Crafty how-to guide: How to make silk paper
Silk paper making is a skill which will come in handy for all sorts of crafts. You can use it simply as paper, for card making and even to make jewellery. It's not the most easy of processes, but it is something which gives you an immensely satisfying end result and as I said before you can use the paper for so many other crafty things. This guide was featured on Fibrespace and has a good set of instructions and pictures to help you get on your way.
To make silk paper you will need : Netting, combed silk top (plain or dyed), cmc or silk paper medium, stencil brush, other silk fibres such as silk throwsters waste and silk noil.
To find out how it's all put together follow the snip...
1.Lay the netting on a protected surface that can be wiped clean.
2.Tease the 'silk top' fibres out and lay a thin layer horizontally on one half of the netting. ( You need to fold the other half of the netting over the top of the silk later on).
3.Put a 2nd layer of 'silk top' fibres on top of the first in a vertical direction ( at right angles to the 1st). This will give the finished paper more strength.
4.Add a third layer of 'silk top' fibres (at right angles to the 2nd).
5.The next stage is the creative part. Add colour, texture and pattern with different fibres and threads, small pieces of light fabric and dried leaves. Experiment with different materials. ( Use non-silk fibres sparingly).
6.If some of the decorative parts are NOT silk fibres you will need to keep the decoration in place by adding a final layer of silk (I often use silk throwsters waste as my final layer), keep this layer very thin so the pattern shows through.
7.Fold the top half of the netting over, sandwiching the fibres.
8.If you are using methyl cellulose as your adhesive, mix as instructed on the package or as described below. The paste will keep for a while, if stored in an airtight container. There are other adhesives available such as silk paper medium, these are used in the same way.
9.Using a stiff bristled brush (stencil brushes work well) start pasting the fibres. Coat the entire surface, and then turn over. If the silk is still white, you need to paste the back. Brush the paste on until the paper is translucent. Then leave somewhere flat to dry. You can hang them on the washing line by the netting, but keep an eye on the weather. If you are using hand dyed fibres, be careful where you leave the paper to dry, as some bleeding can occur. The paste can drip so protect surfaces. The paper will take a long time to dry, I usually leave my paper overnight.
10.Once dry, carefully peel off the netting. If any fibres are lifted off at this stage, lay the netting over the paper, paste, then remove the netting straight away.
11.The paper can be left as it is or embellished with hand or machine embroidery. It can be ironed on a silk setting.
Advanced Techniques
Once you get the hang of silk paper making you can start to experiment, here are a few ideas to get you started.
Try increasing or decreasing the amount of fibres used, to create different weights of paper. You can use flax/linen on it's own to create a coarse paper. You can experiment with the way you lay your fibres, for example, instead of laying three layers of 'silk top' at right angles, try random layers of different fibres for a more delicate paper.
Try taking the netting off straight after applying the paste and draping it over a mould like a vase, balloon or jar. Cover the mould with cling film and drape the wet paper on top. You can lay the netting on top of the paper and use your brush to shape the paper. Or you could use elastic bands to hold the paper in place as it dries. This creates an interesting texture. If you visit our gallery you will see a silk bowl which was moulded over a balloon. I covered the balloon with cling film then placed the fibres directly onto the cling film, covered the fibres with netting, pasted and then removed the netting. This needs to be done in small sections at a time, building up layers until you are happy with the thickness.
You can cut shapes from pre-made silk paper to use in new pieces. This is a great way of making petals or leaves; it's also a good way of recycling pieces you're not happy with.
Methyl Cellulose
Whilst stirring, sprinkle 1 heaped teaspoon into 300ml of cold water. Continue to stir for approx. 1 minute. Allow a few more minutes for the methyl cellulose to dissolve, stir again if needed. There may be a few lumps but these will dissolve in time. You can add more methyl cellulose if you feel the adhesive needs to be thicker. The mixture can be kept in an airtight container.
Carrier Rods
Carrier rods are interesting things to experiment with. The best way to use them are to wet them thoroughly and peel thin layers off. These can be placed on your silk paper at the decorative stage either as one long piece or cut into smaller shapes. The carrier rods can be ironed to remove the curl.
