top of page

Handmade Paper

 

Your paper starts with a plant. It could be a garden plant, an invasive species near the local river, or the leftover  corn husks from the local farm stand. The leaves or stems pass through a process that can last a year and a half or more, and comprises dozens of steps. When the paper finally emerges, in very small batches, it is precious.

Plant to paper:

 

  • Hand harvest. Prepare for cooking.
  • Cook outdoors in giant vat, then rinse.
  • Dry and store fiber. Later, soak to rehydrate.
  • Macerate/beat. Bleach. Rinse.
  • Prepare vat and form paper.
  • Press paper.
  • Move wet paper to dryer. Dry.
  • Inspect, trim, grade.

These are our fibers:

 

  • Siberian Iris / Iris siberica
  • Eulalia / Miscanthus sinensis
  • Corn / Zea mays
  • Itadori (Japanese Knotweed) / Fallopia japonica
  • Daylily / Hemerocallis
  • Milkweed / Asclepias syriaca
  • Common Reed / Phragmites australis
  • Cattail / Typha latifolia
  • Yellow Flag Iris / Iris pseudacorus
  • Hemp / Cannabis sativa
bottom of page