Now that summer is in full swing, I’m checking my garden every day for anything I can harvest. Lately, it’s been apricots and the very last of the dill, but I’ve also got peaches, plums, and veggies galore to look forward to. While we often think of gardens as places to get fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers for our homes, they’re also a great source of goodies for our weaving!
Plants for dyeing are of course the obvious example, but did you know that the stems and leaves of common flowers can be harvested, dried, and used to weave grasscloth? Stems and/or leaves of day lilies, irises, and daffodils, among others, work well for this purpose. Not a spinner? Not to worry! The stems and leaves aren’t retted and turned into a spun yarn à la flax to linen; instead they are trimmed, washed, and dried before being woven to create a sturdy fabric.
Daffodils are just one flower that can be used to weave grasscloth. Photo by Annie Sprat on Unsplash
Curious about how to use harvested flower stems and leaves to weave your own grasscloth? In this All Access Subscriber Exclusive project, designer Patricia Morton gives you all the information you need to get started harvesting, curing, and weaving. Not only does the PDF include full instructions on preparing the stems and leaves, but it also includes weaving and sewing instructions for a set of rigid heddle–woven grasscloth book covers. (Not an All Access Subscriber? Learn more about all the benefits of subscribing.)
While this particular project is for the rigid-heddle loom, I can’t help but think of ways to use stems or leaves in other types of weaving—as the final layer of a pin-loom piece, as an extra-thick weft in inkle—so much potential!
Journal Cover PDF Download
While the project mentions only a few specific flowers, curing the stems and leaves is so easy, it seems like a perfect chance to experiment with what you have on hand.
