Press, Peel, and Make

The last steps

You have a wet sheet on your screen. Now we press the water out and dry it. Then, ta-da, you have real paper to make things with!

Wash your hands one more time, and let's finish your paper with a grown-up.

Couch the sheet

First we move the wet sheet off the screen. This has a funny name. We call it couching (say it "KOO-ching").

Here is how:

1. Lay a cloth or a sheet of newspaper flat on the table.

2. Flip your screen over so the pulp faces down onto the cloth.

3. Press the sponge on the back and lift the screen away slowly.

The wet sheet stays behind on the cloth. Nice and gentle does it!

Press out the water

Now we squeeze the sheet flat. Make a little sandwich:

• Cloth on the bottom

• Your sheet in the middle

• Another cloth on top

Then pile on something heavy and flat, like a stack of big books. Leave it to press for a whole day, about 12 to 24 hours. The weight pushes out water and packs the fibers tight, which makes the paper stronger.

Dry and peel

After pressing, carefully peel the cloth away and lay your sheet somewhere warm and airy to finish drying. A drying rack or a clothesline works well. Give it a day or so.

When it is fully dry, peel your paper off slowly and gently so it does not tear. Feel it! Mushroom paper is a bit bumpy and felty, with lovely speckles from the fibers. Every sheet looks different, like a little fingerprint.

Make something wonderful

Your paper is ready. What will you make?

• A bookmark for your favorite book

• A greeting card for someone you love

• A tag for a present

• A page for a nature scrapbook

You can press a leaf or a flower petal into the wet pulp next time for extra decoration.

Two rules we never forget: never eat any mushroom paper, and never pick or eat wild mushrooms. We only ever use blocks from a safe grow kit.

You did it! From a tired old block to beautiful handmade paper. Nothing wasted, everything made. What a mushroom hero you are!