Silk Paper Making

Silk “paper” is an exciting technique which uses silk fibres to construct flat, delicate sheets of a cohesive base, which can be used for many of the application of proper paper. It uses the raw fibre which gives it lustre and can be easily manipulated in a variety of ways e.g. stitching, moulding, scrunching, etc. You can create sculptural pieces and design wearable art pieces. Textile techniques work best but try drawing, painting and silk screening etc.

You Will Need……

Silk Fibres- handkerchief, combed, tops, throwster’s waste or noils. Silk Paper Medium – diluted 1 part medium to 6-8 parts water. Net – 2 pieces larger than the piece of paper you wish to make. Water in a spray bottle. Plastic sheet or bag to lay net on, if you are using fibres your piece of paper can be as long as you like, but not larger than the net.

To make a piece of paper using a silk handkerchief, open out fibres and lay on a piece of net, place another piece of net over the top, now spray the fibre lightly with water, this helps the medium soak in. Paint the diluted Silk Paper Medium over the fibres in the net, making sure it has soaked right through and leave to dry. If you want hurry the drying process use a hairdryer to dry your paper.

Using the other fibres, lay out your piece of net, pull a small amount of silk fibres, tease them out and lay in one in one direction on the net, at this stage the paper can be as fine or as thick as you require. If you are using your paper for card making lay another layer at right angles to the first and build up using this method until the required thickness is achieved. Apply the silk paper medium as described above.

For embroidery, this will depend on the effect you are looking for, you can use a single thickness for the backing of a wall hangiung and will find it amazingly tough. Experiment until you get the texture you require, the extra pieces will come in useful, remember with silk fibres a little goes a long way.

Information contained in this publication or as otherwise supplied is believed to be accurate and is given in good faith, but without guarantee, as we have no control over conditions of use and individual application.