Cordage from Natural Materials for Beginners

Fabulous!

LOVED it! What a wonderful garden you have too. Thank you for sharing x

Now you know how the traveling natives felt long ago when they came upon a place with good grasses to make their ropes, baskets, etc.! I love your idea of braiding the cords. I have arthritis in my hands, recently diagnosed and still painful sometimes, so I'm hesitant to try this, and the Sari thread cordage. It may actually help, I'm not sure. But I sure want to try! :)

Cool thanks for sharing 😍🐞🤗🐝

I love it! Not sure I have the patience and I know my sore hands would rebel. You are so creative and resourceful! Thanks for sharing...I’ve wondered about making videos too but have the same worries about my non expert status. I’m so glad you make your videos!

Awesome, Susan! I’m wondering about dandelion stalks - have you done cordage with that?

Blade grass

What do you do when you reach the end? How do you end the strand? Thank you!!

That is really fantastic. Are you doin this with other materials? That would be awesome to see what else you are working on. thank you

I am interested. Thank you for sharing.

This is a ponderously long process. It would take an entire lifetime for a stone age person to make a string bag like this.
I have seen how natives make cordage, which is much more efficient.
They hold the ends of two fibres together in their left hand, tied with a knot.
They hold the other ends on their right thigh, with the right fingers flat on top of them. These two ends are separated by a couple of inches. Gentle tension keeps the fibres taut.
Then they push the right hand forwards along their thigh, which twists both fibres at the same time, many revolutions.
When the twist reaches to the left hand, the two fibres naturally twist around each other.
Then the left hand moves to the right along the twisted cordage, pinching it where the twist stops, and the process is repeated.
Very quick!!

Siberian elm bark works amazingly and it's one of the strongest I've worked with. Loop a length around your big toe and that leaves both hands free for twisting together. Also you can twist longer fibers together by rolling them on your thigh with the palm of your hand

I believe that is canary grass

Cool!

Can I twist left.

Thank you for showing!

I'm so glad you put this video up. I've watched half a dozen videos on how to make cordage, and nothing clicked until I watched your video. As I was watching, I listened to your sweet chatter about being brave, taking a risk, and just trying something new--and showing the world what you're doing. The term "expert" is overrated. I love learning from a beginner who is still finding joy and wonder in the process and can laugh at beginner goofs and help the rest of us avoid pitfalls. THANK YOU!!! I'm going to teach some youth how to make cordage on our upcoming pioneer trek!! :)

Very nice visuals and great details!

I really enjoyed watching your video on making cordage. I like you're not an expert but willing to teach others. I am definitely giving it a try. Thanks again.

All I have to say is Thank you. I needed this push to try something new. I appreciate the words you shared and your encouragement in trying. Thank you for being brave and sharing a vulnerable part of your art. It really means a lot.

Very thin
Very interesting and you can show us when your not an expert I think your right on that :)
Very much inspiring creativity

I LOVE how honest and forthright you are about your own knowledge and experience, and I LOVE that you experiment on your own until you learn it for yourself, I'm the same way! Thank you so much for the fascinating video and your candor, I've watched a bunch of videos on making cordage but yours has really made me feel ready to go out and start doing it on my own here in Sonoma County. I'm so pleased I found this! Thank you Susan!

ive been trying to find good natural cordages to make jewelery. ground ivy and common ivy snap too easy. im going to try this instead

Hi! Yes it is addictive to try natural stuff! I live now in central america, and there is so many different leaves! I love banana trees! Have you tried banana peels? It works well !

Your video has been a great addition to our nature weaving projects post on Textile Indie. Thanks for sharing your skills! I love making materials - probably more than I like making projects with the materials!

Old dry ornamental ginger leaf stems have become my favorite thing to make natural cordage from .
Great video by the way 👍

Thank you for the prep to twine info for grass. I have a tall grass or sedge I want to try. I would use my cordage to tie up bundles of weaving materials, and incidental light items together.

I have a lot of brambles growing so i am hoping to dl somwthing with that for the hell of it if i have any time to do so! Now thw weathwr is a bit better it moght happen.

I was cutting Blueblossom stems to feed to my Ceanothus Silkworm caterpillars, and I accidentally stripped the stem shoving it into a floral tube. The way it soo effortlessly peeled off and the strength of just the outer layer was so impressive I wondered if it could be used for cordage. I get an absolutely abundance of stems because it grows like a weed and has to be pruned away from the house and walkway frequently lol. That was my first native plant in my garden, and I was too inexperienced to consider its mature size and growth rate. Hopefully I could make use of all those stems! Perhaps you have experimented with it since?