I have researched plants and materials that can be used for papermaking both locally and in distant places. I have mostly focused on Potawatomi land and have learned from indigenous practices. I make sure to never take more than what I need. Throughout the years, I have made several types of paper using the materials I have gathered. Below are just a few examples:

In 2017, while studying abroad, I created my first handmade paper for a project in my Social Processes and Creative Techniques class. This paper will always be special to me because I learned how to responsibly harvest flax from the surrounding city while I was in another class. I built a frame with supplies from the hardware store and set out to make my flax pulp in our shared kitchen. I attempted to use the blender method with an old blender and learned quickly that that would likely not be a sustainable practice with a fiber such as flax. Ultimately my paper turned out thick and coarse, the color was a light brown. It was unlike any other paper I had ever worked with and I fell in love. 

Beautiful paper made from Ground Ivy plants. Ground Ivy is in the mint family with small purple to blue flowers, not to be msitaken with dead nettle.  These flowers bloom in early spring back here in michigan. It can seem abundant at times and as I explored my renewed excitement in papermaking through foraging plants from spots right in my neighborhood, I found so much whismy in the ground cover beneath our feets. For this paper, I harvested the ground ivy by the root and stem. I chopped up the plants with a knife, boiled every part for about 2 hours, and then blended the contents of my pot. The end reusult was a beautiful fibrous paper pulp. Ground Ivy fiber holds up well on its own.

As my exploration of natural fibers in my neighborhood continued, I decided to try my hand at making some Daisy Paper with some of the smaller daisy I found in meadows and park areas. I love the little specks of yellow that go throughout the paper, the light yellow green tint of the paper was a great surprise. Small daisies like the ones I used aren’t fibrous enough to hold up on their own, so mixing with a base fiber like hemp or cotton is reccommended. I know some would wonder why not just work with the dried flowers, but I was curious to see what type of fiber I could produce. Something else in the asteraceae family will make for better fiber.

Also in the mint family, Red Deadnettle is considered a weed by many, but did you know that this plant has edible, medicinal, and practical qualities? I harvested this plant right from my front yard and I chopped it up with a knife. I boiled the plants for one hour with no additives and turned the resulting mishmash into a pulp. I really love the muted color of this paper and it has distinct differences from the Ground Ivy Paper although they are related plants. These paper sheets were a little more brittle than the Ground Ivy paper and a base fiber could offer support.

Another paper made with plant fibers that you can find in your neighborhood or at the park! I love clover paper, the fiber inside the stalk of the clover plant is soft and cream colored and it makes for a beautiful sheet of paper. I’ve experimented with making paper out of other types of clover and different parts of the plant. They turn out similarly for the most part, but I do love to press some of the flowers and incorporate them into the pieces.

Scroll down to see other plant fibers that have been turned into paper. I’ll continue uploading my notes if anyone cares to read more.