Finally starting to make paper

 Last years yucca, surprised me with a bag tucked away in my supplies ready to go.

 Here I've just put all the cut up yucca leaves in a 5 gallon bucket and filled it with water.

 Don't know if you can see the fibers..then need to be long fibrous plant leaves, not all leaves will work. Yucca, Iris, Day Lily, cattails work best and are all around my yard and across the street in the basin. The cut leaves that were dried from last year need to be soaked for a few hours and then cooked down. 

A bit primitive with the old camping stove,  I need a bit of help from the husband to get her going...some old rusty clogging going on.  Now I've put half the leaves in the pot and added a bit of Washing soda..not baking soda now but Washing soda..there are other ways as of using wood ash to cook the plant in..by cooking the fibrous cut leaves down you cook out the impurities or the energy of the plant that would cause the decomposing or acids like wood pulp used in newspapers that yellows right away. Had a late start getting it all going...Late start as of I've had the tent up since the warm April we had and just haven't had extra time to do this till now...still need more time in a day...but it all works out...it may take till this weekend to make a few sheets but I'm in the progressive path of that.

There is a big process of making handmade papers similar to this and there are a few ways to achieve it too, but this one works for me. As of cooking it down with the washing soda and using a blender or two to chop and blend the fibers ready for pulling a sheet of paper.


As of this morning I just finished a flyer, contract and supply list for a workshop in August at Naperville Art League...I'm waiting to promote it as it needs to get to the web master at NAP first..

and I've also got my description in for the two classes I'm teaching this fall there too.

Been a bit busy juggling a few things again..which can't say I dislike more so that I do enjoy working at.

So now off to deliver work to Tall Grass Art Association for an Exhibit Called Out of the box. more details as it rolls around.