Method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet

1. A method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet, the method comprising:

(a) preparing a cellulosic web from an aqueous papermaking furnish;

(b) fabric-creping the web, the fabric-creping step forming a creped web having a drawable reticulum, the drawable reticulum (1) being capable of increasing in bulk upon drawing and (2) having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights, including at least:

(i) a plurality of fiber-enriched regions of a relatively high local basis weight, interconnected by way of

(ii) a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions;

(c) drying the creped web, while substantially preserving the drawable reticulum, to form a dried web; and

(d) drawing the dried web, wherein the drawing step increases the bulk of the dried web.

2. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the drawing step increases the bulk of the dried web by at least 5%.

3. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the drawing step increases the bulk of the dried web by at least 10%.

4. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the drawing step includes drawing the web on-line.

5. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , further comprising calendering the dried web on-line.

6. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the drawing step includes drawing the dried web at least about 10%.

7. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the drawing step includes drawing the dried web at least about 15%.

8. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the drawing step includes drawing the dried web at least about 30%.

9. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the drawing step includes drawing the dried web at least about 45%.

10. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the drawing step includes drawing the dried web up to about 75%.

11. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , which is operated at a fabric crepe of from about 10% to about 300% and a crepe recovery of from about 10% to about 100%.

12. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , which is operated at a crepe recovery of at least about 20%.

13. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , which is operated at a crepe recovery of at least about 30%.

14. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , which is operated at a crepe recovery of at least about 40%.

15. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , which is operated at a crepe recovery of at least about 50%.

16. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , which is operated at a crepe recovery of at least about 60%.

17. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , which is operated at a crepe recovery of at least about 80%.

18. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , which is operated at a crepe recovery of at least about 100%.

19. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , which is operated at a fabric crepe of from about 10 to about 100%.

20. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , which is operated at a fabric crepe of at least about 40%.

21. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , which is operated at a fabric crepe of at least about 60%.

22. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , which is operated at a fabric crepe of at least about 80%.

23. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the orientation of fibers in the fiber-enriched regions is biased in the cross-machine direction.

24. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 23 , wherein the orientation of fibers in the linking regions is biased along a direction between fiber-enriched regions.

25. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the drawing step includes drawing the dried web in the machine direction.

26. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 25 , wherein the fiber-enriched regions have a plurality of microfolds with fold lines extending transverse to the machine direction.

27. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 26 , wherein the drawing of the dried web in the machine direction expands the microfolds.

28. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the drawing step reduces the sidedness of the dried web.

29. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 28 , wherein the drawing step reduces the sidedness of the dried web by at least about 10%.

30. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 28 , wherein the drawing step reduces the sidedness of the dried web by at least about 20%.

31. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 28 , wherein the drawing step reduces the sidedness of the dried web by at least about 40%.

32. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the drawing step reduces the TMI Friction value of the fabric side of the dried web.

33. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the drying step includes drying the web to a consistency of at least about 90% prior to drawing.

34. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the drying step includes drying the web to a consistency of at least about 92% prior to drawing.

35. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the aqueous papermaking furnish comprises secondary fiber.

36. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the drawing step decreases the caliper of the dried web less than the basis weight of the dried web.

37. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 36 , wherein the drawing step results in a ratio of percent decrease in caliper/percent decrease in basis weight of the dried web of less than 1.

38. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 36 , wherein the drawing step results in a ratio of percent decrease in caliper/percent decrease in basis weight of the dried web of less than about 0.85.

39. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 36 , wherein the drawing step results in a ratio of percent decrease in caliper/percent decrease in basis weight of the dried web of less than about 0.7.

40. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 36 , wherein the drawing step results in a ratio of percent decrease in caliper/percent decrease in basis weight of the dried web of less than about 0.6.

41. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the drying step includes providing the web to a single-tier can-drying section at a consistency of less than about 70% and drying the web to a consistency of greater than about 90% in the single-tier drying section.

42. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the drying step includes providing the web to a two-tier can drying section at a consistency of less than about 70% and drying the web to a consistency of greater than about 90% in the two-tier drying section.

43. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the drying step includes providing the web to a can drying section at a consistency of less than about 70% and drying the web to a consistency of greater than about 90% in the drying section.

44. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the web contains more than 6 percent residual moisture prior to the drawing step, such that the drawing step occurs before the web is air-dry.

45. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the web has a stretch at break of at least 20% prior to the drawing step.

46. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the web has a stretch at break of at least 30% prior to the drawing step.

47. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the web has a stretch at break of at least 45% prior to the drawing step.

48. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the web has a stretch at break of at least 60% prior to the drawing step.

49. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the drawing step preferentially attenuates the fiber-enriched regions of the dried web.

50. The method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the drawable reticulum comprises a cohesive fiber matrix.