Washable Paper Projects with Organic Cotton Plus

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If you're a long-time reader, you may recall a few posts I did for Organic Cotton Plus, most recently this wool felt tote bag. I am a HUGE natural fibers nerd, and since that's all OCP carries, it was always a match made in heaven! Naturally, I was super excited when they reached out to me again for another collaboration. Today's post is all about a cool product that I'd never used before, washable paper!

Washable paper is also known as "vegan leather" and is made from pulp. It is sewable with a regular machine, and in fact I even used a small needle by accident without issue. Washing and crinkling the paper gives it a distressed finish that resembles leather. My first idea was to use a small piece as a tag for the back of some Ginger Jeans. Here is the paper sewn to the jeans without any washing at all:

And here is the same pair of jeans after washing and drying:

The paper crinkled up and became very obviously more distressed. I can't wait to see it evolve as the jeans get worn!

Next up, I wanted to try making a reusable sandwich bag. I cut apart a paper lunch sack and used it as a pattern for my own bag. 

This project ended up being a lot harder than I thought! In retrospect, I should have deviated from my design so I could sew it with my machine. I ended up hand-sewing with heavy weight shoe making thread. I haven't washed this bag yet, but I anticipate being able to crinkle it and roll it like a regular sandwich bag. I think it will make a great gift for an eco-conscious and thrifty friend of mine.

I also sewed a simple clutch with the washable paper.

This clutch is a large rectangle folded over. I sewed the side seams and then put the clutch into the washing machine and dryer. When it was about halfway through the drying cycle, I pulled it out and turned it so that the seams I had sewn would be on the inside. I was impressed that the paper withstood my mangling, even when wet. Once it was finished drying, I topstitched the bag and added a snap. I decided to go one step further and block printed on the back of the clutch. The paper took the block printing ink well (any mistakes are due to my own lack of experience with block carving and printing!). 

Last but not least, I went with a small scale block print and another tag. This one is a folded tag on a handmade scarf. I printed it with "110" which is part of my brand name. I think the tag looks like leather! I love that even a tiny piece of this washable paper can be used. 

Order the washable paper here from Organic Cotton Plus. It is 19" wide, I ordered one yard and had plenty for these projects with some left over. Thank you OCP for letting me try out this product, I will definitely be using up every bit that I have!

Organic Cotton Plus provided me with fabric for this review. All opinions are my own.