Ever had a thought on how papers are made? or can we try making them in home? So the answer is yes! you Can!
Well handmade paper won’t look as finished and super smooth like the factory made but you can make pretty and vintage looking paper very easily in your own home without having to buy heavy tools or anything. Just few home equipment would be able to help you.
WHY MAKE PAPERS IN HOME
There are many reasons you would want to make your own papers in home while there are plenty of options available to buy from market even if you want to buy handmade papers, they are available in market as well. But why buy from outside if you can make your own handmade papers just the way you want.
- They give a beautiful vintage feeling.
- You can reuse the used papers in your home so no need to throw used paper or give them to recycling outlets.
- Save money from buying handmade papers.
- You can gift them as handwritten letters or cards with a little message. How beautiful is that.
- You can make your own handmade journal as well.
- You can use them for watercolor paintings as well. They will give a different feeling than the new fresh papers.
- You have so many options to make your handmade papers, any color you want, any other materials you want to add like flower Patel which will give them a beautiful look.
WHAT WOULD YOU NEED TO MAKE HANDMADE PAPER
Well, like I said, you don’t need any heavy-duty tools or equipment for this. Here are the things you will need which are easily available in your home.
- Waste or used papers.
- A blender ( to blend the papers).
- Clean water.
- A flat strainer ( with very fine gaps which will drain only water).
- A big vessel or bowl (bigger than the strainer so that the strainer can be fit into the vessel).
- A piece of clean cotton cloth.
- Any color ink (your choice)
- Additional materials to add with the paper (your favorite flower Patel and leaves, threads of your choice or any others color paper strips).
- A roller (used for flattening the pizza base or chapatis or anything cylindrical).
Don’t have a strainer? Don’t worry, buy here:
HOW TO MAKE HANDMADE PAPER – pRoCeSS
I hope you have arranged all the required materials with you. So we can go ahead with the process now. Shall We!
- Shred the pieces of used papers into small pieces and soak them in a clean bowl of water for around an hour until they soak completely.
- Once the pieces are soaked in water completely, blend them in a blender or mixer into fine pulp.
- Take out the paper pulp and keep it aside.
- Take water in a big vessel or bowl. Do not fill it all, fill it half or lesser.
- Spread the cotton cloth on a flat surface neatly, nearby water bowl so that it is ready when you need it.
- Take 1-2 t spoon of pulp and add into the bowl of water and mix well.
- Add other materials such as colors, flower Patel or thread pieces of your choice into the bowl as well. Mix them with the pulp (they are completely optional).
- Take the strainer, hold it with both of your hands. Insert the strainer vertically into the bowl while the pulp is not settled on the bottom, Take the pulp in the strainer while inserting it vertically and put it horizontally immediately.
- Take the strainer out slowly in horizontal position. Make sure the pulp is in the strainer.
- Rinse the excess water from the strainer by pressing the pulp with your hands slowly.
- Once the water is rinsed. Turn the strainer upside down and flip the flattened pulp on the cotton cloth you have already kept aside. Make sure you turn it fast so the paper pulp lays properly on the cloth.
- If your pulp is little bent from side or anywhere else, try to fix it. If not fixable, put it back in the water bowl and do the process again. But I know you can do it right in first try itself:)
- Once you have put the pulp on the cloth and it is laid properly, put another piece of clean cloth on it. Run the roller over the pulp slowly to make it even flat and smoother (like you do with pizza base or chapati).
- Once done, remove the cloth and let it dry.
- It will take a day or more depending on the thickness of your paper.
- Once completely dried, you can use the paper for any purpose you would like.
ADDITIONAL IDEAS
While you can make these papers in home, you can also ask your friends and families help to make them with you if you are trying to make a lot of handmade papers at home. Make sure the thickness and size of the paper is almost same if you are making them for a journal or book. Slightly difference in size can be fixed by cutting the bigger ones off from the sides.
You can also make these paper in different shapes either by changing your strainer to a different shaped strainer. Or you can cut the papers in different shapes later.
Make sure your used paper is not dirty. So the handmade paper won’t have dusty texture and will be smooth. Dirt in the paper can also make the handmade paper weaker.
You can also add cotton in the pulp to make it strong and thicker. You can also use this for your watercolor paintings.
Conclusion
DIYs are fun but little time taking. They can also be little tricky sometimes. So don’t give up if you don’t succeed in first try. If you love doing DIYs, you will surely enjoy making handmade papers since they are very useful and will save a lot of waste papers in home. So use these beautiful handmade papers yourself or gift them to someone you love. It is up to you.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial fun and found it useful. Let me know your thoughts in comments below. Thankyou!
