Beginner's Guide to Papermaking

Making stunning, one-of-a-kind sheets of paper enhanced with decorative touches is easy. These techniques are fun to accomplish and look beautiful. After you've learned them, move on to 10 great projects that feature handmade paper. Gather the simple materials and tools you'll need, from a mold and deckle to a whisk and sponge. Try the basic techniques that are the foundation of this craft and quickly see the great results you can achieve. Add color, for example, with torn pieces of party napkins and bright gift wrap or using commercial fabric dyes. The more advanced methods will give you a great deal of flexibility in creating different styles. With embossing, you'll produce a raised or indented impression of an object in the paper, such as wire, ribbon, netting, and even the soles of shoes. Experiment with the wonderful textural effects possible. Create a striking 3-D wall hanging by combining a variety of pulp types and colors to build scenes and conceal surprise glimpses into the sheet. Adding nature's bounty to your paper will enable you to enjoy fresh and dried herbs and foliage year-round. Or master casting in molds, producing a paper version of an original shape. You can create your own molds with Plaster of Paris and modeling compounds. And find out how to fashion Cast Paper Bowls that you can use to display treasures like potpourri and seashells.Reimer, Mary is the author of 'Beginner's Guide to Papermaking' with ISBN 9780806993942 and ISBN 0806993944.