PaperMaking from Plants:
EARLY SPIDERWORT PAPER



Early Spiderwort, shared by a peerless plant sharer from Kentucky, was cooked for 2 hours in a washing soda solution.

I had a lot of trouble trying to couch it and figuring out what to do.
Once it dried I knew what I could have and should have done.
I blame the heat for exacerbating my lack of fortitude and deficient attentiveness.

What it dried to was a vellum-like translucence for the sheets I pulled without a deckle and couched. The sheets I attempted with a deckle were just too thick but viscous--- every time I tried to couch, it was like squooshing jello.




darkest pieces are sheets dried on the screen, others laminated-- using two couchless pullings with bougainvillea in between

The following information from PLANTS, a wonderful, knowledge-rich site: http://plants.usda.gov/

Tradescantia virginiana L. Virginia spiderwort
Symbol:TRVI
Group: Monocot
Family: Commelinaceae
Growth Habit:Forb/herb
Duration:Perennial
U.S. Nativity:Native
Kingdom Plantae -- Plants
Subkingdom Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants
Superdivision Spermatophyta -- Seed plants
Division Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants
Class Liliopsida -- Monocotyledons
Subclass Commelinidae
Order Commelinales
Family Commelinaceae -- Spiderwort family
Genus Tradescantia L. -- spiderwort
Species Tradescantia virginiana L. - Virginia spiderwort
(Contains 33 species and 42 accepted taxa overall and is found all over the U.S. with the exception of some Pacific NW states)


Image courtesy of PLANTS, (c) USDA, NRCS



i'm following Gin' Petty's example (plant documenter extraordinare, access her journal here)Thanks to Gin and the papermaking list folks for reawakening me to the possibilities right outside my door.

Pulp on, people!



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