How to make paper from scratch

Recently there was a buzz of excitement in the occupational therapy centre at Ron Smith Care Centre as 20 staff members donned their aprons and prepared to learn the art of making paper from scratch.

Senior occupational therapist at the Rand Aid Association-run care centre, Sylvia Birkhead, presented this workshop to care workers, housekeeping, nursing, occupational therapists and management staff as a team building activity designed to link certain principles with the actual art of papermaking.

Birkhead said that the objective of the workshop was to move the staff one step further along on their Eden journey, by reinforcing the Eden concepts of nature, nurturing, and working together on a fun activity that has no limits or rules and which brings people back to nature.

The Eden alternative is a fast-growing philosophy that seeks to change the culture of today’s old age homes and care facilities to embrace more personalised care.

Birkhead said that the idea was to use the Eden concept of nature, trees, gardens and planting seeds for growth to introduce this activity which involves the use of natural materials to create a product totally made from nature.

The papermaking process began with creating a pulp from recycled and shredded paper, plant fibres such as mealie skins, bulrushes, dandelions, elephant dung and water. Batches of differently coloured paper were made by adding onion skins, tea leaves, dyes or coloured serviettes to the mixture.

The pulp was then added to large tubs of water into which additional material such as plants and other fibres were added before the papermaking frames were dipped in and pulled up.

The water then drained off to leave a layer of pulp on the frames, and it is this pulp which eventually is transformed into a sheet of paper.

The layer of pulp was inverted onto a sheet of Vilene® (or interfacing) and the frame was lifted to reveal a sheet of paper which was then ironed dry and flat.

“What a magical moment it was for each staff member when a beautiful piece of handmade paper was revealed from the messy mixture of pulp. The natural transformation process from something that is seemingly unattractive and useless into something beautiful and useful is quite amazing to behold and the staff were very proud of the fact that they achieved this with their own hands,” said Birkhead.

Besides learning a brand-new skill, the staff had a lot of fun and enjoyed the spontaneous nature of the activity.

Details: 074 454 5820.