At plain paper and fabric company our product is handmade, and that element is important to us. We take the time to produce every piece with anticipation, excitement, and care. So many variables take effect in the end, and a slight variation in one piece of paper or fabric can be intriguing and very beautiful. This freedom in these processes of pulling sheets of handmade paper and marbling, is one of the reasons we enjoy creating our work.
plain paper began in 1998, as a part of Mid-Life Celebration, Ltd. and was based in the heart of the Great Plains-Lincoln, Nebraska. Wanting very much to be our own boss and work from home, this mother/daughter operation has evolved from a dream into a reality thanks in part to the Internet. After several experiments with new kinds of plant paper such as 100% whole wheat paper used by the Great Harvest Bread Co. for marketing materials, and after sending nearly 1000 marbled t-shirts to buyers in Japan, the daughter part of the team moved to Oregon and started Skipping Stones at Waking Farm where she continues with marbling and paper crafts there.
The main ingredient in our handmade paper is recycled office paper or plant fiber. We include junk mail, backyard plants, and sewing scraps, and more as inclusions, and we won’t stop there. You’ll see inclusions of coffee grounds, aluminum scraps, and poppy seeds. Each time we make paper there is always something else that we can add to make it unique and beautiful. Some batches we make without inclusions, such as the plain red pure recycled paper, or darker brown recycled paper grocery bags. We ‘upcycle’ the junk mail and paper packing from packages received into lovely handmade sheets of paper. We like to make trash into treasure!
The marbling is done on all sorts of items, from baby onsies, t-shirts of all sizes, silk scarves, and designer fashions to paper sheets to create stationery, books, and notecards. Using western tank marbling to create these beautiful designs on paper and fabric up to 4 feet by 8 feet. We are currently researching more environmentally friendly ways of applying colors to fabric so we’ll keep you posted on our progress.
We thank you so much for taking the time to find out who we are and what we are about. Please browse the site, you might find something you like. If you have any questions at all, please e-mail us at paper@mlcltd.com
Martha Johnson
Edison, NE
Eron King
Blachly, OR