I think that house covering paper -- Tyvek -- might work, too, though I haven't tried it. It's what they use instead of tarpaper these days, and the bad news is that it's pink. I think you can also get it in white. We used to use inner tubes, which give you a muted thud. And you'd do both ends, and lace the one to the other to get enough tension. Punch the holes with a paper punch so they don't tear. Farm stores, and, I think auto parts stores still sell inner tubes. Places that make things from leather often sell scraps in bulk.
I have used embroidery hoops to lace drumheads to. (wrap head material around large wood hexagon, or octagon or whatever, and lace edge to hoop behind.
Blessings,
Barbara