Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

Growing, gathering, and weaving with plant fibers from the Pacific Northwest

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Fireweed and Nettle Fiber Papers

September 15, 2021 By Melinda

It’s been fun and interesting experimenting with how to extract the cellulose fibers from various native, naturalized, and invasive plants that live in our gardens and all around our neighborhood.

Fireweed Bast Fiber Papers – The top paper shown above is pure Fireweed; the middle is pure Fireweed blended to a finer pulp; the bottom paper is Fireweed with a pinch of cotton linter.

Because, like Stinging Nettle, Fireweed bast fiber was also traditionally utilized by the First Peoples of this region for cordage making, and it grows in a similar perennial fashion to Stinging Nettle, I ended up with successful papers using the same method for extracting the fibers.

First, I cooked cut stems in boiling water for 15 minutes.

Cooking Cut Nettle

After cooking and draining the stems, I split them in half, either with a knife, or by flattening them under a rolling pin and then using my thumbnail to open up the stems.

Splitting the stem
Split Cooked Nettle Stem

Then it’s easy to separate the stringy outer bast fiber from the woody center. All the woody part needs to be removed.

Segments of cooked Nettle Bast Fiber

Rather than masticate the fibers with a mortar and pestle, I cheat and use my old kitchen blender. But one most step is a good idea first. I learned that if I didn’t cut all the pieces to 1” lengths, and this is for both the Nettle and the Fireweed, that I’d spend all my time untangling the blender blades. The fibers are so strong, no wonder why they were used traditionally for making fish nets, snares and tumplines.

Nettle Papers

The top piece of paper is pure, nothing added, and the lower piece of paper is nettle with a pinch of cotton linter added.

Cooked cut Fireweed Bast Fiber

 

Fireweed Stems Ready to Harvest

Happy Fall Harvesting!

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Community, News, Plants and Places, Upcoming Tagged With: cordage, fireweed, fish nets, nettle, Paper making, papermaking, traditional First People, tumlines

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About Melinda

Forty years ago, while sitting on the beach playing with my young children, I made my first basket out of a pile of willow trimmings someone had tossed there. It looked wildly made like a crazy bird’s nest. While being together with my two sons on a beautiful Pacific Northwest shoreline, this simple experience of crafting with the natural materials at hand kindled a passion for creating forms using plant fibers. I thank my family, my community, and all my teachers for cultivating this gift in me.
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