Here’s a good project to try on a nice sunny day; head outside and see what you can collect and then create a beautiful nature weaving.
You will need:
- A small forked branch or stick
- Cotton string or cotton thread (embroidery thread works well)
- Scissors
- Natural materials to weave: grasses, stems, twigs etc. Aim for things that are fairly straight and long.
Important Notes: Only pick plants from your garden or plants that are very common and you can find a big patch of, such as grass. Try and collect materials that are already on the ground, like small twigs that have fallen from the tree. It’s a good idea to wear gloves to protect your hands and watch out for nettles!
Step 1.
The first job is to make our forked branch into a loom. To do this cut several lengths of your string, the lengths need to be long enough to stretch across the fork plus a bit extra for tying knots.
Step 2.
Tie the lengths of string across the fork of the branch, about 2-3 cm apart. Here the thread is doubled because it is quite fine but a single thread is fine.
Step 3.
Start weaving! Begin by threading one of your stems or grasses over one thread, under the next, then over the next, under the next and so on until you reach the end.
For the next stem do the same but go under the threads you went over last time and over the ones you went under.
Step 4.
Continue weaving, alternating your overs and unders until the loom is full.
Step 5.
Hang up your weaving and admire, when the plants you’ve woven have died the whole thing can go on the compost heap.
Have fun and don’t forget to show us how you get on!
Heathlands 