September 2026 Gathering – Pressed Leaf Paper Lanterns
September 10 @ 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm PDT
Free registration is required. Registration for this event closes September 5th @ 11:30pm. Reserving a seat tells us how much paper and paste to buy, so early sign-ups genuinely help.
Note that this gathering runs three hours instead of our usual two, from 5 to 8 pm. Paper and paste need time to dry, and we would rather not rush the good part.
Fall is about to turn on the coast. This month Moss Webster shows us how to catch some of that and light it from the inside, building paper lanterns with leaves and fronds pressed into the paper so they read as silhouettes when the light comes on.
You can make a single lantern to set on a table with an LED tea light inside, or make a few and hang them on a string. Moss is partial to Japanese maple and ferns, but there is no wrong answer here. Flower petals with strong color often show through beautifully, so bring those too if you have them.
Moss will be out foraging before the gathering and bringing a stash to share. That said, keep an eye out on your own walks this week. A leaf you picked up yourself is a better lantern than one from the pile.
What to bring
- Leaves, fern fronds, flower petals, seed heads, anything flat with a good outline. Fresh is fine.
- A hair dryer, if you have one you can carry. They speed up drying considerably and we will share them around the room.
- If you want to hang your lanterns on a string, bring your own LED string lights. Buy them ahead of time. LED only, because paper lanterns and hot bulbs do not belong in the same sentence. Bulbs with a clear casing around them, the round globe style, spread the light through a lantern far better than a bare bulb does.
What we provide
Paper, paste, forms, and all the tools. We are also supplying LED tea light candles for anyone making individual lanterns, so you can take yours home lit.
Moss Webster
Moss has been a Coastal resident for about 10 years. Although his love for the local theater, community, and his growth as a chef through the culinary scene here has made this his home, it’s his deep admiration and connection to the surrounding ecosystem that keeps him passionate about life.
” I am blessed to have found a place in this Coastal rainforest and to have the chance to help build our Emerald Collective. There is so much to learn and share in these woods and at our shore. We plan to do that with the arts and fellowship!”