As this was our last full day together, it was nice to learn some new folk art techniques while also returning to those we had most enjoyed. Having a week to explore our own individuality and creativity opened new doors for each of us, and we are excited to have artifacts from each of our projects to remember IL 2025.
Today was focused on two projects – paper making and altered books.
In the morning, we made artisanal paper. It was a fun, and messy, process. To start, we prepared our materials, which included updating our mould and deckles (frames) with new mesh, cutting fabric to hold our paper as it dried, and pulping shredded paper.
Once we had our materials ready, we then moved into the actual paper making process. This involved taking the mould and deckle, dipping into the pulped paper, blotting the pulp with a sponge, and setting them aside to dry. While the paper won’t be dry by the end of IL, we will all have a sheaf of handmade paper to use in the future.
Our second project of the day was creating altered books. For these, we each picked a book that spoke to us. We then began to create a work of art that represented our own personalities. This included blacking out lines from the book to create poetry, adding pictures from other sources, and using stickers and other collage techniques to create unique pieces of art.
After lunch, we had free workshop time to return to projects that we enjoyed earlier. For some it was a return to tie dyeing, others went back to macrame, and some continued the projects from the morning.
As this was our last full day together, it was nice to learn some new folk art techniques while also returning to those we had most enjoyed. Having a week to explore our own individuality and creativity opened new doors for each of us, and we are excited to have artifacts from each of our projects to remember IL 2025.