Jewellery in its broadest (and wildest sense). A great day’s teaching at Hickling Reserve, with a very enthusiastic group of students. We learnt how to make cordage from willow bark and nettle, and then, set about making some beautiful little constructions from the materials harvested close by. Definitely ‘adaption in Read more…
Looking ahead to the workshop for the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, I thought it a good idea to make a short reconnaissance visit to the Hickling Reserve, just to see what materials are available. Lots to choose from, including some good birch logs. Now birch bark is well known for its Read more…
Down by Foxes Beck, a tangle of willow scrub emerges from the waterlogged banks. The inner bark, or more precisely, ‘the cambium layer’, is a fine material for bindings. Either raw, or retted (boiled in a hot ash-liquor), it’s tough, and ‘strips-down’ a little more consistently than bramble. If you Read more…
Thinking ahead to the ‘Wild Jewellery’ event I’m running for the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, I thought I’d see how last year’s bramble growth behaved for simple bindings. Quite tough to ‘thread’ (peeling off the vicious thorns) but it certainly was robust. It even withstood Nellie’s ‘Lab test’.