|
|
Post by caterina on Feb 24, 2024 18:00:41 GMT
Hello.
Sorry, it's kind of a weird one: I have made some paper with the kids, the kind that you make by shredding bits of any type of left-over used paper that you have in the house, of which we have loads because creative kids, you know.
Now I am left with the handmade paper that seems pretty interesting but the kids won't use (too thick and uneven). I tried to paint on bits, and it absorbs water and acrylic gauche like a dream, like thick watercolour paper.
I was wondering if anyone has gone down that path in the past and if you can use it in wetfelting to create effects or for structural strength: I am afraid that it will dissolve, but maybe it will get eaten by the wool or other outcomes?
If I paint with acrylics on it, would the painted part remain true in the wetfelt piece (if you can wetfelt with it)?
Has anyone tried to add silk or wool or cotton fibers to that kind of recycled paper during the making (after the blending I will guess) , and made paper usable in wetfelting? (I am sure someone must have, just could not find the appropriate posts)
|
|
|
|
Post by lyn on Feb 24, 2024 21:43:56 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by caterina on Feb 24, 2024 22:21:37 GMT
Thanks, Lyn. I have taken a look at Karen's use of paper (wonderful results), but it seems to be mulberry paper, so I guess it is silk paper: I have made paper from recycled paper (mostly A4 printer paper, with some leaflets and envelopes thrown in, that kind of thing) without any silk or fabric fibers. My paper is quite thick, hardly pliable...think about white-ish egg cartons more than about delicate artsy stuff 🤣 is it going to be feltable if there is no silk in it, do you think? Or maybe I am doing something so silly that nobody else has tried it, so I should just go on with a sample 🤣 |
|
|
|
Post by lyn on Feb 25, 2024 7:57:35 GMT
Thanks, Lyn. I have taken a look at Karen's use of paper (wonderful results), but it seems to be mulberry paper, so I guess it is silk paper: I have made paper from recycled paper (mostly A4 printer paper, with some leaflets and envelopes thrown in, that kind of thing) without any silk or fabric fibers. My paper is quite thick, hardly pliable...think about white-ish egg cartons more than about delicate artsy stuff 🤣 is it going to be feltable if there is no silk in it, do you think? Or maybe I am doing something so silly that nobody else has tried it, so I should just go on with a sample 🤣 Maybe message Karen - she may have tried other paper? |
|
|
|
Post by caterina on Feb 25, 2024 8:54:04 GMT
[/quote]
Maybe message Karen - she may have tried other paper?[/quote]
Good idea, thanks!
|
|
|
|
Post by caterina on Feb 25, 2024 13:51:50 GMT
So, I messaged Karen and got useful tips and encouragement.
I tried to felt a couple of samples with bits of the handmade paper and blue faced leicester (sample 1) or merino wool (sample 2).
I used pieces of paper with marks made with acrylic, because I wanted to check what happened in that case.
Only the fact that I followed Karen's advice helped me reach a prefelt stage without the paper being rubbed off the wool as a mush.
She advised rubbing the paper side after covering it with bubblewrap: I tried a bit of cautious rubbing in other ways (with a net sponge or with my fingertips,or rubbing on the other side and keeping the paper on the rear) but it was absolutely not good.
After reaching a good prefelt, I tried also some careful rolling and it was fine. I wouldn't know about a more vigorous rolling, as the paper is essentially reduced to a mush held on the rear side by the wool fibers underneath,and I guess it will be consistent again only after drying.
I must say that I did not try putting fibers on top of the paper, I put the wet paper on top of the fibers: maybe a few fibers on top of the paper would help keeping it attached.
The marks kept more or less fine, only one of the bits of paper had its marks bleeding a bit, but the design was kind of recognisable. In some moments I was worrying for the marks, as at some points they seemed irretrievably muddled (when I tried wrong ways of rubbing), but a few careful pats with my fingers managed to restore shape, more or less. Well enough for me.
I stopped at a good prefelt stage, and the samples are drying after a cautious dunking in a bowl of water a couple of times to rinse the soap.
I will let you know after the drying.
|
|
|
|
Post by Shepherdess on Feb 26, 2024 11:17:02 GMT
I am glad Karen was able to give you some good advice. I would be worrying about how the paper will react to wool shrinkage. Prefelt could be the finished product if you making a picture or something else that doesn't need strength.
|
|
|
|
Post by caterina on Feb 27, 2024 15:22:18 GMT
I am glad Karen was able to give you some good advice. I would be worrying about how the paper will react to wool shrinkage. Prefelt could be the finished product if you making a picture or something else that doesn't need strength. Good point, Ann. Well, some shrinkage has happened in my samples, and the paper seems to have taken it just fine: it did not shrink and it did not crease noticeably, probably because it was just a mush while wet? Maybe if I will have some time I will rewet and work the samples more to see what happens. When dry, the paper makes the samples quite stiff, so I guess that you could have a vessel standing just fine by using it and you would not have to go past the prefelt stage. And I used only 2 layers of wool. |
|
|
|
Post by MTRuth on Feb 28, 2024 16:11:34 GMT
I tried some experiments with paper too. Try searching joomchi on our WordPress site. That should bring up a post that might give you some ideas
|
|
|
|
Post by caterina on Feb 29, 2024 7:25:46 GMT
I tried some experiments with paper too. Try searching joomchi on our WordPress site. That should bring up a post that might give you some ideas Thank you, Ruth, now I can look for those posts as well. |
|
