making paper with the white kind of love

Just before Easter I was asked to write a simple 'how to make paper' guide for a small booklet that would accompany 101 woonideeen (101 living ideas) and after having to keep it quiet for a couple of months, I'm not good at keeping secrets, today the much awaited printed version finally arrived in the post! The little booklet attached is filled with inspiring Dutch and Belgian Etsy artisans...a real little treasure.

...and *drum roll* ...here is my mini guide to making paper... very satisfying! Even managed to squeeze in a sunny photo of Zeeland. 

a whole fleet of paper boats

Origami was the first creative thing I remember making. I lived in Sweden when I was very small and my Mum learned Swedish with a Japanese friend and she taught us origami: the art of paper folding. I still have the Japanese book that she gave us, full of diagrams with Japanese instructions. This weekend I put these early learnt skills to good use and made a fleet of boats branded with our contact details.  

give us a twirl: a dress made of paper

 

I've been working on this dress for the last week. It was a custom order based on a similar dress I made, and sold,  a while ago. The bodice is made from handmade paper that has been prepared from scratch. Made from apple, rhubarb and banana skin pulps with abaca (a kind of hemp) and kozo (a kind of mulberry fibre). I really enjoyed working with paper again. Even the straps and binding at the back of the bodice are made from paper thread! She'll be flying off round the planet tomorrow..

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Kunstroute Tholen (art trail) 2012

Today atelier28 celebrates her 9th birthday which means is't the 10th year that we've participated in the art trail in Tholen. Tholen is at her best during this time and the whole town is full with music, art and merriment. 

Jan de Viet played at the opening on his harpsichord which Francesco decorated... 

...and the art centre was filled with work, large and small...

...with a table displaying work from the watercolour and painting classes. 

Plus a selection of etchings from the etching workshops. We had a lovely, if not exhausting, couple of days!

Origami pixie boots - Sintlaars

Everyday in the run up to Christmas the Etsy blogs from the Netherlands, France and Germany are sharing creative projects in an advent calender. Today the 4th door was opened and this is a project  from atelier28! How to make little booties from a serviette (napkin). They look so cute decorating a Christmas dining table and are really easy to do. Here is how you make them...click on photo to enlarge:

beach huts made out of handmade paper

A few months ago I participated in a paper swap with fellow papermakers on Etsy. I already made some birdies from the recycled handmade paper, and now I've hand stitched these cute little beach huts. I love beach huts...as you've probably noticed!

Cini the cat: screenprint made on our recycled handmade paper

I checked my tweets today to discover this joyful artwork! A while ago I made a batch of handmade paper for Pini Piru based in Hoorn, the Netherlands, from recycling offcuts from our etchings and old telephone books. They specialise in screenprinting and have made this beautiful limited edition of "Cini the cat", a design made by Kaylee Wu aged 7. So cute and great to see my paper used like this!

birdies from handmade paper

A couple of weeks ago I received the papers from a paper swap that I took part in with the Etsy papermakers (which can be seen here). I promised I would be using the papers...well here are the results! Little birdies for spring! The 3 above were made from paper from (left to right) Pulpa, Little Sistah Studio, and blue denim pulp from Elena Siff.

These 3 little guys were from milkweed paper from Evie Powers, recycled magasines from White Dragon Paper and paper with tea and roses from Surf Bunny. I made a few from fabric scraps too while I was at it: 

papermaking workshop with children from the Rehoboth School, Stavenisse (workshop papiermaken met kinderen van Rehoboth Basisschool, Stavenisse)

On Thursday we had a group of 22, 8 and 9 year olds, from the Rehoboth Basisschool, Stavenisse.  The theme that the children are working on in school is China, so Francesco began the morning by discussing Chinese art and the importance of symbolism and leaving 'empty' space in oriental art. The children had learnt at school that the art of papermaking was born in China and I could show the group the kind of bark that is used in eastern papermaking.  

The best bit, of course, is the making something part! As a group we decided to make white paper, though I did add some colour so that the different pieces were clear to see in the new sheets.  We started tearing up old watercolour and scrap paper.

Then the new sheets were formed. Everyone made a long quene, and one by one made their own paper.

Then we hung them up to dry...

paper swap with etsy's papermakers

I recently took part in a paper swap with a team of papermakers on etsy.  I sent off about 20 sheets of paper I'd made from recycling etching off cuts, telephone books and tulip petals. What I received yesterday was an envelope of treasure to a papermaker. 

The pack included paper from  milkweed, moving boxes & autumn leaves, blue jeans, abaca, cotton linters, paper with red clover inclusions, paper with shredded money, and paper with tea & rose petals. This one below from Linda McCausland is abaca with eel grass inclusions and is beautifully transparent...

...and this one below from Judy Funk I can plant! I'm not sure what the bird is though? At the moment I just keep studying them all and enjoying how they feel (this is maybe only something a papermaker can understand!), but I hope to use them. Watch this space... 

Thanks to everyone who shared their talent! And a special thanks to Elena Siff for arranging it all!

I've been blogged about!

I'm feeling very honoured and excited about a blog on Dutch Handmade. It's a story written by the very lovely Nelliana of Studio Snowpuppe about my creative journey and the birth of atelier28.  Nelliana is also a non-practicing architect exploring a more creative life as an artist...and she shares a passion for paper and paper folding! I hope we can meet up some time! Obviously kindred spirits!

paper made on the papermaking workshop

These are the papers that were made on Saturday's papermaking workshop. The ones above were made from waste paper: envelopes, old posters, telephone directories, taxman envelopes (!), and a few additives like tea leaves and flower petals.

These papers below are the plant papers.  First a layer of abaca (a kind of hemp) was made and the plant pulp sheets were formed on top.  The plant pulps were leek, grass, rhubarb, apple and banana skins.

This year's Christmas cards

This year's Christmas cards: made with handmade papers and left over fabric.  The light handmade paper was made from recycled etching offcuts and a telephone directory!