Naturally Dyed, Handmade Paper

We’re proud to offer our own recycled, handmade paper! This beautiful paper is made entirely of recycled materials and naturally dyed with turmeric. Each handmade piece measures approximately 5.5 in x 8.5 in. The texture of this paper is course and uneven, and retains some of the pattern from the mold. We leave it up to you to decide whether or not to straighten the paper, so our paper comes “as dried” with no ironing performed.

Curious how it’s made?

First consider that paper is made up of small pieces of plant fibers that can be broken down several times to be turned back into reusable material (normally up to 4 times before the fibers become too small to be reused).

We start the process by shredding discarded paper into small pieces. We take the shreds, add water, and let them soak a bit. Next, we blend the fibers down into what is called a pulp (mixture of water and fibers). We then add turmeric that will combine with the fibers to dye it a nice, earthy shade of yellow. We form our paper by molding the pulp into different shapes using our deckles and molds. Finally, the paper is pressed and allowed to dry naturally.

The paper has a twisted look because the stresses in the fibers are not all the same, and as the paper dries, the fibers pull differently on different sections of the paper. We think the twisting adds character, but this can easily be ironed out between cotton fabric if desired.

Sound like a fun process? You might consider making paper yourself! Check out our shop for the different paper making supplies we offer.