, and put my wet blotting paper on a drying rack to reuse. I would then put them back between the boards and cinched them again. I changed the blotting paper 3 times a day until the paper was nearly completely dry, then would put each piece on a small over the door drying rack.. I got some nice paper this way, thin pieces with good cohesion. Depending on the material, I was able to fold many of them and use them in art projects. You can actually size homemade paper after the fact. Even covering them with a wash of thin gelatin will work. You can also use other raw materials for making the pulp, like pulling apart cotton rags and snipping them into small pieces. With careful sizing, paper produced this way can make some very nice art paper, even watercolor. I was even able to make a sort of watermark type thing on my sheets by sticking a shaped piece of craft foam on the mold (or was it deckle?) that left an imprint on the paper. AHHHH, I really loved paper making. I will sign up again when live classes start again. :)
if you enjoyed it I would definitely recommend picking up a blender from the charity shop. I love making paper its much easier when the pulp matter is very small. I thought the yellow paper you made was adorable, it would be lovely on anything.
you can add glue to your extra pulp and use it for paper mache. There are other tutorials for using the pulp to make air dry clay or fire starters for camping, wood burning fireplaces, or firepits
Your paper came out Beautiful! Great video and very helpful tips! I love your idea of doing by hand versus a blender! So many Wonderful uses for this paper! Even though it's fragile, you can glue onto pages in a journal or scrapbook, glue onto cardstock or file folder to make tags, frame and use for wall art! Great job~Thank you for sharing! 🥰❤
I love when you try something new and share that with us. That helps me see the process as a novice and hear how you experience the craft for the first time. That said, I appreciate your skill, and learning from your years of expertise :-) Be well and thank you.
I'm a teacher and I made paper with my kids. I was using a portable blender to blend it and right at the beginning it died so I hand mashed probably 50 maybe be sheets of paper into mush. It wasn't fun especially when you have 10 preschoolers over your shoulder " what are you doing?"
I remember making paper in elementary school and we put Elmer's glue in the water to hold the paper together. We used a wire hanger and panty hose to make the frame. *Memories*
I loved this video! I'm always drawn to handmade papers (especially those with natural elements like leaves and flowers!) and never really knew where to start to make it. Watching this makes me think maybe I'll leave it to summer when I can do this outside, but you've made it very accessible. These papers would add lovely decorative touches to tags, bookmarks, inserts on book covers... so many options! Cheers!
I am also gonna recycle old papers and make new papers! I tried this when I was really small and it failed but gonna make again and let's hope getting succeeded :) Your video was really detailed and helpful! Enjoyed watching.....
I've just started trying to make paper using some other videos as a starting point. Got some good ideas from yours such as drying on a window. Keep up the great work.
I boiled the shredded paper to render it into pulp. Very soft and consistent you beaten pulp was very colorful not only because of the various colors, which I hadn’t used but because the beating gave it this appearance. Thank you for your time and knowledgable with this video.
I tried this at a few years ago using the picture frame method but I used an old delicates bag from the laundry room for the screen and it was the best decision I made. It made some great paper. Another fun trick I tried was putting some laser jet prints between two thin layers of pulp to make a surprise image when the paper was held up to the light.
I make paper with my fourth grade class every year. Construction paper works really well. We use the homemade paper as covers on a little note pad. It doesn’t require folding so we don’t have to deal with the fragile folds. Your paper is really pretty. Thanks for sharing.
I am currently making paper as well. A finer pulp makes for a cleaner and nicer finished product. I also use window screening with a wooden mould and deckle. After pulling the paper, I use a cut up bedding sheet to transfer the paper to. After that, I hang it up on a drying rack with a couple of clothespins and then peel it off the fabric the next day and then press the paper with a paper press or a heavy book. Keep up the good work and I hope you try it again soon!
We used pink Styrofoam insulation boards as couching boards when I took a papermaking class a couple semesters ago. They work really well for couching the paper onto, but they're so fragile and any deep gouges will affect the pull of your sheet of paper.
Your paper feels delicate in part because you chose to use the paper shredder rather than hand tearing. You’re meant to hand-tear so you get the longer paper fibre strands. When you use the shredder, you cut through those fibres so your paper won’t have strength. The efficiency you gain directly loses you quality (that’s what I was taught when I learned paper making, and it’s held true)
I went to a STEM camp once, and this was one of the activities that we tried! It was so much fun!! We put different pressed flowers and sparkles in ours too! 😊
Very nice video. I appreciate you posting the tries, fails, and successes. Years ago I made Christmas gift tags using cookie cutters. They turned out very cute. I did use a blender (found at a thrift store or garage sale for just a few dollars). I just set window screen above a container of some sort, placed a cookie cutter on top of that and then poured the sludge through it.
I am living for Kona in the background. I told a field trip in elementary school & we made paper there, I don't remember why, but I do remember we used construction paper in our paper making that we got to tear up. Using a shredder is such a genius idea Jen!
Hi beautiful, 🥰sorry for infringing on your privacy, i was just scrolling through UA-cam videos when I came across your pulchritudinous picture on your profile while scrolling through this UA-cam videos and reading few comments luckily I found yours first which immediately urged my heart and it stopped then pushed me to message you,I bet if beauty contest could be held among angels you would have won 👸 .. please If you don’t mind I would like to chat with you when you’re free to do so, I don’t use UA-cam always but I don’t mind WhatsApp if you’re good with it also
#2 I used sheer curtain fabric, not on with open holes, but sheer one cut into squares bigger the you mold & deckle (try the recycle shops), I stacked them on top of one another, then you put them into a press for around 20-40 minutes, after 5 minutes or so turn down the press, do that a couple of times, and I hung the pages on a clothes line to dry, out of the wind etc., I used my laundry room, or basement. After they are dry I ironed them with a dry iron, this helps to make them stronger, as does the pressing the water out.
You channel just popped up today so I watched this episode. I'm thrilled with your channel. I've liked and subscribed. You explain things so well and I really love how you took us on the process of paper making, including the things that worked and didn't. You have such a great television presence and explain things so well. Thank you!
I learned over this last year how to make paper, I have very limited supplies but ive had some decent success. I do use a secondhand blender, its really just so much easier than any other methods. I also used to keep my leftover pulp wet but after a few going bad on me I started straining it, getting as much water out as possible, and then ripping it up into little pieces before letting it sit out in the sun to dry up. Now I have a couple jars of the leftovers that wont ever go bad and It is reactivated pretty easily in water. I still blend it up but im sure if I let it soak for a little while it would go back to being a pulp consistency. I also made my own mold and deckle out of two plastic frames and some mosquito net. Its kept pretty well after almost a year of use. And I dry all my paper on my windows too! I have found the best way for me is to pull the paper off the cloth with my fingers (after pounding it with a sponge to get all the water out) and just gently placing it on the window. Its not the easiest method and it causes problems sometimes (like my paper is never a perfect rectangle for some reason) but i could never get it to transfer from the deckle or the cloth onto the glass :/
Hey Jennifer ! This video was so fun to watch since I had just tried my hand out in paper-making. I had used some copy paper and a normal blender and it turned out just fine... I was able to clean it out very easily and there was no paper stuck in the blender. I also used a flat sieve (as a mould) which is easily available where I live. Your idea of using the mesh and duct tape and drying the paper on a window/mirror though, is really cool and I can't wait to try that out next time !
First time I didn't leave the paper soaking long enough. Burnt out the motor on the blender. Paper was too thick and grey. However, it did improve and making just one sheet was very satisfying, but the kitchen looked like World War 3. I bought a mould and deckle. After seeing your video I think I will give it another go.
I would love to see you do this again with the sizing/gluing process added in. Definitely interested in what kind of difference that would make in the end result!
I find your videos so relaxing and calming, as well as informative. Also I love the picture of you wearing all those pairs of glasses on your end screen 😂
I make about 60-70 Christmas cards every year. About 10 years ago, I made my own paper from scraps. I soooo know some of what you went through making your own paper! I had some brass stencils on hand and used them to create embossed images on my paper. If I remember correctly, I think I put the brass stencil down before couching? I liked the effect and liked the final designs I created, but it might be better for one or two cards, NOT 60!
Hi beautiful, 🥰sorry for infringing on your privacy, i was just scrolling through UA-cam videos when I came across your pulchritudinous picture on your profile while scrolling through this UA-cam videos and reading few comments luckily I found yours first which immediately urged my heart and it stopped then pushed me to message you,I bet if beauty contest could be held among angels you would have won 👸 .. please If you don’t mind I would like to chat with you when you’re free to do so, I don’t use UA-cam always but I don’t mind WhatsApp if you’re good with it also…
Making paper is so much fun! I started making paper last summer or fall and now I'm planning on selling cards from that recycled paper, but I keep procrastinating to do it 😂🤣
Love your true and authentic vibe in this video. Just a suggestion instead of beating it and put your energy through it , keep it for more than 18 hours .It’s a better option
Loved watching your process! I always wanted to explore paper making, but just didn’t want to use a blender, so I love that you researched alternative methods. After seeing the process, I now know I really wouldn’t want to make paper, lol 😆. Thanks for the great video!
They look cool. I think they'd be great for decoupage or even the inside covers for coptic stich journals. Since those just use the smaller rectangle on the inside cover.
I was taking a papermaking class in college when we were sent home last semester so I have some experience make paper at home! I have some tips if you try this again. It really helps to have a finer pulp, it should feel like slush, this helps you get a thinner and more even looking piece of paper. For forming your sheets it’s easier if your mold and deckle has a wooden frame, without it the sheet warps and you don’t get as even as a piece of paper. In my first day of quarantine I only had popsicle sticks so I cut and glued them to get a sturdy edge. When putting paper on a surface like a window do it straight from your wooden mold and deckle and press firmly on all sides and the center to get an even piece. You can also reactive dried pulp for later. If you are keeping it out you need to wash it and change the water daily to prevent mold and it should really always be in the fridge. I’m so excited that you’re getting into papermaking it’s such a wonderful process! For one of my projects I collected flowers from my town and blended it into my pulp to make floral paper! You have to seal the paper with mod podge or something though to stop the flowers from decaying. I would love to see more of your papermaking adventures💕
Yeah, a finer pulp would make the papers easier to fold. And if you still want a more handmade feel to the paper you can add some bigger sized pulp to your smaller sized pulp. The finer sized pulp should be the base where you then add other pulp for decorative purposes.
Jeez thats loooonng
Saved me a lot of time ❤️
🤔🤔now I really really want to make my own paper. What helpful advice! You had a good teacher if you retained all that.
I can’t imagine how some people would have survived when we wrote letters using a paper and pen. Apparently anything over four sentences is loooonnnngggg. I used to write my best friend fifty page letters in junior high. I see these comments from time to time and can’t help wonder why they don’t just pass these looooonnnnggg comments by rather than stop to criticize? Did someone force you to read it? 🙄
"i'm going to beat the paper instead"
ah.... so you have chosen violence.......
😬
I believe you mean Lockdown therapy
So that’s where “beaten to a pulp” comes from? ♪───Ｏ（≧∇≦）Ｏ────♪
LOL
Peace was never an option
Imagine walking by her house and just seeing all the handmade paper slapped to the windows 😂😂
I was thinking that
Once I've been to a paper-making class with my son, he was quite young and now I understand why paper napkins were used for that class :))) it literally melted in water, no beating needed. having a bunch of kids around, that's exactly what you need - an easy process :) one thing which was unexpected - they used dried rose petals, the delicate ones and the paper turned out to be really cool, romantic even :)))
That sounds really interesting. I would like to try adding flowers.
were the rose petals also blended?
@@jin-kx4vl no, they weren't. But they were quite small and thin. Previously dried! I think that matters too.
I like your approach. Reading a book instead of just the internet, not going out to buy stuff, you just give it a try and know itˋs a process and doesnˋt have to be perfect the first time.
I love that you share the WHOLE learning journey. I think I will opt for drying my paper outside...I think it will dry faster and it could be covered with a screen or cheese cloth "tent" to keep the bugs out.
I like that you can put flower seeds in you handmade paper so that it can be recycled into the garden or a flower pot.
Hi beautiful, 🥰sorry for infringing on your privacy, i was just scrolling through UA-cam videos when I came across your pulchritudinous picture on your profile while scrolling through this UA-cam videos and reading few comments luckily I found yours first which immediately urged my heart and it stopped then pushed me to message you,I bet if beauty contest could be held among angels you would have won 👸 .. please If you don’t mind I would like to chat with you when you’re free to do so, I don’t use UA-cam always but I don’t mind WhatsApp if you’re good with it also…
Try using Japanese binding technique with this paper. That would be cool!
ua-cam.com/video/DYuItWIXUGI/v-deo.html
Thanks for the great introduction to paper making! I tried paper making for the first time last Fall at a course, and I made enough A4 sized papers to make a small book in the future. We used a hand blender in a bucket to make the pulp after letting the paper scrabs soak in water. And to dry the paper we first used a sponge, then ironed the paper in between a couple of pieces of cotton fabric. Just don't use steam when you iron, because that's counterproductive.
A lot of papers alreary have the size on them, that helps to hold them together. So if you use like office paper or old mail, you don't need to add size to your pulp water mixture, because the papers already have it.
If you want to make some fancy papers, I recommend adding the top layers of some nice paper napkins to the paper, right after you lift the deckle from your water pulp mixture. The fibers stick to each other. I also added dried and pressed flowers to my papers this way and they turned out really pretty.
Thanks for all the tips! I have added paper confetti to the top of paper before but next time I'll have to try fancy napkins.
@@adinapeterson3929 Experimenting is definitely one of the best parts of paper making. I also added some images that I ripped from newspapers on the paper after lifting the deckle from the water. One lady on my course even added some feathers to her papers! I also added flowery loose leaf green tea to my water pulp mixture at some point. I got some interesting papers that way and they smell amazing! :p
Tku for the napkin tip
The struggle is real. I did this years ago with my art teacher. It was so confusing.
Support your local libraries!
An interesting idea is to add plant seeds to the pulp and create greeting cards for gardener friends who can plant the cards in the garden afterwards.
Just imagine making 40 pages like this and making a sketchbook from those pages
Heaven
I did. It was very easy and you can use whatever you have around
sadly recycled paper doesn't take well to erasers and the fibres come apart when erased :( it would be awesome for ink-only sketchbooks though
So honored to have been mentioned by you ❤️ This must have been such an enjoyable experiment and do hope you continue to make more paper to bind them as beautifully as you do 😍
Aww Kona is so adorable laying with her arms and legs in the air 1:45
I can't wait to watch this! I saved all my notes from last semester, and I'm going to make them into paper to make an art journal. Why not make something beautiful out of all my hard work? :)
EDIT: Well, I am undeterred. If I can't make sheets that will fold well enough to book bind, I'll make art prints out of them. :) Thank you for sharing your particular process and struggles! :)
If you do this, Jennifer has a tutorial for binding single sheets of paper together, so you can still make a book.
I've made paper and painted on them with acrylic. It worked pretty well! Try stab binding (aka japanese binding)
Ive been making paper with very basic supplies and I can tell you that its absolutely possible to make journals out of them. I have been both making single sheet binded notebooks and folded. It just can't handle as much paper as your standard notebook since the paper is bound to be thicker than machine made ones.
Don't give up! It is a trial and errors type of art, if it doesnt work one way, try a different way and you will eventually find the perfect way for you :)
Thank you for saying papermaking was harder than you'd thought it would be! Experts make it look easy but I imagine there's lots of room for trial and error.
Sorry, I got distracted with your dog in the background 😂
I was going to say exactly the same. I hope Jennifer appreciates our tremendous effort to listen to her and trying not to stare at Kona the whole time, hahahaha
**Project Manager
soooo cute and calming to see doggo chillin´
I was literally doing this last night! I put a little glue in the paste so it sticks together
I really want to try this after seeing that there's a low budget and low commitment way to do this, but I think it's gonna have to wait until it's summer because this definitely seems like an outside project lmao. I'd like to do some impasto painting on it, I think that'd look neat.
I find that a pour mold is easier to work with and eliminates the trial and error with how much pulp to have in the vat. Arnold Grummer has some really nice kits and a book with great techniques. You might enjoy his tin can kit if you’re looking for a less formal way of making paper with pre bought molds.
I’m actually making paper today - an iron is good for starting the drying process, and drying under pressure helps make a stronger paper. I don’t have much luck with it being good at folding, though, either.
I used to make paper when I was a little kid, and I didn't use any of those materials... I would use newspaper in a bucket, tint it with finger paint, squeeze the water out and shape with my hands onto another piece of newspaper, wrap it well in the paper and leave it in the sun to dry. It did form a bit too thick paper, but it was so fun to make and use, I loved it.
Came for the title; stayed for the stretchy pupper in the background. 😁
this was so thorough! thank you. i really like the fact that you gave alternatives to supplies. i hate when diy projects want you to have ten hyperspecific products because half the fun of diy is that you can make new things out of old things or even garbage!
Adorable doggie being adorable in the background. 😴 🐶
I made paper before: when I was in elementary school. We used newspapers and recycled paper (from the recycle bin). We let it sit for about 24/48 hours so the fibers would separate. We then used a immersion blender to blend the paper and we drained it. We put the pulp sit on a piece of polystyrene from some kind of packaging and let it dry near the window (or else it would fly away if it was outside the window.
I mix the paper scraps in the vat after soaking for a day with a paint stirrer attachment and a drill. If you want to make large rustic sheets you can pour the pulp onto a towel outside then press with another towel,and let dry. Fun to do with kids
I love making paper! It is super relaxing and makes me feel so "recycle-y"
I too made my paper but I soaked them for 4 days and they got easily pulped by hands😄😄
I love how you came up with such different methods to make paper despite sm content online related to this topic, the amount of research, thought and work that went into making this video is evident! love it
I really think you should use blender method because it will give you really fine paper, I also really think you should add water to those pulp which you store in containers and I also think that you should use cotton cloth instead of flet, I think you should make the papers thinner and you can let them dry there too. I hope you see this and I hope you like my advice, hope you try them out. Love you😘
I quite like the chunky look of your paper! If you want to revisit the paper making without investing in a real mold and decal I recommend using an embroidery hoop and some tulle, or whatever meshy fabric you've got laying around. I've been making product tags using a small 3 inch hoop that looks so darling and it's surprisingly not a pain in the butt like I initially thought it would be having to remove the outer hoop every time. Just tighten the hoop enough to keep the tulle taught but not so tight that you cant slip the outer ring off. I hope you go back and try this out again! I loved seeing your trial and error process! :D
Your papers are beautiful! Good for you for testing the process which is the best teacher after all the books, videos, and people research. The VanderWalles (probably misspelled) forces right when lifting the screen from the water (a sucking action) pulls the fibres to each other and the actual fibres interlock. This is what makes paper and not just a paper maché sheet. Having finer pulp may assure this but the source of pulp makes a big difference. Copy paper is made from wood pulp and that is of short fibres. Adding some beaten Japanese papers will add longer fine fibres and thinner sheets can be made that hold together. Also beaten fibres of inner bark of dafhne, mitumata, gampi. kosovo, etc. meet this criteria. Your first session has yielded some lovely paper-like forms yet they will hold together better by getting the fibres to actually draw to each other and interlock. Mixing in finer pulped recycled papers could achieve this while leaving chunky bits for beauty will help but if the source of fibre is weak it just gets pulped to wet dust and won’t lock. But if some longer stronger fibres are introduced, ones that break down to fine strands, not wet dust, such as those Japanese papers, added to your recycled pulp the results will be true paper of infinite variety, beautiful surface design and most of all the very coveted deckle edge handmade paper is known for.
I hope you keep making and experimenting because I applaud your approach to learning and you are an excellent communicator.🦌💌❤️📚
I'm doing my first paper making today... I'm glad to see that new paper makers have problems too!!! Thank you for showing what does and doesn't work!
This is my first feeling of your channel. I have been watching quite a few paper making videos, and really enjoyed your approach and honesty. Subscribed.
oh my god you changed
and in a good way!
like you were my childhood and i always watched ur videos, you popped up on my recommendations just now and i got so many memories back
love ur work keep it up!
Finally seeing you making this
Thank you for this tutorial - especially showing an alternative to a wood mould & deckle. Lots of helpful tips and calming presence!
I have made paper every year with my 4th grade classes. If you like that very textured paper, that's fine, but if you want something you can bend or bind, your pulp should be much finer. I was lucky enough to have a cast-off blender to use for pulping. You could also try cooking the pulp. Sometimes it's nice to have those bigger pieces of scraps with the finer pulp. It would strengthen your paper without making it so thick if you used some cotton linter mixed with the scraps. You could just use white felt instead of the colored, which I noticed also dyed your paper. With so many classes, I couldn't afford piles of felt (everyone wanted to make many sheets of paper!), so I used fabric interlining (Pellon) for felts. Finer screens definitely make smoother paper. Looks like you had fun!
I just wanted you to know that I started watching you whenever I was in 6th grade and I'm now a sophomore in college and still watching your videos! ❤️
So cool 😎
i have been making paper for a month now and i somehow perfected the consistency and what not. Usually you need ordinary papers like newspapers or thin bondpapers or copy papers or any kind of paper that has no gloss. What i did was tear the paper into pieces...or shred them or whatever. then i soaked the papers for at least 8 hours or until they were brittle. then normally you should blend it but if you dont have a blender, you can use a mortar and pestle and pound them until they are soft and mashed . then i soak them back until it looks like fibrous pieces. Then when straining them, the principle is more water results into very thin papers and less water equals very thick paper. you can try it , jennifer.
and you can even add some dried flowers or sparkly paper if you want for some texture
This has been the most useful YT vid on paper making i've seen yet, and have been psyching myself up to coming round to making some and you've really motivated me to start so thank you!!
I’ve been saving my scraps to try this too! I really appreciate the research you did. I’ve been trying to find more resources for book/paper making and am really grateful that you lost yours. Thank you!
Omg I meant listed!!
That was a fun video! I took a paper making class in college.
A finer pulp really does help the overall texture of the paper.
We used "Pelon" four couching and it worked really well. It is the stuff that they use for interfacing basically, but get the kind with no adhesive.
Also the more pressure used for pressing, the better the paper comes out.We had an actual press at school that pressed at hundreds of pounds. However using two boards and putting the piles of paper with their couching material between them and using weights- from book to humans to press them for several minutes will still work better than simply rolling them.
I would bring my paper home damp. I would put a piece of blotting paper between each sheet. I used two large flat hard pieces of wood to put the stacks of paper between, and nylon straps... like for compressing sleeping bags... two around the long side, one around the short, and cinch them all as tight as they would go. After I got home, I would change to new blotting paper, and put my wet blotting paper on a drying rack to reuse. I would then put them back between the boards and cinched them again. I changed the blotting paper 3 times a day until the paper was nearly completely dry, then would put each piece on a small over the door drying rack..
I got some nice paper this way, thin pieces with good cohesion. Depending on the material, I was able to fold many of them and use them in art projects. You can actually size homemade paper after the fact. Even covering them with a wash of thin gelatin will work.
You can also use other raw materials for making the pulp, like pulling apart cotton rags and snipping them into small pieces. With careful sizing, paper produced this way can make some very nice art paper, even watercolor. I was even able to make a sort of watermark type thing on my sheets by sticking a shaped piece of craft foam on the mold (or was it deckle?) that left an imprint on the paper.
AHHHH, I really loved paper making. I will sign up again when live classes start again. :)
That was very informative. Thank you for the info. I tried this once, then found this video. Your advise is the best. 😊I can’t wait to try again now.
if you enjoyed it I would definitely recommend picking up a blender from the charity shop. I love making paper its much easier when the pulp matter is very small. I thought the yellow paper you made was adorable, it would be lovely on anything.
you can add glue to your extra pulp and use it for paper mache. There are other tutorials for using the pulp to make air dry clay or fire starters for camping, wood burning fireplaces, or firepits
Your paper came out Beautiful! Great video and very helpful tips! I love your idea of doing by hand versus a blender! So many Wonderful uses for this paper! Even though it's fragile, you can glue onto pages in a journal or scrapbook, glue onto cardstock or file folder to make tags, frame and use for wall art! Great job~Thank you for sharing! 🥰❤
I love when you try something new and share that with us. That helps me see the process as a novice and hear how you experience the craft for the first time. That said, I appreciate your skill, and learning from your years of expertise :-) Be well and thank you.
I'm a teacher and I made paper with my kids. I was using a portable blender to blend it and right at the beginning it died so I hand mashed probably 50 maybe be sheets of paper into mush. It wasn't fun especially when you have 10 preschoolers over your shoulder " what are you doing?"
I remember making paper in elementary school and we put Elmer's glue in the water to hold the paper together. We used a wire hanger and panty hose to make the frame. *Memories*
I loved this video! I'm always drawn to handmade papers (especially those with natural elements like leaves and flowers!) and never really knew where to start to make it. Watching this makes me think maybe I'll leave it to summer when I can do this outside, but you've made it very accessible. These papers would add lovely decorative touches to tags, bookmarks, inserts on book covers... so many options! Cheers!
Love this!!!! I’ve always wanted to do this with the elderly….but it’s so involved. Those final pieces would be great to make mosaics!!!
I am also gonna recycle old papers and make new papers! I tried this when I was really small and it failed but gonna make again and let's hope getting succeeded :) Your video was really detailed and helpful! Enjoyed watching.....
Thank you for figuring it out for us. I loved how you tried to not buy new stuff and tried to be creative about other materials :)
I've just started trying to make paper using some other videos as a starting point. Got some good ideas from yours such as drying on a window. Keep up the great work.
I boiled the shredded paper to render it into pulp. Very soft and consistent you beaten pulp was very colorful not only because of the various colors, which I hadn’t used but because the beating gave it this appearance. Thank you for your time and knowledgable with this video.
I tried this at a few years ago using the picture frame method but I used an old delicates bag from the laundry room for the screen and it was the best decision I made. It made some great paper. Another fun trick I tried was putting some laser jet prints between two thin layers of pulp to make a surprise image when the paper was held up to the light.
I make paper with my fourth grade class every year. Construction paper works really well. We use the homemade paper as covers on a little note pad. It doesn’t require folding so we don’t have to deal with the fragile folds. Your paper is really pretty. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for this tutorial- and thank you SO much for folding your finished products. That has helped me tremendously!
I am currently making paper as well. A finer pulp makes for a cleaner and nicer finished product. I also use window screening with a wooden mould and deckle. After pulling the paper, I use a cut up bedding sheet to transfer the paper to. After that, I hang it up on a drying rack with a couple of clothespins and then peel it off the fabric the next day and then press the paper with a paper press or a heavy book. Keep up the good work and I hope you try it again soon!
We used pink Styrofoam insulation boards as couching boards when I took a papermaking class a couple semesters ago. They work really well for couching the paper onto, but they're so fragile and any deep gouges will affect the pull of your sheet of paper.
Your paper feels delicate in part because you chose to use the paper shredder rather than hand tearing. You’re meant to hand-tear so you get the longer paper fibre strands. When you use the shredder, you cut through those fibres so your paper won’t have strength. The efficiency you gain directly loses you quality (that’s what I was taught when I learned paper making, and it’s held true)
That dog in the background! 🤣🤣🤣
I hope you expand on this. I enjoyed watching you and having you share what was challenging. Other videos make it look so easy.
I went to a STEM camp once, and this was one of the activities that we tried! It was so much fun!! We put different pressed flowers and sparkles in ours too! 😊
Very nice video. I appreciate you posting the tries, fails, and successes. Years ago I made Christmas gift tags using cookie cutters. They turned out very cute. I did use a blender (found at a thrift store or garage sale for just a few dollars). I just set window screen above a container of some sort, placed a cookie cutter on top of that and then poured the sludge through it.
I am living for Kona in the background. I told a field trip in elementary school & we made paper there, I don't remember why, but I do remember we used construction paper in our paper making that we got to tear up. Using a shredder is such a genius idea Jen!
Hi beautiful, 🥰sorry for infringing on your privacy, i was just scrolling through UA-cam videos when I came across your pulchritudinous picture on your profile while scrolling through this UA-cam videos and reading few comments luckily I found yours first which immediately urged my heart and it stopped then pushed me to message you,I bet if beauty contest could be held among angels you would have won 👸 .. please If you don’t mind I would like to chat with you when you’re free to do so, I don’t use UA-cam always but I don’t mind WhatsApp if you’re good with it also
You can replace the felt with newspaper.I made a very thin paper,use newspapers to put the pulp on and also dry the paper with iron
Thank you for your time. I too have started to make paper. If is a lot of work. And messy. I will make some more The use will be for journals.
The most important thing is to get as long a fibre as possible, find the grain and rip along it. The shorter the fibres the less it will mesh
#2 I used sheer curtain fabric, not on with open holes, but sheer one cut into squares bigger the you mold & deckle (try the recycle shops), I stacked them on top of one another, then you put them into a press for around 20-40 minutes, after 5 minutes or so turn down the press, do that a couple of times, and I hung the pages on a clothes line to dry, out of the wind etc., I used my laundry room, or basement.
After they are dry I ironed them with a dry iron, this helps to make them stronger, as does the pressing the water out.
You channel just popped up today so I watched this episode. I'm thrilled with your channel. I've liked and subscribed. You explain things so well and I really love how you took us on the process of paper making, including the things that worked and didn't. You have such a great television presence and explain things so well.
Thank you!
Now I want to try papermaking! I love that you worked with what you've got and not buy all new stuff
Really cool. You have a lot of patience
I learned over this last year how to make paper, I have very limited supplies but ive had some decent success. I do use a secondhand blender, its really just so much easier than any other methods. I also used to keep my leftover pulp wet but after a few going bad on me I started straining it, getting as much water out as possible, and then ripping it up into little pieces before letting it sit out in the sun to dry up. Now I have a couple jars of the leftovers that wont ever go bad and It is reactivated pretty easily in water. I still blend it up but im sure if I let it soak for a little while it would go back to being a pulp consistency. I also made my own mold and deckle out of two plastic frames and some mosquito net. Its kept pretty well after almost a year of use. And I dry all my paper on my windows too! I have found the best way for me is to pull the paper off the cloth with my fingers (after pounding it with a sponge to get all the water out) and just gently placing it on the window. Its not the easiest method and it causes problems sometimes (like my paper is never a perfect rectangle for some reason) but i could never get it to transfer from the deckle or the cloth onto the glass :/
You are so organized and your instructions were easy to follow and great ways to use the mesh! Thanks for sharing.
Wow, this video just comes in while I'm in the process of trying it out myself. XD
Of course, I am waiting on a blender for my project.
woah i really thought this channel was a fever dream of 12 year old me.....so glad i found it again 4 years later-
Hey Jennifer ! This video was so fun to watch since I had just tried my hand out in paper-making. I had used some copy paper and a normal blender and it turned out just fine... I was able to clean it out very easily and there was no paper stuck in the blender. I also used a flat sieve (as a mould) which is easily available where I live. Your idea of using the mesh and duct tape and drying the paper on a window/mirror though, is really cool and I can't wait to try that out next time !
I want to try this myself. You did such a good job!
Love the dog in the chair in the background!
We did something similar in middle school. Ours were chunky pieces of paper, but, pieces of paper nonetheless. So this brought back memories
So cool love how they came out even if for decoration.
The entire process was fun and lot to learn. Live your honest explanation. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
This lady is my spirit animal. Subscribed.
All of a sudden i look over and see dog legs up in the air. Lolol 🙃😅😆🤣🤣😂
Your dog is awesome. Lol.
First time I didn't leave the paper soaking long enough. Burnt out the motor on the blender. Paper was too thick and grey. However, it did improve and making just one sheet was very satisfying, but the kitchen looked like World War 3. I bought a mould and deckle. After seeing your video I think I will give it another go.
Try this again, I feel like there’s more here. I’m intrigued to learn more through your process! Thank you!
The sizing will help. Thinner mesh screen, you can also add some liquid starch to the water and pulp
I would love to see you do this again with the sizing/gluing process added in. Definitely interested in what kind of difference that would make in the end result!
I find your videos so relaxing and calming, as well as informative. Also I love the picture of you wearing all those pairs of glasses on your end screen 😂
I make about 60-70 Christmas cards every year. About 10 years ago, I made my own paper from scraps. I soooo know some of what you went through making your own paper! I had some brass stencils on hand and used them to create embossed images on my paper. If I remember correctly, I think I put the brass stencil down before couching? I liked the effect and liked the final designs I created, but it might be better for one or two cards, NOT 60!
Amazing. This was actually part of my Art curriculum in Middle School. My paper came out an ugly grey....not my fav. Yours is much more beautiful!
Hi beautiful, 🥰sorry for infringing on your privacy, i was just scrolling through UA-cam videos when I came across your pulchritudinous picture on your profile while scrolling through this UA-cam videos and reading few comments luckily I found yours first which immediately urged my heart and it stopped then pushed me to message you,I bet if beauty contest could be held among angels you would have won 👸 .. please If you don’t mind I would like to chat with you when you’re free to do so, I don’t use UA-cam always but I don’t mind WhatsApp if you’re good with it also…
firstly, i am in love with your dog! i used to make paper using old tights stapled onto a frame but basically the same method as you. lovely xxx
We tore old sheets and it works a dream. You will need a few towels and a sponge but the release was great
wow your hard work is clearly seen ! loved it
Love seeing you try this! I have a kit that I bought, but haven’t attempted it yet. Thanks for demystifying some elements!
Making paper is so much fun! I started making paper last summer or fall and now I'm planning on selling cards from that recycled paper, but I keep procrastinating to do it 😂🤣
Love your true and authentic vibe in this video. Just a suggestion instead of beating it and put your energy through it , keep it for more than 18 hours .It’s a better option
Loved your video. What if I add a little white glue to the pulp water?
Loved watching your process! I always wanted to explore paper making, but just didn’t want to use a blender, so I love that you researched alternative methods. After seeing the process, I now know I really wouldn’t want to make paper, lol 😆. Thanks for the great video!
They look cool. I think they'd be great for decoupage or even the inside covers for coptic stich journals. Since those just use the smaller rectangle on the inside cover.