Papermaking with Gail Stiffe.

 

 

I recently was lucky enough to be invited to do a workshop learning how to make paper with three other students under the tutelage of Gail Stiffe.  Unfortunately, I arrived too late to participate in the first part of the lesson, but Gail and the other students, Julie, Marisol and Teresa, were kind enough to forgive me and fill me in on what I had missed.

 

Firstly, paper and cotton scraps from the State Library were mixed with cornflour ( which makes it easier to write on the paper and makes the paper stiffer) and water.  If you have a Hollander Bitter Kritter (by Mark Lander) like this one, the paper cotton or plant material can be pulped easily, however a vitamiser or paint stirrer will also pulp the paper.

 

 

The next step was to pour some of the pulp into water in a tub.

 

 

Next, we had to put a damp sponge onto a lid which could hold a bit of water run off,

 

 

 

 then  put  piece of fabric on the sponge and smooth it on so the fabric was dampened.



Now, a mould ( a frame with mesh) and deckle ( the frame that sits on the mould and creates the edges of the paper) were inserted vertically into the stirred tub

 

 

 

and raised horizontally to catch the pulp, jiggling it to spread the pulp evenly, and drain off the water.

After this, the mould and deckle were turned sideways to drain off the remaining water.

And, the next step was to remove the mould and turn the deckle face down onto the fabric, and press the edges and wire firmly.  After this, the deckle could be gently lifted off,  starting with one side, leaving the paper on the fabric.

 

Another sheet of fabric, or lace or other patterned material was now placed on the paper and the process repeated over and over again. (The paper takes the print of the material, so you can create textured paper by using textured separators, like lace of embossed plastic,or doilies).

 

 

However, using a textured deckle can also leave a pattern of the paper.

 

 

If the paper seems too thin , just add a little more pulp to the tub and stir it in. 

 

 

If you want the paper to be thin, don't use the mould.

 

 

We were also taught how to make coloured paper or textured paper by adding paper dye, seeds, glitter, herbs and or grasses to the tub.

We even learned to make multicoloured paper, by using a thin layer of one colour on top of another, and then creating patterns with a patterned deckle, your fingers, or adding a pattern with a mould.

 

 

Once about 12 sheets of paper had been made, another sheet of fabric was put on top of the pile and the pile was gently lifted on to a board.  Another board was put on top

and the resulting sandwich  pressed to remove  as much of the water as possible. ( Bricks or heavy weights can be used if you don't have a press.)

 

 

Once most of the water has been removed, the sheets of paper were carefully removed from between the fabric pieces.  There are two ways to dry them thoroughly.  In the first method, the paper, still attached to its top sheet of fabric is gently placed on cement board and gently rolled with a paint roller to squash out more water and attach the paper.

 

 

 Then, the fabric is gently peeled off.

If you want more imprints, leaves or some other sort of pattern making device can be placed between the paper and the board.

 

 

The finished board can be left to dry.

 

The second method is to hang 3 or four layers at a time on the line.

 

Once the paper is dry, peel it gently off the fabric and flatten it by either pressing it between books, or ironing it.  Now, the paper is ready to use.

I really enjoyed the workshop and my companions, so looked forward to learning how to use the handmade paper to make books in the next workshop.