Making Fine Handmade Paper. Inclusions. What kinds?

What is an inclusion? In the process of making paper by hand, inclusions are fibers, plant material, threads and other things selected and added for their ability to give the paper an interesting look, color, texture or other desirable quality.

An entire book could be writting on this single very interesting subject. I will give you a few suggestions to get your started on your journey into this interesting and exciting craft. 

There are many ways to accomplish adding both color and texture. Here are some suggestions for successful adding of color while also adding texture. Coffee and tea are two excellent examples of this. Mix your slurry and put it in a vat. Boil a cup of water and add 2 or 3 tea bags. Cover and allow to steep until the water is cool. Open the tea bags and mix the leaves and tea into the slurry vat. If you only want the color but not the texture, the discard the bags.

Coffee can be used in the same way, but you may also want to pour the contents of your coffee filter in the slurry vat. Add all, or some until you get the desired effect. You will get a small amount of color along with a wonderful texture.

Dry flower petals work very well as an inclusions. I personally like rose petals (except for dark reds that tend to bleed onto the surrounding paper) most rose petals will work very well. You may want to add them whole. For a lovely and more subtle look, add a small amount of the dry petals to the blender just a second before the blended is complete when making your pulp. Don't over blend or the entire effect will be lost. Just a very little is all that is needed.

One of my favorites is dandelion spores. They are absolutely amazing. Tiny, fragile and delicate. Yet they make a bold statement and can be easily seen in the paper. Another very interesting natural plant material is dry cattail. Just add a small pinch to the blender at the very last second or to your slurry vat.

Carnations, Lantana, Hydrangea are perfect floral additions. And many flower leaves will dry and retain their lovely green color which makes a beautiful addition to your paper.

Other inclusions include diamond dust. Much lighter in weight than glitter, diamond dust will mix, swirl and blend very well into the slurry bath and add sparkle to your paper.

Silk threads which come in a rainbow of bright colors and palest pastels are like no other thread in their gentle, glorious beauty. Cut into very short pieces. Take the time to separate them so the mix rather than clump together. You will see the beautiful effect with many easy ways to modify it. Pale colored silk thread will team very well with snowy white paper or paper with a hint of soft color. Darker silk threads will work with all, from pure white to pale to deep color.

Herbs like Rosemary, Lavender, Poppy Seeds, and Thyme will be interesting inclusions. Usually they will work best if blended at least a bit. In the case of Lavender Buds, they are absolutely unattractive in paper when used whole, but beautiful when ground fine and added. Rosemary is very pretty added whole and interesting when crushed, ground or blended.

And so you have just a short list of inclusions. There are 100s more. Enjoy the journey and the process.

Thank you for reading my guides on handmade arts and crafts.

Enjoy the process!