Happy…National Gratitude Month! I am personally grateful for paper. As nice and convenient as digital has become, I still prefer the old fashioned hard copy in my hands. Making paper has become a lost art form since it was industrialized in the early 19th century.
I remember doing this craft with Mom in the early 1970s, when I was about 10 years old. There was a paper shortage and I think she learned this process from her friend, Carol Duvall. I also did this craft with my own children and some of their friends, in our Campfire Boys & Girls group. This was Mom’s contribution to the craft book that all the groups put together.
How To Make Paper By Hand
By Gloria Pitzer (circa 1974) and inspired by… “Wanna Make Something Of It”, written by Carol Duvall (Nash Publishing, 1972).
Yes, Carol, I Wanna Make Something Out Of It!
By Gloria Pitzer, as seen in her syndicated column, “No Laughing Matter” (Circa 1970s).
I JUST FINISHED reading a brand-new book… by Carol Duvall and, believe me, my life will never be the same again. I was so impressed by Carol’s book on turning useless household junk into beautiful household junk that I immediately organized my friends into a locally chartered group known now as THE KNIT WITS!
All of you have had the urge to become creative at some time or another, and even if you haven’t you will once you read Carol’s book. If you’re the kind of person who always wanted to stuff felt aardvarks with shredded wheat and decoupage your teenager to the refrigerator door with 20 coats of Hi-C fruit drink then Carol’s book is for you!
I’ve spent so much time making pill bottles into jewelry and covering paperclips with contact paper, I’ve had a load of laundry sitting in pre-soak for three months. Nobody would have minded except that I should have put it into the washing machine first, but that was full of brown paper bags!
As seen in the St. Clair Campfire Boys & Girls Craft Book (circa 1992)…
INGREDIENTS/ITEM NEEDS:
A fine-meshed wire screen
A large disposable foil baking pan
A forming rack or mold to hold the pulp in place
A basin or bucket that holds 10 quarts of water
60 sheets of toilet tissue
Several sheets of paper towels
Laundry instant starch – 1 TB to 2 cups water
A hand-powered beater or electric mixer*
A rolling pin
A household electric iron
INSTRUCTIONS:
Prep work: Making the mold
Trim the screen to fit inside the bottom of the foil pan. Then cut out the bottom of the pan, leaving a ½-inch wide lip to support the screen. A forming rack can be made from strips of waxed cardboard, like that from a half-gallon milk or juice carton. See diagram pictured above.
1. Tear toilet tissue into small pieces and place in basin [or bucket (as pictured above)]. Cover with 1½ quarts of water and stir for about 10 minutes, until thoroughly broken up into pulp.
2. Add the starch, dissolved in water, and 8 quarts of additional water to the suspended pulp. Beat with the eggbeater* for a few minutes [as pictured above], until fibers are thoroughly dispersed in the water. [*Note: If using electric mixer, there is no need for the basin. Pulp mixture can be poured directly into pan.]
3. Hold forming rack firmly on the screen and pan [as pictured above] and dip into the pulp mixture; turn to horizontal position. Raise screen, retaining a thin layer of pulp on top.
4. Clean off the excess pulp outside of forming rack. Lift out the screen on which the pulp has formed.
5. Dry the screen and wet sheet of pulp between several [layers] of paper towels. The sheet will stick to them. Press out excess water with rolling pin.
6. Finally, iron (dry – not too hot) the sheet still between the paper towels. Trim the edges with scissors. You now have a sheet of handmade paper.
LAST THOUGHTS…
For questions or comments, you can email me at therecipedetective@outlook.com. I’m also on Facebook: @TheRecipeDetective.
[NOTE: As always, I’m asking only for proper credit if you care to re-share this.]
