Cooking Up Paper with Andrea Peterson

All paper comes from plants, but some sources are more sustainable than others. In this two day workshop with Master Papermaker Andrea Peterson, we will focus on the process of making handmade natural fiber paper from beginning to end, starting with the plant. This class will give you focused and practical hands-on experience on how to take a fiber from your backyard and turn it into a usable handmade paper.

To expedite the process for a 2-day workshop, plant fibers are collected and dried. A few of the plant fibers used in this workshop will be harvested locally from the Erie area specifically for this class. Participants will learn about identifying, collecting, and preparing plant materials for papermaking, including the differences between working with fresh and dried fibers.

We will explore the entire fiber preparation process, from precooking and selecting energy sources for cooking to understanding various caustics and their…