Papermaking with Local Plants
OCT 4
with Patti Shanks

Papermaking with Local Plants
Patti Shanks
Saturday, October 4, 2025, 10:30a - 2:30p
$100
Come learn how to process local plant materials into paper. For this workshop, you need to be willing to gather and prepare some of the plant materials we’ll use. I’ll provide the rest. I’ll also prep some base fibers (abaca and hemp) that can be combined with the local plant materials we bring in. There will be no dyes or pigments used, simply the beauty of combining natural materials into as many combinations as we want in order to create an array of handmade paper.
•gathering some plant materials in late summer and early fall as the growing season ends. No one person needs to gather a lot. We’ll figure out which materials we’re interested in, and we’ll coordinate so that everyone brings in something.
•you’ll need to prep your materials which includes: gently cleaning, laying them out to dry, cutting, then cooking them so they’re ready for papermaking in the workshop. (these steps can happen over a period of weeks).
•I’m providing and prepping several natural materials, so suggestions for what materials to collect and prep will be addressed in orientation. Right now, this is a list of some you may consider:
•LEAF FIBERS: lily, yucca, cattail, iris.
•BAST FIBERS: okra (not the vegetable part, the stalk), milkweed (the stalk).
•GRASS FIBERS: papyrus, pampas, lemon grass.
We’ll prep our gathered fibers by hand beating while others are run through the Hollander beater at Liggett Studio. Then we’ll start pulling sheets of paper with our various fibers while later mixing these and then combining with abaca (white base) or hemp (tan base) to see what amazing blends and appearances we can achieve. We press and dry (which takes a week), but each participant will end up with an assortment of handmade papers made of natural fibers.
***No refunds if you cancel less than 48 hours before the workshop***